Individual Route to Registration
Information for Experienced Homeopaths
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We welcome applications from practitioners who have received their education in homeopathy overseas or who have completed at least four years of part-time or three years of full-time structured study in this country*, either independently or on a course not recognised by The Society. Experiential learning in practice can also be taken into account.
Our supportive process simply involves the submission of a portfolio demonstrating your qualifications and experience, followed by a meeting with members of The Society’s helpful and experienced team.
• have completed a minimum of three years’ fulltime or four years’ part-time structured study* (either independently or on a course not recognised by The Society)
• have a right of residence in the UK in accordance with current Home Office criteria
• be able to communicate clearly in the English language
* If you are an experienced homeopath whose initial course was shorter than this, please provide evidence of substantial practice experience.
Stage 1 – To get started – simply contact us
Please contact The Society of Homeopaths’ Education Office by phone, letter or e-mail, giving a brief summary of your education and experience in homeopathy. In return, we will let you know if you are eligible to apply and the date of the next application deadline is Thursday 24th January. We will also send you an application form together with an information pack.
If you hold a South African Government Accredited Qualification, please let us know at this stage, as you may be eligible for a shorter route.
Stage 2 – How to apply
Please complete the application form and return 2 copies to the Education Office, together with the following documentation:
• a copy of any qualification in homeopathy and any other relevant qualification (e.g. medical)
• details of the homeopathy course(s) you attended, or details of other structured study
• 2 copies of a self-evaluation based on the Society’s Core Criteria for Homeopathic Practice (see guidance notes)
• 2 copies of case notes for two patients currently or recently under your care (see guidance notes)
• a photocopy of your work permit (if applicable)
• a copy of your English Language qualification/assessment (if English is not your first language)
• a photocopy of your insurance policy for practice as a homeopath
Please also send two cheques made payable to The Society of Homeopaths to the Education Office:
£75 Initial application fee (non-returnable)
£175 Progression fee
On receipt of your application and the accompanying documents, the Assessment
Committee will be able to evaluate your application to determine whether you are currently eligible to proceed to the next stage.
If your application is unsuccessful, we will write to explain the committee’s decision, and ensure that your documents are returned to you along with your second cheque of £175.
Please note, the Assessment Committee will usually meet once or twice a year, depending on the number of applications received.
Stage 3 – Time to meet you
Once we have received satisfactory responses from any enquiries or references, we will arrange with you a date for an interview with two homeopaths who also have experience in education, mentoring, and/or supervision. The meeting will last about an hour and will give you the opportunity to talk about your cases in more detail and to clarify any matters arising from them regarding your homeopathy practice.
The interview will normally be held in London. The purpose of the interview is to help the panel determine your suitability to practise homeopathy as a registered member of The Society of Homeopaths.
If you can demonstrate fulfilment of our criteria, you will be able to apply for registration. Please note if the panel decides that you have not yet provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate fulfilment of our entry criteria, you will be invited to submit further evidence.
Stage 4 – Additional evidence
If you need to provide further evidence, the panel will send you clear written feedback to guide you. Additional evidence may take the form of:
• a portfolio of suggested assignments which you could complete and submit for evaluation at an agreed date
• additional case notes which might demonstrate particular aspects of practice
• reflections on further educational and/or practice experience
Please note there will be an additional fee of up to £250 for assessment of additional portfolios.
Summary of charges for Individual Route to registration:
£75 for initial application
£175 for progression, including interview
£250 for further portfolio evaluation
Therefore, the minimum charge would be £250 and the maximum charge would be £500.
Stage 5 – Application for Registration
Having reached this stage, you will be invited to apply for registration in the same way as a candidate qualifying from a recognised course. We will also be able to provide you with professional insurance cover for your practice. Details are available in our leaflet “Registration with The Society of Homeopaths” or visit
www.homeopathy-soh.org/forhomeopaths/registration.aspx
Once your eligibility has been established, there will be a fee for registration of £65, and a portfolio review charge of £75 (payable on submission).
Registration with The Society of Homeopaths involves an individual agreement to deliver a certain quality and level of service to patients.
On receipt of your signed agreement confirming that you find the terms of newly registered membership acceptable to you, your name will appear on The Society of Homeopaths’ register.
Newly registered members of The Society will be supported through workshops, supervision and a continuing professional development programme.
Please see the “Registration with The Society of Homeopaths” leaflet on our website for more details.
You will be required to demonstrate that you have studied and practised homeopathy to the breadth and depth normally covered through one of our recognised courses. Recommended scope of study is described in our Framework for Professional Homeopathy Course Content, which correlates to the following standards:
• The National Occupational Standards for Homeopathy*
• Recommendations from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
• The Society of Homeopaths’ Course Recognition Criteria*
• The Society of Homeopaths’ Code of Ethics & Practice *
• The Society of Homeopaths’ Clinical Education Guidelines*
• The Society of Homeopaths’ Core Criteria for Homeopathic Practice*
If you wish, we can send you a copy of this framework with your application form, so that you can use it to provide evidence to support your application. The documents marked with an * are available on our website www.homeopathysoh.org/for-homeopaths/registration.aspx
In order to practise homeopathy professionally, we would expect your qualification to be broadly equivalent to a first degree – this means you will be able to show:
• an ability to evaluate and synthesise a range of information
• the capacity to form your own opinions and make independent decisions in the light of such knowledge
• recognition that your approach may vary according to context
• an awareness of different ways of working and current developments in homeopathy
If English is not your first language, you will be asked to provide evidence of a Level 7 certificate in English or equivalent qualification. Information can be obtained from IELTS, University of Cambridge, Local Examinations Syndicate, 1 Hills Road, Cambridge CB1 2EU. Tel. 01223 553355. www.IELTS.org
For a brief Summary of the Individual Route to Registration please download the brochure.
For more information please contact:
Georgie Freemantle, Education Administrator, The Society of Homeopaths Education Office, Foxhole Centre, Dartington Hall Estate, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EB.
Tel: 01803 840187 Email: georgie_freemantle@homeopathy-soh.org
Available: Mondays – Wednesdays 9am – 1.30pm, Thursdays 9am – 1.00pm
The Society welcomes applications from homeopaths who have gained experience in practice and related professional roles. We aim to respect the achievements of the applicant and we have made every effort to devise a sound but flexible Individual Route for homeopaths who have not qualified directly through our recognised courses . Whilst we maintain the need to meet our criteria, we consider each application on its merit and will be happy to discuss with you how you can demonstrate your qualifications and experience most effectively.
Application portfolio
As a basic requirement to accompany your application, we ask all applicants to send in 2 recent cases and a self-evaluation. If you have over 5 years experience as a practising homeopath in the UK, we would not expect the kind of detailed case notes which might be more appropriate for a newly qualified candidate. You might prefer to present salient points and focus on a specific challenge or other significant issue which arose for you from the case. Also, if you have written an article, book or presented at a conference for example, we will be happy to accept extracts of such material as part of your portfolio. We welcome relevant, succinct responses which demonstrate your individual experience of practice in homeopathy.
Meeting
The meeting is a further opportunity for you to demonstrate your experience and to expand on your application material or ask us questions.
If your initial application meets our criteria and your references are sound, we might not need to meet you at this stage, or we might be able to arrange a meeting with a few applicants who live in the same area. In such cases, we will refund all or part of the ‘progression fee’ as appropriate.
We hope you will find us welcoming and supportive at all stages of your application.
For further enquiries, please contact:
Georgie Freemantle 01803 840187 (Education Office) Mon-Thurs 9.15-1.15
Or The Society of Homeopaths 0845 450 6611 Mon-Fri 8.30-4.30
Download the Individual Route to Registration brochure