Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopping

Mystery Shopping is one of the best-kept, yet entirely open, secrets of our generation.  Whenever you go to a shop, hotel, restaurant, petrol station, bank, council building or any other outlet where there are staff who serve you, chances are that someone in the queue you are joining is a mystery shopper. They may look like any other customer but the fundamental difference between you and them is that you are paying money out for the goods you purchase, whilst they are being paid to buy exactly the same things.

Mystery shoppers come in all shapes and sizes and it is precisely this fact that enables you to join in and earn an extra income by doing just what you already do.

Modules

Introduction

• Introduction to the Second Income Series
• Introduction to Mystery Shopping

Objectives

• What is a Mystery Shopper?
• What are the Goals of Mystery Shopping
• What Makes a Good Mystery Shopper
• Setting Your Own Objectives

Observation

• Observation - The Key Skill
• Developing Powers of Observation

Obligations

• Self-employment
• Following a Brief
• Writing Reports
• Using Technology

Organisation

• Getting Organised
• Organisation on the Move
• Organisation in the Office

Opportunities

• Finding Companies
• Know Your Area
• Different Types of Mystery Shopping

Ownership

• Start a Mystery Shopping Company
• What To Do When Things Go Wrong
• Getting Started

Entry Requirements

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

All course fees, inclusive of all payment plans including our Premium Credit Limited option, must be settled before certification can be ordered.

*You will have access to the course for 24 months.

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

What's Included

• All study materials
• Study Guide
• Full Tutor and Admin support
• The course fee includes the awarding body registration and certification fee (valued at up to £30.00).

The Second Income Series

The Second Income series of courses have been specifically devised to help people who already have work or other commitments of some kind, to identify a way forward towards generating an extra 25% income, or, if you currently do not have any income, to start generating some.

Although it is possible to take these ideas and to generate a full time income, that is not the goal of the programme. Each of these income streams can be followed with just a few hours each week and are flexible enough to be able to be completed at times to suit you. It does not matter if you work shifts or have caring commitments that mean you can not commit the same time each week or each month. As long as you can commit something, you can succeed and increase your income.

If you are currently employed in a business where the future can not be guaranteed, the Second Income series is an ideal safety net. If you start to set up a second stream of income now, you will be in a much stronger position later if redundancy, retirement or unemployment arrives a little sooner than expected.

At the end of this course successful learners will be given the option to receive a Certificate of Achievement from the Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).

Level 1 Mystery Shopping Certificate of Achievement

The course has been endorsed under the Quality Licence Scheme. This means that learndirect has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 1 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner.

The course itself has been designed learndirect to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. The Quality Licence Scheme endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

The Quality Licence Scheme is part of the Skills and Education Group, a charitable organisation that unites education and skills-orientated organisations that share similar values and objectives. With more than 100 years of collective experience, the Skills and Education Group’s strategic partnerships create opportunities to inform, influence and represent the wider education and skills sector.

The Skills and Education Group also includes two nationally recognised awarding organisations; Skills and Education Group Awards and Skills and Education Group Access. Through our awarding organisations we have developed a reputation for providing high-quality qualifications and assessments for the education and skills sector. We are committed to helping employers, organisations and learners cultivate the relevant skills for learning, skills for employment, and skills for life.

Our knowledge and experience of working within the awarding sector enables us to work with training providers, through the Quality Licence Scheme, to help them develop high-quality courses and/or training programmes for the non-regulated market.

*Regulated qualification refers to those qualifications that are regulated by Ofqual / CCEA / Qualification Wales

To view a sample of the Certificate of Achievement, please click here.