GSG Advice Service FAQs

Q: I am going to contact you about possibly taking up your service.  What info do you need from me?

A: We need: 

• your child’s name and yours
• his/her/their date(s) of birth
• an idea of where you will want a school eg west London, the Midlands, within an hour of an airport etc
• what matters most to you in terms of their education eg sports, a special educational need, good academics

Q: Who are the advisors? What is their background? 

A: Our advisors are our most experienced writers. All are parents. Most have a professional background in education and/or a great range of educational and schools experience. You can find out more about our advisors on our dedicated Advice Service website.

Q: How soon will it be before the advisor contacts me?

A: Your initial telephone call or email will be answered by our administrator. She will take basic details from you including credit card details. She then allocates to you the advisor best suited to help you and forwards your contact details to the advisor. Normally, you will hear from the advisor within minutes but always within 48 hours. Only when you and your advisor agree that the service will proceed do we deduct your fee from your card and we always notify you when this happens. 

Q: I would like my husband/wife to take part in any conversation I have, Is it possible to speak to an advisor during the evening or at a weekend? 

A: All our advisors like to be as helpful and flexible as possible and we can always fit in with your timetable. 

Q: Can I meet with the advisor?

A: Of course! This is usually possible and our advisors are happy to travel to meet you subject to prior arrangement. 

Q: Do the advisors only recommend independent schools?

A: Certainly not! In fact, if you are only interested in state schools that’s fine!

Q: Do the advisors only recommend schools in The Good Schools Guide?

A: No – although we do find that these are generally the ones people want. However, in some areas of the country or to meet specific requirements, we may well recommend you to consider schools that are not – or not yet – in The Guide. 

Q: I want to buy/rent a house according to where good schools are; can you help?

A: Absolutely! This is something we do all the time. However, you do need to realise that if a school is heavily oversubscribed, even living next door won’t absolutely guarantee you a place. 


Q: Are advisors able to recommend schools in different areas?

A: We have knowledgeable advisors all over the country and we can advise you on schools everywhere. However, with over 37,000 schools in the country, not all advisors have visited all schools – not even all the good schools – in their areas so, sometimes, we have to rely on our colleagues or on reports when we discuss certain schools with you.

 
Q: Can The Good Schools Guide use its influence to get my child a place at a school?

A: We cannot make a school find an empty bed or desk if they simply don’t have one.  However, schools we know well and who trust us are sometimes happy to talk to us when parents have had a curt refusal. We can never guarantee to get a place for a child at a particular school. 

Q: Does The Good Schools Guide take commission from schools they recommend?

A: Absolutely not. And this is what makes us different from most ‘agents’ who have individual financial arrangements with schools. These people send their clients’ children to a small range of schools – not really according to the clients’ requirements – and earn money from schools for doing it.  Our advice is entirely independent and based only on what you tell us you want for your children. 

Q: I think I will go for your Standard Service. What can I expect for this?

A: Firstly, you will discuss what you want to find with your advisor and you and she will decide how best to proceed and on what timetable. Each advice client is different and their needs are entirely individual so we never set an exact formula but, in general, the Standard Service encompasses around 6 hours consultation and research. Your advisor has access to the unique Good Schools Guide resources – data, inside information and contacts - and can, if necessary, draw on the knowledge and expertise of the entire team. Occasionally, the work load exceeds 6 hours (most advisors are pretty flexible on this). You will then be charged an additional £120 per hour but only after we have checked with you that you accept this. 

Q: I’m not sure whether to be a Standard Service client or a Premier Service client. My main problem is that I am being relocated with only a few weeks’ notice. 

A: In cases like this, we do usually recommend that you become a Premier client. This means you will be allocated one of our most experienced advisors and that she will put aside other work to concentrate on assisting you. 

Q:Is the fee per family or per child?

A:The fee is per family but it principally relates to the time it will take to help you effectively. Therefore, if you have three children but want them all to go to the same school and none of them have any particular needs, then the Standard Service fee should comfortably cover all the work. If, however, you have five children, two with particular problems, then the standard service may well not quite cover all the time it will take to achieve what is needed. However, in the vast majority of cases, no additional fee is charged after the initial fee. 

Q:How long, then, do I get for the Premier Service?

A: The Premier Service is entirely flexible. It aims to meet whatever your needs might be and it is staffed by our most experienced advisors. It covers around two full days work – whether consultative, research, meetings, visiting, negotiating – on your behalf. Travel expenses are extra. Additional days are charged at £500 each; extra hours at £120. With sufficient notice, advisors can fly out to where you are, assess your children and so on.  

Q:Does my advisor check whether my shortlisted schools actually have places available?

A: This is the kind of thing you and your advisor sort out between you. In general, schools prefer to hear from parents rather than advisors or agents but, if you want the advisor to enquire on your behalf, be sure to make that clear.

Q:What if I am not happy with the schools they recommend?

A: This has scarcely ever happened but, if you are not happy, tell us. We take immense pride in giving our clients exactly what they want and our many thousands of happy clients – who often become our friends – are testament to this. 

Q:Can the advisor assess my child?

A: Some of our advisors can offer this service. Tell our administrator if you want an assessment. 

Q: What if I just want data and statistics?

A:The Good Schools Guide has the most comprehensive collection of educational data to be found anywhere in the UK. We can provide data on whatever you want, presented in any format to suit your needs. See our Bespoke Service.

Q: Can I speak to someone about a particular school? 

A: We will always try to find you an advisor who knows personally a particular school in which you are interested. If it is a school in The Good Schools Guide this should always be possible. However, with over 37,000 schools in the country, we can’t always find someone for every school. All our advisors visit schools regularly but they can’t all visit all the schools. So we may find you an advisor who has recently visited some of the schools you are interested in but, possibly, not all.

Q: I understand you have a dedicated advice service website with additional help and information.

A: Yes. You will find it at www.gsgexpertschoolsconsultants.com