Foley Belsaw Student number question

[WolfSpring]

I just got my first skill pack today and completed the first lesson and it asked for a student number. I looked all over and found none, so I filled out there online question form. THey called the wife(I am in Iraq left her number) and left her an 8 digit number and said that was my student number. But upon inspection of my lesson cards the final test for Skill Pack 1 asks for 9 digits, is this just an old packet, has anyone else come accross this issue?

Also if I finish skill pack 1, which I will tonight. And I send it in, will I get skill pack 2 before my second payment is made or do I need to pay so much before each lesson? So If I am finishing these within days of getting them and I'm only paying 1/3 of the price will I need to complete my payments to move on, to graduate? I've heard people say you have to be paid in full to get some of the stuff after graduation, but they did not reallydo a good job answering these questions, it's almost like the email coorespondance was avoiding my questions. All he was trying to do was shipping and credit card info.

THanks for any help on this.

[thelockpickkid]

I just got my first skill pack today and completed the first lesson and it asked for a student number. I looked all over and found none, so I filled out there online question form. THey called the wife(I am in Iraq left her number) and left her an 8 digit number and said that was my student number. But upon inspection of my lesson cards the final test for Skill Pack 1 asks for 9 digits, is this just an old packet, has anyone else come accross this issue?

Also if I finish skill pack 1, which I will tonight. And I send it in, will I get skill pack 2 before my second payment is made or do I need to pay so much before each lesson? So If I am finishing these within days of getting them and I'm only paying 1/3 of the price will I need to complete my payments to move on, to graduate? I've heard people say you have to be paid in full to get some of the stuff after graduation, but they did not reallydo a good job answering these questions, it's almost like the email coorespondance was avoiding my questions. All he was trying to do was shipping and credit card info.

THanks for any help on this.

I can't remember how many numbers were in my student I.D. at the moment, I would just use what they told you too, and for your second question, I do believe that your paid one lesson ahead each time, so yes, you need to make a payment pretty much each time you complete a lesson, myself I paid in full so I am not really sure. I would recieve a lesson one day and that night I would mail it back, I completed the whole course rather quickly. All in all I would say that I learned some, but not alot, most of what I know now and what I learn is just from continued practice and by doing new things, some stuff I don't know how to do at all, but I do it by asking questions of my friends who are in the business and by just diving in and figuring it out. It is a good start, but don't be dissapointed by the crap key machine they send you at the end, alot of people I think make a mistake by doing the Foley-Belsaw course just because of the key machine, it's not that great but it's ok at best. I do however have no complaints about the company itself, they do stock lots of tools and parts that you can purchase online, the shipping sucks but sometimes they have stuff that I need that is hard to find some other places, I do occasionally order from them but only in a pinch. If ya ever have any questions about the course please P.M. me

[WolfSpring]

Thanks for the answer.

As far as the machine and the course itself, the first skill pack, lessons 1-5 took me all of 20 minutes to do, I took longer to ensure all my answers were right. I know the machine is as basic as they get and that the course is only a primer. I'm more interested in the paper, these days it's never about what you know, it's about where it's written that you know something. I'm currently a satellite operator/maintainer for the military and I know a lot more than a college kid could ever know about this stuff, but it's not what I really want to do when I get out. It's never been about money for me, it's all about satisfaction, this is more of a whim to be a locksmith. Something to have in my pocket and be able to do on the side, or when I retire in 6 1/2 year from the military it will help make ends meet. I may do this course do some handy man locksmithing for work and friends and never pursue it. The certificate can also go in my military records to show I have pursued civilian education not only while I was in, but while I was deployed, so it looks good basically.

But you ar right, I've seen a lot of people on here get all wound up thinking they can get a key machine and this is everything they need to make a million dollars. I'll be happy if I learn this, get some additional training as time goes on and be able to do contracted work for the military with my security clearance. Limitless possibilities, and 700 bucks is just a big stone in the ocean for money, not saying I"m rich, but better to put some money towards something like this than waiste it on something that will only entertain me.

[Squelchtone]

I just got my first skill pack today and completed the first lesson and it asked for a student number. I looked all over and found none, so I filled out there online question form. THey called the wife(I am in Iraq left her number) and left her an 8 digit number and said that was my student number. But upon inspection of my lesson cards the final test for Skill Pack 1 asks for 9 digits, is this just an old packet, has anyone else come accross this issue?

Also if I finish skill pack 1, which I will tonight. And I send it in, will I get skill pack 2 before my second payment is made or do I need to pay so much before each lesson? So If I am finishing these within days of getting them and I'm only paying 1/3 of the price will I need to complete my payments to move on, to graduate? I've heard people say you have to be paid in full to get some of the stuff after graduation, but they did not reallydo a good job answering these questions, it's almost like the email coorespondance was avoiding my questions. All he was trying to do was shipping and credit card info.

THanks for any help on this.

Hate to tell you this now, but you should have asked them for the entire course all at once, if asked and if you offer the $575 or whatever it costs you can get the whole course at once and not have to send things in and then get things send back to you. I also heard that getting the Foley Belsaw certificate is like getting your A+ certificate in computer repair, most employers wont really care, and will actually see it more as a joke than a real credential. Which is sad actually because at one point I really wanted to do the FB course, but eventually decided against it after my local locksmith told me that he actually wouldnt hire anyone who walked in with an FB cert, because most of "those types" think they know everything after doing the FB course.

your mileage may vary.
Squelchtone

[DoobieEx]

I am currently in the military and was talking to a contractor installing our new KABA key card locks and he had that same disgust but after some talking admitted it makes a good starting point. I think the key is to not let on like you know everything. If you were to tell a potential employer about it I would stress your willingness to learn the real trade vs. practice the schooling.

I am doing the Foley Belsaw course because I saw it as a natural extension of locksport and the fact that there are no local schools was a contributing factor. I think it's like any other school. What you're taught and what actually happens are two different things. I am also a licensed barber and I can tell you for certain although half the shit you're taught in school will work you eventually have to adapt and learn or create new methods to keep up.

A good friend of mine is an EMT and he echoed these thoughts when he stated that he was even told by his instructors that for the test, the book was the word of god. In the bus, whatever keeps the patient alive goes.

[WolfSpring]

It's just like the military You learn it you know the basics then you get to your unit and they don't even have the stuff you learned. I fully understand that this is just knowledge for my tool box and in no way a comparison to experience of apprentiship, but for now it's all I have, and to all those who are saying no it's not, well use your head, what am I supposed to do walk the streets of Iraq looking for a locksmith? Either way I'll be home in June, I've got one more skill pack to be done with the basic certifation, just finished lessons 21-25 tonight can't wait for that last one. I'll hit up the local locksmith see what he can do for me and maye work weekends for him if he'll have me, if not do what I can learn as I go I've got 6 years before I need income, this isn't my livelyhood here, rigth now it's just a hobby job I'm looking into, but thanks everyone for the advice and info along the way.

[Pandawdy]

I just got my first skill pack today and completed the first lesson and it asked for a student number. I looked all over and found none, so I filled out there online question form. THey called the wife(I am in Iraq left her number) and left her an 8 digit number and said that was my student number. But upon inspection of my lesson cards the final test for Skill Pack 1 asks for 9 digits, is this just an old packet, has anyone else come accross this issue?

Also if I finish skill pack 1, which I will tonight. And I send it in, will I get skill pack 2 before my second payment is made or do I need to pay so much before each lesson? So If I am finishing these within days of getting them and I'm only paying 1/3 of the price will I need to complete my payments to move on, to graduate? I've heard people say you have to be paid in full to get some of the stuff after graduation, but they did not reallydo a good job answering these questions, it's almost like the email coorespondance was avoiding my questions. All he was trying to do was shipping and credit card info.

THanks for any help on this.

Hate to tell you this now, but you should have asked them for the entire course all at once, if asked and if you offer the $575 or whatever it costs you can get the whole <censored> course at once and not have to send things in and then get things send back to you. I also heard that getting the Foley Belsaw certificate is like getting your A+ certificate in computer repair, most employers wont really care, and will actually see it more as a joke than a real credential. Which is sad actually because at one point I really wanted to do the FB course, but eventually decided against it after my local locksmith told me that he actually wouldnt hire anyone who walked in with an FB cert, because most of "those types" think they know everything after doing the FB course.

your mileage may vary.
Squelchtone

I know some lock smiths might look down on the whole Foley Belsaw thing.

But maybe not always for the same reasons.

There is a local lock smith that I'm almost sure would take me on as an apprentice. He doesn't know I'm doing the Foley Belsaw course, but I've asked him before what he thinks of it. He just plays it off, and starts telling me about how great apprenticing is. "Nobody will pay for you to fix pad locks. If you really want to learn, you should apprentice".

He's getting up there in years and he's probly looking for someone to do the work he doesn't care to do anymore so he can still get paid.

My point is, if they rip on the FB course, it might not mean they are shooting you down.

[Poff]

If you learn from the course, that is the important thing. You can always with hold the fact that you took the class and just use the knowledge. Even though every course out there may not be worth the cost, education is always good and you can not have or get too much education. Thanks for serving.