Licensing and Education Courses Are Filling Up Fast

In the past two years, BCFSA has seen a significant uptick in the number of people becoming real estate licensees with over 5,500 newcomers. This increase also creates more demand for courses and services provided to the industry by BCFSA, such as processing applications and renewals, license transfers, and educational offerings.

Expect a Six-to-Eight Week Wait for Licensing Exams

To respond to the demand, BCFSA has increased the number of regularly scheduled licensing exams to four times a year. However, the number of spaces remain finite, meaning candidates who schedule their exam as soon as they have completed their assignments can still expect to wait approximately six to eight weeks to write their exam.

Plan Your Time Appropriately for the Applied Practice Course

Candidates applying for a trading services licence will also need to complete the pre-licensing portions of the Applied Practice Course (“APC”) before their licence can be issued. BCFSA advises you to schedule your course and submit your licensing application as soon as you pass your exam. You should expect a wait-time of approximately three weeks before starting the course.

APC is a six-month intensive program and includes both online and virtual classroom components. The first two components take three weeks and must be completed before licensing. The final two components must be completed within six months of the licence being issued. APC offerings have limited capacity so as to ensure new licensees can have meaningful discussions with other learners, ask questions and get assistance from the instructor as needed.

Sign up for Mandatory Continuing Education Early in Your Licensing Cycle

BCFSA appreciates licensees are busy. Unfortunately, far too many licensees wait until the end of their two-year licensing cycle before trying to enroll in the mandatory continuing education. This often puts licensees in a stressful situation and can bring disappointment at the lack of course availability.

Courses are mandatory because they give you the tools and knowledge to practise real estate in full compliance with the legislation and protect your clients’ interests. You can sign up for mandatory education at the start of your licensing cycle. This will help ensure that you secure your preferred course time, and in turn eliminate the need to rush through the materials so you receive the full benefit of your regulatory education.

Legal Update and Ethics courses both take three weeks each to complete. Made up of online modules and a virtual classroom, courses are limited in capacity and fill up quickly. Delaying enrollment can result in disruption to your ability to provide services to your clients if you find you are unable to complete the mandatory education until after your licence expires.