OnlineEd

What OnlineEd is

OnlineEd is an online school for people who need a state license to work, and for licensed professionals who have to keep one. The home page describes it as "Specializing in online education since 1998" and says that "Over 300,000 students have chosen OnlineEd for their license training since 1998". The company, OnlineEd, LLC, lists its office in Beaverton, Oregon, and much of its catalog reflects that home state, with Oregon-specific courses such as Principal Broker and Property Management alongside its multi-state lines.

The reader is a learner: someone starting a career as a real estate agent, a mortgage loan originator, a construction contractor or an insurance producer, or someone already in one of those trades who needs renewal hours. The site also sells training to employers, which is covered further down.

What the catalog covers

The home page splits the catalog by vocation, and each vocation by purpose:

• Real estate. "Pre-License education to start a career and continuing education to maintain your license", plus a Career Enhancement line of professional development courses. The footer adds Principal Broker and Property Management courses for Oregon and a REALTOR® Association Essentials section.
• Mortgage. "Become a licensed mortgage loan originator or take MLO continuing education", with a separate compliance training section.
• Contracting. "Become a licensed construction contractor or take CCB continuing education."
• Insurance. "Insurance salesperson pre-license education."
• Human resources. The menu has a Human Resources section, and the footer lists Sexual Harassment Prevention training.

Free license-training info packets are offered for Oregon Real Estate License Training, Washington Real Estate License Training and NMLS / Mortgage License Training. The site also runs a bookstore, a course voucher redemption page and a course demo.

How the courses are delivered

The site promises "24/7 Access" and says learners can "Study on mobile or desktop whenever you want." The two course pages show what that looks like in practice.

The Oregon insurance page explains the package system in detail. Insurance pre-license training comes in three tiers. "Premium licensing packages offer active instructor support and hours of in-class video along with textbooks of the course." Standard packages "offer in-class videos but without active instructor support or textbooks", and Basic packages "contain the base insurance courses without active instructor support, videos, or textbooks." Every tier comes with exam prep and downloadable MP3 audio, and on successful completion the learner receives "the certificate needed to take the Oregon producer licensing exam." That last point is what makes OnlineEd a test-prep product as well as a CE provider: the courses lead to a state exam, and the packages are built around passing it.

The real estate page shows a professional development course instead. "Real Estate Investing Made Simple, Profitable... and Fun!" is a four-part online series of individual 90-minute sessions, "available 24/7 with unlimited viewing", that the learner completes "at a time and place convenient to you." The parts cover buying investment property, selling it at the right time, pricing a rental property, and completing a 1031 exchange. Topics listed include cash flow, rate of return, NOI, depreciation and income tax savings. Each session comes with a PDF study guide holding a course outline, worksheets and case studies, and the key features panel lists video segments that "highlight important points" and a "45-Page Study Guide". The presenter, Tom Lundstedt, is described as "known as the funniest investment and tax guy in America" and "a former Major League Baseball player" whose programs have reached "more than 3,000 audiences". The page is clear that this one is "a non-credit course. Not for license renewals." Access lasts "365 days after enrollment."

Prices on the site

Prices are printed per package on the catalog pages, which makes OnlineEd easy to budget for. The Real Estate Investing course costs $99.95.

On the Oregon insurance page, the Premium packages run from $155 for a 20-hour Health, Life or Personal Lines course to $195 for 40-hour Life and Health or Property and Casualty packages, $325 for the 60-hour Life, Health and Personal Lines package, and $375 plus $15.00 shipping and handling for the 80-hour Life, Health, and Property and Casualty package. Standard packages cost $135 for the 20-hour single lines and $165 for the 40-hour combinations. Basic packages cost $115 for 20 hours and $135 for 40 hours. A General Lines Insurance Adjuster course comes in the same three tiers at $195, $165 and $135.

The tier system matters more than the headline price. A learner who wants a person to answer questions needs Premium; one who studies well from video can save with Standard; Basic is the course text and exam prep alone.

The pass guarantee and state rules

The home page makes one strong promise: "Pass your exam the FIRST time or your exam fee is on us". It is marked "conditions apply," and the conditions are not set out on the home page. On compliance, the footer of every page states that "OnlineEd meets all state guidelines for pre-license and continuing education courses where offered." Which courses are offered where depends on the state, so the catalog search asks for vocation, education type and state before showing courses.

Training for employers

OnlineEd also offers custom employee training. The home page says: "We can provide customized training for your company's policies and procedures. Get free tools to roll out training to employees. Automated reports track student progress and compliance." A Learning Management System link in the footer points to the same offer. For a brokerage, lender or contractor that already sends staff to OnlineEd for licensing, this lets the company add its own internal training and keep compliance records in one place.

A partner program invites "trusted business partners, course authors, and instructors" to work with the school.

Support

Customer service runs 8:30 to 5:00 Pacific time, Monday to Friday, by phone (a local Oregon number and a toll-free line) and by email, with limited weekend support by email and closure on US holidays. The company states its mission as providing "superior distance education that exceeds industry standards and expectations in course content and delivery methods to those who seek to enter a new profession and those engaged in a profession."

Who it suits

OnlineEd fits a career changer heading into real estate, mortgage lending, contracting or insurance who wants self-paced online study and a clear price before starting, and a licensed agent, loan originator or contractor who needs renewal hours from a school that has been doing this since 1998. The Oregon insurance packages are the most transparent part of the catalog, with tiers that let a learner choose how much instructor support to pay for. Employers in those trades get a training and compliance tool on top.

The caveat is reach. The richest course detail is for Oregon, and the info packets name Oregon and Washington real estate plus NMLS mortgage training, so a learner in another state should use the catalog search to confirm their state and license type are covered before buying.