FAQs

We will assess how much it would cost to get the first course running.

That will include major building works, wastewater septic upgrade, commercial kitchen upgrade, electrical upgrades, furnishing, and a cash reserve.

A property can look affordable at the purchase price and still become unviable once the actual setup cost is included.

Because from the time we buy a property until the first course runs, we do not have course income coming in. 

During that period, we are relying mainly on monthly recurring donations, while also paying for significant outgoings such as loan repayments, fixed costs, professional fees, and building works. 

We need to identify the essential works required before the first course can run and whether they are minor adaptations or major projects.   

The scale of the project will impact how soon we can run the first course and that in turn affect our finances and the overall financial risk involved.

Residential properties requires a material change of use for us to be permitted to run courses there. It must change to educational use. 

That means applying to the local authority and satisfying them on matters such as wastewater treatment, traffic, parking, and the impact of the new use on the property. 

We cannot assume that permission will be granted, and in practice this could mean buying a property before knowing for sure whether we will ever be allowed to use it as intended.

We have not ruled out residential properties, but are aware of the work, finances and timeline involved.

Volunteers and paid contractors.

One factor in assessing a property's viability is whether we have enough active people to coordinate the projects. 

A property will require sustained input across planning, finance, surveys, contractor management, fundraising, lender engagement, and governance. All tasks, big and small, must be planned, prepared, and coordinated.  

Therefore committee strength is a key factor in assessing our capacity to manage complex works.

No. There is a shortage of Assistant Teachers (ATs) available in Europe to conduct courses.  There is a European scheduling committee that matches the number of courses ATs can conduct each year to the number each country requests. 

Currently we are allocated five 10-day courses a year. When we have a permanent centre, we hope to increase gradually to ten 10-day courses a year. 1-day and 3-day courses will of course be run also.