Questions to Ask Before Enrolling

Before you pay for acting training, ask questions in writing and keep the answers. A reputable provider will answer plainly. If it will not, that tells you something. This is a checklist you can copy into an email. The first half applies to everyone; the second half is for parents and guardians of children and teenagers.

Qualification and status

1. What exactly do I receive at the end: a degree, a diploma, a provider certificate or nothing? Who awards it?
2. If you say you are accredited, recognized or approved, by whom, for what, and where can I check?
3. Is this the exact program I am applying to, or a related one? Prices, audition rules and awards belong to a specific program, not to the school as a whole.
4. Is the school still operating this program in the year I plan to start? Are intake dates confirmed?

See qualification status and Acting Degrees vs Diplomas.

Teaching

1. Who will teach me? Can I see their current biographies on the school's own site?
2. How many hours a week, and how many weeks? How many are with a teacher and how many are self-directed?
3. How large is a typical class? Is feedback given in the class or one-to-one?
4. If online, are sessions live or recorded? See Online vs In-Person Acting.
5. What happens if a teacher leaves or the class is cancelled?
6. What approach does the course use, and what does that mean in practice week to week?

Admissions

1. Is there an audition, an interview or open enrollment? What is the exact requirement and deadline for my intake year? See Monologue and Self-Tape Requirements.
2. What are the audition and application fees? Are they refundable or waivable?
3. When will I hear the result, and what is the deadline to accept?

Money

1. What is the total cost for the whole course, in what currency, and what does it include? See Understanding Tuition and Term Fees.
2. What is the payment schedule? Is a deposit required, and is it refundable?
3. What is the refund policy if I withdraw, if I am ill, or if the school cancels? Are missed classes made up?
4. Are there extra costs, such as materials, costumes, productions, filming, showcase fees or equipment?
5. Are scholarships, bursaries or concessions available, and what proof is needed?

Outcomes and showcases

1. What does the showcase involve, who is invited and who attended last time? See Evaluating Showcase Claims.
2. What do you know about what recent graduates did afterward? What is the number of graduates and the definition behind any percentage?
3. Do you promise or guarantee agents, auditions or work? A good provider will say no and explain what it can offer instead.

Conduct and wellbeing for adults

1. What is the policy on physical contact, intimacy and nudity in classes and exercises? Who can I speak to if something feels wrong?
2. Is there a written code of conduct and a complaints procedure? What happens to a complaint?
3. How are students told in advance of difficult material or physical work?

For parents and guardians of children and teenagers

Training for young people raises extra questions. The following are drawn from the kinds of information providers publish; use them as a starting point and look for the answers in writing.

Who is looking after my child?

1. Does the provider have a written child protection or safeguarding policy, and can I read it? The Questors Theatre's youth theatre page says it operates under a Child Protection Policy and a Code of Conduct.
2. Who is the designated safeguarding lead, and how do I contact them? The same page names trained Safeguarding Leads and gives contact details.
3. How are staff, assistants and volunteers vetted? The Questors says that every tutor, assistant and chaperone holds an Enhanced DBS certificate. The Denver Center says personnel undergo training and background checks through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Vetting rules differ by country, so ask whether checks cover volunteers and guest teachers.
4. What is the adult-to-child ratio, and are there always two adults present in any room?
5. Is there any one-to-one teaching, and where does it take place?

Drop-off, pick-up and supervision

1. What are the arrival and collection procedures? The Questors describes a designated entrance, collection by a registered adult and written consent for a child to leave alone. The Denver Center says students in middle school or above may arrive and leave alone if a parent grants permission on the emergency contact form.
2. What happens if I am late? Who supervises my child?
3. Who can see my child's photograph, video or work? Is permission required before filming or posting online?

Content and behaviour

1. How does the provider choose material for young people, and who decides what is age-appropriate?
2. What is the policy on physical contact, changing rooms and one-to-one communication between adults and children, including messages and social media?
3. How do children report a concern? What happens when one does?

Booking, fees and performances

1. Who books and pays, a parent or the young person? If a provider says a guardian must book, ask how consent is recorded.
2. What are the term dates, fees and instalment options? Young Actors Theatre Islington, for example, publishes termly fees by class, an instalment plan, a registration fee and a card-processing charge, and links to safeguarding and behaviour policies, but no refund or notice policy on that page. Ask for both before you pay.
3. What is the refund policy for child classes? The Denver Center publishes a sliding refund and says absences are not refunded pro rata.
4. If my child will perform professionally, such as in television, theatre or modelling, is a licence required? GOV.UK's child-employment page states that children working in areas such as television, theatre and modelling need a performance licence. That page concerns paid or professional work, not classes, and the rules differ by country and by the child's age, so use the official source for your location.

Our children and teens page lists youth programs. In our records as of 16 October 2026, 31 programs (at 24 providers) list a child or teen audience, but only 2 of the 198 providers in our records have a safeguarding statement recorded, and only 2 programs say a parent or guardian books. That absence on a web page does not mean a provider lacks safeguarding; it means you should ask.

Red flags

• Pressure to decide or pay immediately.
• Promises of agents, casting or "industry connections".
• Refusal to put terms in writing.
• A provider that cannot say who is responsible for child safeguarding.
• No way to speak to a current student or parent.

If something goes wrong, keep your records and contact the school first, then the awarding body or the relevant regulator or consumer authority in your country.