Do YOU Want to Spend More on Gas & Education?

I have written recently of the efforts of TAR Government Affairs Director J.A. Bucy to change the rules and or law concerning education for TREC licensing, and my concern over the lack of communications coming from TAR regarding the proposed changes.

The recommendations are:

• Core Course requirements be extended to from 4 to 6 hours (of the 16 hours of mandatory Continuing Education.), and that this 6-hour course be permanently devoted to Contracts and TN Agency Law instruction.

• Only live, classroom, courses be approved for pre-licensing education.

• Instructors teaching a TREC-approved pre-licensing course, Core Course, or Continuing Education course in Contracts and/or Agency Law successfully complete an approved and tested 8-hour Instructor Certification Course to demonstrate their competency in these two subject areas, at least every two years.

• TAR has also recommended that a 6-hour Core Course in Contracts and TN Agency Law also be required every two years for any managing brokers licensed prior to January l , 2005 (and therefore exempt from any other CE requirements), if they are supervising any other licensees.

The impact of these proposed rules would be substantial. Factor in the price of gas, the extra cost for a longer course and the extra cost usually applicable for classroom only courses the math does the rest. It would be far more costly to satisfy the TREC Core requirement. What is ridicules is that there is no evidence that for the adult learner, there is no evidence that classroom instruction is better than distant learning.

Originally, the TREC Core course was taught only in the classroom. The 4 hour course could be completed in half a day but still licensees found it difficult to meet the requirement. Realizing the dilemma, TREC opt for distant learning.

There is a hidden burden to the suggested changes. A 6 hour course, classroom taught only, takes all day. Instead of losing a half day in productivity, the proposed rule would take you out of business and in the classroom all day. Factor in the price of lunch away from your home or office it starts making the price of gas look cheap.

I do believe that some of the communications problems between TAR and the general membership will be addressed. Hopefully in the future little undisclosed efforts by TAR will be a thing of the past. However, I am convinced that the effort to change these rules and or the law will continue. I suspect that as I write, J. Bucy and Russ Farrar plan their lobbying strategy for when the legislators head back to the hill.

I would like to know what you think. Please email a little note with your opinion about the proposed changes. I will not disclose who says what, and I am interested in your opinion regardless if we agree.

Please write:
jimgibbs@careerinstitute.us Thanks