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About 6-8 months in total. Here’s how that breaks down: 

It takes about 6 months to complete the skill training, intern with a client, build a quality portfolio, and refine your job application assets (like a resume and LinkedIn profile). Then we anticipate another 1-2 months to go through the hiring process. 

Some students do land jobs much faster, anywhere from a few weeks up to 5 months after joining, due to their own initiative in applying to positions before completing the skill training. 

So it’s possible but not typical nor recommended. 

IDOL Academy is designed so that students must graduate from the skill development track before they can access the career readiness support. This right of passage is intentional. So we can ensure you have mastered the skills required to complete high-quality corporate learning projects before going out and applying to jobs where you’ll be evaluated largely through your portfolio and test projects.

We understand the eagerness to get hired as soon as possible. 

However, we would encourage you to set realistic expectations for yourself and allow enough time to build the skills required to do outstanding work in this field. It’s worth it in the end.

The Academy is set up for flexibility so that you’re never behind. 

Though the skill development track is technically 24 weeks, you can move through the training more slowly as needed. Core lessons are on-demand. Live lessons are recorded with replays available inside your Academy dashboard. The associated assignments are documented in each module. And you can submit your work for feedback at any time.

You have a full 12 months to complete the training, submit your graduate milestones for approval (with wiggle room to make changes as needed), and graduate as a Certified Professional in Training and Performance. 

Thanks to this (mostly) self-paced format, most students can complete the skill development track within 6 months, even while balancing full-time jobs and being parents. 

To keep pace with the 24-week curriculum, we recommend you dedicate about 10 hours per week to completing lessons and assignments.

For most students, this pace is very doable.

However, if other priorities make your schedule a challenge, you can move more slowly and tackle the training and assignments as your life allows. Though there are a few live components (which are recorded), most of the curriculum is self-placed. So as long as you complete the training and submit graduation milestones within 12 months from the start of your cohort, you’re golden! 

Immediately after enrolling, you get your log-on credentials and access to your Academy dashboard where can complete a handful of intro lesson and earn your first experience (XP) points. 

When your cohort begins, things really start moving as we gear up for the official kickoff. During this orientation week, you’ll meet other cohort students and your mentor and set some goals. 

On kickoff day, your cohort officially starts with the release of week 1 lessons.

No. The early enrollment discount can only be used with the pay-in-full payment option, not with the 6-month payment plan or with Climb Credit financing.

If you need more flexible payment options, you can finance your tuition over (up to) 24 months through Climb Credit, a third-party financing provider. 

Please note, options and interest rates vary according to your credit history. Early enrollment discounts do not apply. And all activities, including approvals, are managed by Climb Credit, not IDOL Courses. 

Click here to see more details or start the approval process.

After your cohort ends, we invite graduates to join the alumni network, which comes with access to guest expert professional development training and IDOL Talent contracts. Both the alumni network and access to IDOL Talent contracts are free for IDOL Academy graduates. 

If you’d like to keep your access to all skill development videos, tech training, job readiness, and Business Box training and templates, so you can revisit lessons as you work, you can do so for $19/mo. If you'd like to keep access to the coaches and mentor support in addition to the course, you can do so for $197/mo. There’s no commitment, and you can cancel anytime.

Nope. All lessons, activities, feedback requests, credential requirements, and community participation are remote and self-paced. Meaning, if you’re working full time, having a baby, or moving - or just have a complicated schedule - you can still participate in all the activities required to graduate and earn your certification.

There are some live components of the program, but they are not required. 

• Live Weekly Lessons with Expert IDOLs. Guest facilitators lead live sessions to reinforce the topic and lesson(s) for that week. These are recorded and replays are available for all students. 
• Live Group Coaching. Coaches hold Q&A-style live sessions periodically. These are recorded and replays are available for all students. 
• Mentor Office Hours. These are held virtually 1-1, and you can schedule a time with your mentor as needed. Office hours are offered several days a week. So it’s likely you will find a day and time that works for you, no matter what your schedule looks like
• Interview practice (mock) sessions. These require live participation, and sessions are not recorded. You are welcome to arrange mock interviews with your peers inside the community.

To recap, most live components are recorded. So you can watch the replay. Though office hours and mock interviews sessions are not recorded, they are also not required for graduation and certification but rather are additional avenues of support you can leverage if needed.

Yes! Students have joined us from Europe, Canada, India, the Philippines, and Australia. And they completed the program more than prepared to land jobs in their market or to work for US companies if that was the goal. 

Here’s what Zahra (UK) had to say:  

"It's brilliant! I was so scared for 2 reasons. 1: Because the company is American and I live in the UK, therefore will the skills be transferable? 2: Its expensive, will it pay off? I can tell you 100% it did! Within the first month, I'll make back what I put into the course. I went at my own pace and the Academy provided me with more than what I needed. Cant wait to begin work." - Zahra Nawaz

For our non-US-based friends, timezone is usually the biggest concern. 

Don’t worry. Your timezone won’t interfere with this program. All core lessons, activities, and community participation are remote and self-paced. And you can post your project work for feedback at any time of the day.

Plus, all live lessons and coaching sessions are recorded and replays available inside the Academy, so you can watch or rewatch them whenever it works for you. 

We have both. Here are the details: 

• You can request a refund up to 72 hours after enrolling and receive a full refund minus a $300 administration fee. 
• You can request a refund within the first 12 weeks of your cohort and get a prorated refund based on program completion. Note, this is calculated based on the 24-week structure, not your personal completion point. 

 As for the guarantee… 

If you graduate the Academy and you don’t feel like you have a portfolio that makes you proud, we’ll give you a full refund on your tuition. Conditions apply. This is a “do the work, see the results” type of guarantee. Meaning, to qualify, you must complete all required assignments, submit graduation milestones, and rework projects according to feedback if necessary.

No problem. The Academy was designed precisely for beginners like you. 

During your cohort, you’ll learn the instructional design skills you need to develop corporate learning projects from start to finish. Along the way, you’ll build a quality portfolio. You’ll also complete an internship (with the support of your mentor) to gain the hands-on experience you can put on your resume and LinkedIn profile. 

Plus, after you graduate, you’ll move on to the Career Readiness track where we’ll help you write your resume, refine your LinkedIn profile, prep for interviews, negotiate offers, and more. 

Absolutely. Plenty of our students join the Academy after landing a new role as an instructional designer or taking on similar responsibilities at work. They use the Academy to fill skill gaps and get training on required authoring tools, like Storyline or Genially. 

Plus, if you currently work in an instructional design role, you have the opportunity to use you day-to-day work for the required internship and graduation milestones as long those projects meet internship requirements and your employer signs off.

Not a problem. We teach you all the tech inside the Academy via step-by-step tutorials. Our training covers tools like Articulate Storyline, Vyond, Genially, Canva, Camtaisa, Audacity, Articulate Rise, Lectora, and CenarioVR (coming soon!).

If you meet the graduation requirements, then absolutely! 

After passing all 8 milestones, a portfolio review, and pass an exam students receive a Certified Professional in Training and Performance certificate and badge. This credential acts as your IDOL Academy “degree” and shows you’ve met the minimum standards required to graduate from our state-authorized vocational school. 

Here’s something cool:  

IDOL Academy’s certification is often requested by companies in job listings. In other words: they prioritize our graduates! So if you’re loooking for an industry-recognized credential that’ll help you stand out, our Certified Professional in Training and Performance certificate is it.

We’d be so bold as to claim that: Some employers value IDOL Academy training over a degree. How come? 

For starters, they request our certification in job listings, which shows they recognize our graduates have the skills and experience they’re looking for in new hires. 

Then there’s our students. 

We’ve enrolled plenty of degree-wielding post-grads who (before the Academy) can’t get hired even with a master’s degree. After completing IDOL Academy? They easily get interview and offers from top companies. 

In fact: 

The majority of our graduates successful land their first IDOL position with no degree to speak of, just an impressive portfolio and their newly acquired status as a Certified Professional in Training and Performance.

Ask us! Email us at [email protected]. Or call or text our support team at 1-786-453-5642 (9AM-5PM EST, Monday-Friday).

We prioritize accessibility to ensure an inclusive learning environment.

Our courses include high-contrast images, subtitles, transcripts, and 1:1 support. Facilitators also provide live captions during sessions.

Unfortunately, our courses are not currently optimized for screen readers. We're actively working to improve accessibility for all learners.

If you need more detailed information or have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We're committed to enhancing the accessibility of our courses for everyone.

The investment is $3,497 for 12 months of access to the entire program, as listed on this page. 

We have payment plans for $670 a month for 6 months.

You can also enroll through our partner, Climb Credit. They offer payment plans that span up to 24 months. Rates are dependent on your credit history.