Choosing a Course

We often get asked common questions by analysts considering attending a course with us. Here are the answers to some of these commonly asked questions that will give you further information on how our courses operate and what you can expect.



What experience do you need to attend an ISC GC, GC-MS, LC or LC-MS course?

All of the ISC courses have been specially put together to cover all of the fundamentals, plus a bit more. The majority of attending delegates have zero, little or a bit of experience in either LC/LC-MS or GC/GC-MS when they first come to us for a course. We recommend at least the 5-day Basic Essentials courses.

I have several years experience, but need some refreshment

We have many analysts attend ISC courses that have already been working for several months or years in LC/LC-MS or GC/GC-MS. Some have even attended courses with other providers in the past but are looking for either an additional training course, some refreshment, or else to also learn some new techniques e.g headspace etc. Everybody learns not only from the instructor during the ISC Courses but also from each other. For this reason, all the ISC course classes are mixed with analysts attending from different applications and slightly different levels of experience. We very rarely get advanced analysts attending our 5-day Basic Essentials courses as by then, they are usually experts already! However, it is quite common for advanced analyst to attend instrument operation courses and our other one day special topics courses to further their knowledge. Sometimes we also have laboratory managers attend our courses to check that they are suitable for their staff to attend.

I am looking for a course relevant to my instrument model

We are delighted since early 2011 to introduce courses for instrument/software operation. We will be developing the instrument/software course program over the coming months/years to offer a full service. For the time being, we presently offer course for instrument operation on Agilent, and more recently Thermo (soon to be announced on the site). If you are interested in any other instrument operation/software course in the meantime, please contact us directly for further information.

Can I ask questions relevant to my work?

Of course. All the ISC courses offer flexibility in that there is plenty of time for delegates to ask questions relevant to their needs. The course moves at a pace suitable for all the participants in each class but is always completed in accordance with the course synopsis.

Do I get a certificate for attending the course?

All delegates attending an ISC course automatically get a certificate of attendance for attending the course of choice, which is taught in full according to the course synopsis. This can be used either for your employment record, and/or towards continuing professional development (CPD). Please check the requirements of your organization as regards what such a course would count towards your own CPD program, as these differ according to each company/institution/country.

The certificate is part of the fee already paid when booking the course. For this reason we do not permit part attendance of courses – all courses need to be attended in full in order for a certificate to be awarded.

What about examination and qualification?

The ISC is the first chromatography training organisation in the world to introduce and offer examination and certification for laboratory analysts. Analysts will be able to consider taking the examination (self assessment done under local invigilated conditions) at least a minimum of one year after taking the ISC course of their choice. The examination and qualification fee is not part of the course and there will be a separate fee for it. Full details of terms and conditions will be listed on the website in 2012.

Who attends ISC courses?

We have a fantastic mixture of analysts and people working in the analytical industry attending our courses. Typically, we have PhD/MSc Students, laboratory analysts, QA analysts, R&D personnel, chemical engineers, laboratory technicians, laboratory managers, as well as service engineers, sales and marketing personnel from within these industries, and non-laboratory staff including finance/decision makers. All of whom are working across a wide variety of applications.

What languages do you teach in and do you provide training manuals?

All ISC courses are taught in English for all EU countries due to the multinational nature of our delegates. It is not uncommon for delegates to attend from 6 different countries at the same time. In certain countries like South America and Africa, we also offer courses in Spanish or French. However it depends on where delegates are attending from. Course manuals are also available in these languages.

All ISC course delegates are given a training manual when attending our courses – which is a copy of the presentation given with space to make notes. All ISC manuals and course presentations use lots of diagrams and schematics to explain things which makes it easy for all nationalities to follow.

Many laboratory analysts are also sufficiently competent in English in any case because it is the principal language of science. We have lots of experience teaching to foreign students of all nationalities and we have never experienced any problems.

If you have some concerns about attending a training course presented in English, we advise you to contact us before booking any course. We cannot provide translation services for any of our courses unless we decide to specifically arrange it in advance (e.g. for certain parts of Asia for example).

What is the course schedule like?

All ISC course schedules follow a common timeframe: starting in the morning at 9 am (8.30 am for registration/coffee) and ends by 5 pm at the latest every day. Once the course begins, the class and instructor can change the time schedule according to the groups wishes within a reasonable timeframe.

For example, sometimes delegates wish to finish 4.30 pm in order to have some relaxation, in which case the course can start at 8.30 am instead (providing there is access at the venue). Or sometimes delegates want to finish an hour or few hours earlier the last day for travel reasons, in which case earlier starts or later finishes can be made earlier in the week.

However, please note that the course must be completed and that it is at the discretion of the instructor teaching the course as to whether there is adequate time to permit this, and must be done on agreement with all of the course delegates. It will only be offered if they think it is feasible and everyone is happy with it.

We therefore recommend you arrive in the city for the ISC course, at the latest a day before a course starts, and only make late evening bookings for travel home the last day of the course.

How many people usually attend a course?

The group size is usually between 5 and 15 people. Occasionally it is less, and occasionally it is more depending on location and venue. We try to keep the group size to manageable numbers so there is good interaction between analysts, and plenty of time to ask questions.

How do I obtain the best price for a course?

The best way to get the lowest price for an ISC course is to book in advance. The best rates are offered at 20 weeks advanced booking and 12 weeks advanced booking. Please note our terms and conditions when booking your courses as there are strict rules regarding cancellation.

Advanced booking rates can be obtained by downloading the course pdf on this website. Simply choose the course of interst and location and download the pdf – which provides you all details. Terms and conditions for booking are also listed on the booking form.

I first need your assistance to help get permission or raise a purchase order before I can book?

Your purchasing department may require a purchase order to be raised before any booking can be made. If this is the case, please complete the booking form as much as possible, and ask your purchasing department to forward the required details/form(s) to Caroline Green at cgreen@amoebasciences.eu. We will deal with them directly and also copy you on the emails concerning it so there is good communication.

Please remember to provide names and contact telephone numbers of all relevant parties (i.e the purchasing department/supervisor/delegate). This will ensure good communication between all to ensure youget the booking done as soon as possible and confirm your registration for the course.

I need your assistance to persuade my supervisor or manager before I can book a course?

The ISC has many years experience in supporting delegates win permission and obtain grants and funding to attend our training courses.

There are many things you can do before you ask permission to attend a course which will show managers and supervisors what you expect to learn, why it will be supportive to your work/studies and what they will get in return for you coming on a course with us. This will help you put a good case together for training.

We have put together our top tips for how to win permission to attend an ISC course on this website, and we recommend you read this before applying for a training course with the ISC.

Sometimes, its necessary or supervisors/managers prefer to have some contact with us to discuss a course before they give final permission. This is something you can mention to them and we are very happy to contact them by telephone or email to discuss it further at their convenience. We have even had mangers attend our courses to check they are suitable for their staff.

I need a Letter of Invitation from you so I can apply for a visa to attend a course?

In some countries, you are requested to obtain a letter of invitation in order to apply for a visa to attend a course abroad. If you require a letter of invitation, please proceed to complete the booking form as much as possible and snd these details to Caroline Green at cgreen@amoebasciences.eu. Do not proceed to book flights or hotels before you have received confirmation that we accept your course registration and issues you a letter of invitation.

Please note that the ISC cannot issue immediate letters of invitation quickly in order to get visas quickly or attend courses at short notice. The ISC has a strict and set procedure before issuing letters of invitation and the process for obtaining a visa can take some time (weeks to months). The ISC procedure for sending letters of invitation is:

1. Your company/institution or sponsor needs to send us a letter as well as the booking form, stating the reasons why you require training, which training course they wish to send you on, as well as confirm they will cover all your travel, accommodation and expenses during your stay in the country of course being offered. And that they will take full and exclusive responsibility for your arrival and return to your home country within the dates of the visa.

2. The letter must be sent on company/institution headed paper, signed by the responsible supervisor or manager, and other details for contacting the supervisor/manager must also be provided.

3. We will also require a copy of your passport and be provided details of your company, e.g website etc.

Due to the large volume of requests we receive from non-genuine applicants, we reserve the right at all times to refuse to send a letter of invitation and to refuse acceptance of any bookings that we deem to be non-genuine at all times, even if a letter of invitation has already been issued or a visa applied and paid for.

Can I attend a course but pay later?

No. All courses must be booked and paid for in advance. For this reason, we encourage advanced course bookings as much as possible and offer preferable advanced booking rates.

If your company or institution requires us to sign a document stating that we owe them a training course because we will receive advanced payment from them, we can of course do this, as long as it doesn’t affect our terms and condition already in operation. If this is the case, we will notify them of it.

I have special access requirements - can you accommodate this?

All facilities we use usually met EU legislation as regards accommodating people with disabilities or access needs. It helps if we know in advance your particular needs so we can ensure your comfort is provided. Please let us know by emailing cgreen@amoebasciences.eu in advance.

All information provided will be treated in the strictest of confidence and handled with discretion.

I have special dietary requirements- can you accommodate this?

We can accommodate most peoples needs as regards dietary requirements - as long as we know in advance. Please complete the dietary section on the booking form when you submit your course booking. We may need to contact you to get further information about any very special needs such as food allergies, for example.

In some countries, there may be some difficulties in obtaining particular requirements, due to local culture. We will always do our best to accommodate your needs.

But please understand that by hosting courses across the globe, there is inevitably going to be a strong element of local food culture that is available. For example, certain regions of the globe do not permit the sales of certain meats (Arabic countries), certain countries specialise in vegetarian cuisine (regions of India), certain regions use a lot of spice (Asia).


Terms and Conditions apply to all our courses - © copyright 2006 - 2012 Amoeba Sciences Ltd.