Is the course really free?

Yes, completely. No hidden fees, no credit card required. The free training covers wills, LPAs and trusts in full — the same content other UK providers charge £600–£1,000 for. We give it away because we make our money from the optional coached programme that comes after.

Do I need any qualifications?

No formal qualifications needed. Will writing is unregulated in the UK. What matters is proper training — which we provide.

How long does the course take?

Most people complete it in 2–4 weeks, studying a few hours per week. It's self-paced, so you can go faster or slower.

What's the difference between the free course and the coached programme?

The free course teaches the legal knowledge — wills, LPAs and trusts. The coached programme is the optional next step that teaches the sales and business side: how to find clients, charge properly, and build a real estate planning business stage by stage. £199/month for four months, then £99/month for WILLO ongoing.

Can I do this part-time?

Absolutely. Most of our students run it 3–4 hours a day, 3 days a week, around other commitments. You choose your own hours.

What if I just want the free training and stop there?

Brilliant. Plenty of people do — they use what they learn to look after their own family's documents in WILLO. There's no pressure to progress to the coached programme.

Is this a will writing course or a business programme?

Both. The free training is a complete will writing course — wills, LPAs, trusts and how to draft them in WILLO, the same content other UK providers charge £600–£1,000 for. The coached programme then adds the part most will writing courses skip: the sales, pricing, client meetings and 1-to-1 support that turn the qualification into a working estate planning business.

Is this a will writer training course?

Yes. It's a complete will writer training course — the free part teaches the legal craft (wills, LPAs, trusts and how to draft them in WILLO, the same content other UK providers charge £600–£1,000 for), and the optional coached programme trains you on the part most courses skip: real client meetings, sales, pricing and the role-plays that get you confident. By the end you're trained to take real, paying clients, not just sit an exam.

How do I train as a will writer in the UK?

There's no mandatory licence to write wills in England and Wales — what you actually need is proper training, insurance and a repeatable client process. The realistic path: start with our free legal course to learn wills, LPAs and trusts, decide if the career is for you, then (if it is) train as a will writer properly on the coached programme — role-plays, 1-to-1 support and a launch plan that gets you to your first paid client. If you're still deciding, read our full guide on how to become a will writer first.

Do I need qualifications to become a will writer?

No formal qualification or law degree is legally required to write wills in England and Wales. What matters to clients (and insurers) is that you're properly trained and competent. We cover exactly what you need on our will writing qualifications page — but in short, the training and confidence to do the job well matter far more than letters after your name.

What's the difference between the free course and the coached programme?

The free course teaches you the legal knowledge — wills, LPAs, trusts, how to use WILLO. The same content other UK providers charge £600–£1,000 for. The coached programme is the bit that turns that knowledge into a business: sales, pricing, terms of business, client meetings, lead generation, and direct support from our dedicated trainers as you take on real clients. You don't pay for the legal training. You only pay if you decide to build the business.

How long does the programme take?

As long — or as little — as you want. There's no fixed end date and no deadlines to hit. Some students move through all six stages in a matter of weeks; others take a few months to feel fully ready for paying clients. Both are completely normal. The only fixed part is the cost: four monthly payments of £199, which simply spread the price so you never face a big lump sum. The learning itself is entirely at your pace — and you can trade from day one, so plenty of students are earning long before the payments finish.

How much does it cost?

Two options. Pay monthly: four payments of £199 (£796 in total). Or pay upfront: £700 one-off, which is less than buying WILLO software alone over the same four months plus a month (£150/mo standalone × 5 = £750). Both include WILLO throughout the programme and then continue at £99/mo for WILLO ongoing. Year-one all-in is £1,492 (upfront) or £1,588 (monthly) — compared to £3,000+ at SWW or IPW once you add course fees, membership and software.

Do I have to do the free course first?

It's strongly recommended but not strictly mandatory. The coached programme assumes you already understand wills, LPAs and trusts at the level the free course teaches them. If you've done equivalent training elsewhere we can take that into account on a 1-to-1 call before you start.

What if I need longer on a stage?

The four monthly payments run on a fixed schedule, but the pace inside them is yours — faster or slower. If you need a couple of extra weeks on Stage 2, that's fine; we'll keep walking through the material on calls until it lands. If you're ready to move on after a week, you move on. The four payments buy direct support and structure, not deadlines. Whatever level you start at, you leave further forward than you came in.

The four monthly programme payments (£199 × 4) are a contracted commitment — that's the trade-off for the level of 1-to-1 support our trainers give you across the four-month launch. You can't pause partway through those four months. What you can do at any point — including straight after Stage 1 — is downgrade to software-only (£99/mo for WILLO ongoing) and continue from there. Software-only carries 30 days' notice to cancel, so your maximum exposure is the four programme payments plus one further month of software. Never thousands upfront, never indefinitely locked in.

How much 1-to-1 time do I actually get?

There is no email-ticket queue here — our dedicated trainers are reachable directly. Most students have several video calls a month with us as their first cases come in. Complex case? Send us the file, we'll jump on a call and walk through it. Pricing wobble? Same. The ratio of personal support to programme cost is the bit no other UK course offers, and it's the bit students consistently say made the difference.

Do I get a qualification when I pass?

Yes — the BCEP (Become a Certified Estate Planner) designation. It's assessed, not attendance-based: across the programme you pass six live role-play assessments (taking instruction, presenting documents back to clients, LPA and trust consultations, and a full final presentation), your drafted wills and LPAs are reviewed, and your client process is signed off stage by stage on treating customers fairly. If you don't meet the standard you're marked "needs more work" and reassessed. Pass, and you use the letters BCEP after your name on your email signature, website and letterheads.

What happens once you finish?

You're running a real business by then. WILLO continues at £99/mo for ongoing drafting and admin. Many graduates stay loosely connected to the community — coming back for advanced sessions on things like inheritance tax planning, business property relief, or referral partnerships with IFAs and accountants. Once your four programme payments are complete there's no further obligation — you keep WILLO for as long as it's useful and cancel any time on 30 days' notice.

Part 2 · When you're ready

The UK will writing course that becomes a business

Most will writing courses stop at the documents — and leave you guessing what to actually say when a client is sitting in front of you. Ours goes further: real role-plays and a proven client process, so you walk into that first meeting confident, not winging it. Go at your own pace, and spread the cost across four months — never thousands upfront.

Book a chat with our friendly team

5.0 on Google · 500+ trained · No upfront fee

Stages

Yours

The pace

£199

Per month × 4

1-to-1

Coaching & role-plays

Will writer training that prepares you for the job — not just the exam

If you want to train as a will writer in the UK, most courses hand you the legal theory and stop there. This is different. Our will writing course pairs the same professional legal training — wills, LPAs and trusts — with a coached programme that teaches you the bit that actually wins clients: how to run the meeting, take instruction, and close with confidence. It's a will writer training course built by people who write wills for a living, and you go at your own pace.

New to the career and weighing it up first? Start with our plain-English guide to how to become a will writer, check what qualifications you actually need, then come back here when you're ready to train.

What we do different

The basics get you ready. We get you confident.

Anyone can teach you what a will is — every course does. Almost none teach you what to actually do when a client is sitting in front of you. We've had people join us after finishing other courses — fully "qualified" and completely stuck, because no one ever gave them a process to follow. That's exactly what the coached programme is built around.

Knowing the law isn't knowing what to say

When you've learned the basics you have the knowledge — but no real experience communicating it. You work hard to find a client, sit down with them, and walk away thinking "I wish I'd said that." The free course can't fix that. Real client conversations can.

You say it out loud, and we tell you how it landed

Record your explanations and role plays in the portal whenever you like — an LPA walkthrough, a trust conversation, a whole instruction meeting. One of the team listens back and writes you feedback on what worked and what to change. That's how "I wish I'd said that" gets fixed before a paying client is sitting opposite you.

A process that makes clients wish they found you sooner

On the coached programme you learn our tried-and-tested process — built to make the experience fun and exciting, not a dry legal form-fill. Clients leave feeling genuinely looked after, wishing they'd found you sooner, and they tell their friends.

Know when to upsell — and what to say to get a yes

A psychology-driven approach. We show you exactly when to introduce LPAs and trusts, and the words that turn a single £150 will into a full £800–£2,000 estate plan — without ever feeling pushy.

What's included

What you actually get on the coached programme

Every other UK course finishes when the certificate prints. We're still on the phone with you when your fifth client signs. Here's what that looks like in practice.

1-to-1 video calls with our dedicated trainers

Anything you need to ask — a question on a complex case, a pricing wobble, a client objection you couldn't handle. Real planners on the other end of the line, not email tickets.

Video demos of the actual work

Watch us draft a will live in WILLO. Watch us register an LPA. Watch us build an executor pack. The full screen-share, with the running commentary that explains why we're making each decision.

Real role-play sessions

See exactly how a kitchen-table will appointment runs. How to introduce yourself, take instructions, handle the awkward bits, close the sale. Then practise it back with us until it feels natural.

The recordings portal

Record your explanations and role plays whenever you like — an LPA walkthrough, a trust conversation, a full instruction meeting — and a trainer listens back and writes you feedback on how it actually landed. Every other course teaches you the wording. This is the bit that shows you how to say it to a real person.

Extended business launch plan

A stage-by-stage map of what to do, in what order, to get your business off the ground quickly. Pricing decisions, terms of business, your first leads — sequenced so you're never guessing what's next.

Playbooks that actually work

We've sold thousands of wills, drafted thousands of LPAs, and tested every lead-gen route worth testing. We know what works and what doesn't — and you get the working version, not the experiments.

WILLO software included throughout

Drafting software that costs £150+ a month elsewhere is part of your subscription from day one — so you can take real, paying clients from day one too. Turn three hours of paperwork into twenty minutes. Included throughout, then £99/mo ongoing.

The six stages · go at your own pace

One stage at a time. You only progress when you've got it.

Six stages, one at a time — and you set the speed. Some move through them in a few weeks; others take longer to feel ready for paying clients. Both are fine. Stage 6 (WILLO With Ease) runs alongside the others so the software is second nature by the time you launch. You only progress when you've truly got the previous stage — and the four monthly payments simply spread the cost so you never face a big lump sum.

Business Set Up

Lock in your business idea, name, services and pricing. Register the business, build your website, and write your terms of business. You leave Stage 1 with a real, registered estate planning business ready to take its first client.

Payment 1

Taking Instruction

This is the stage other courses never teach. Through real role-plays you learn our exact client process — how to open the meeting, take instruction, handle the awkward moments and close — so you walk in confident instead of guessing. We rehearse it with you until it feels natural, then you take your first real client and issue your first invoice.

Payment 2

LPA Master Class

Add LPAs to round out your service and protect every client end-to-end. One client now means £600+, not £200. We teach you the sales side, not just the documents — the words and the timing that mean every will client leaves with two LPAs alongside their will, without ever feeling pushed.

Payment 3

Trust Master Class

Add trusts to your offering and unlock significantly higher fees per client. Property protection, discretionary, life interest. When trusts are right, how to draft them in WILLO, and how to confidently sell £600–£1,200 trust wills.

Payment 4

Grow Your Business

Build a repeatable pipeline so you are running a real practice, not chasing one-offs. Lead generation, referral partners, local marketing, repeat business. This stage is free — by now you should be earning.

No paymentFree

WILLO With Ease

Master WILLO and the day-to-day software you'll use to draft real documents. Set the tools up once, use them every month — drafting wills, LPAs and trusts in minutes instead of hours. Runs alongside the other stages so the software is second nature by the time you launch.

Throughout

Pricing

Two ways to pay

Same six stages, same 1-to-1 support, same software. Pick the option that suits your cashflow.

Monthly · paid as you go

£199/ mo × 4

£796 total — four payments that simply spread the cost

All six stages — self-paced, finish as fast as you like
WILLO software included throughout the programme
Record your role-plays, a trainer listens back
Then £99/mo for WILLO ongoing

Start monthly · book a chat

Save £96 · best value

Pay upfront · one-off

£700one-off

The whole programme for less than five months of the software alone.

All six stages — self-paced, finish as fast as you like
WILLO included throughout (£150/mo standalone)
1-to-1 calls, recorded role plays, video demos — all in
Then £99/mo for WILLO ongoing

Pay upfront · book a chat

The maths. WILLO bought standalone is £150/month — £750 for five months. The upfront option gives you the entire coached programme plus the software for £700. You are paying less than the software costs on its own, and the coaching comes free.

vs the alternatives

Year-one cost, side by side

Three routes into estate planning in the UK. Here's what each costs and what each delivers in your first year.

	SWW route	Project Will Recommended	IPW route
Course / programme	£649 upfront	£700 upfront or £796 monthly	£990 upfront
Annual membership	£360	£0	~£300
Drafting software (year 1)	£2,160	£693 (included)	£2,160
Business launch coaching	✗ not offered	✓ included	✗ not offered
Format	Distance learning	Stage by stage, at your own pace	3-day intensive
Client meetings & sales	✗ textbook knowledge only	✓ role-plays + our client process	✗ textbook knowledge only
How you feel after	Qualified, but guessing	Confident — you know the process	Qualified, but guessing
Year-one total	£3,219	£1,492 upfront / £1,588 monthly	£3,450

The Society of Will Writers and the Institute of Professional Willwriters are credible bodies — many of our students join them after our programme for the membership and CPD. We're not competitors. We just teach the bit they don't.

Who's choosing this

Who the coached programme is built for

The free course is for anyone curious. The coached programme is specifically for the people below — anyone serious about turning the legal training into income.

Career-changers ready to commit

You've done the free course, you're sold on the career, and you want to launch a real business — not just hold a certificate.

Estate planners on poor commission

You're doing the work, another company keeps half the fee. The coached programme gets you set up to keep 100% — without rip-and-replace.

Mortgage advisors & IFAs

Your existing client base already needs this. We'll show you how to add wills, LPAs and trusts to every conversation, alongside what you do today.

Part-timers building a side business

Two or three clients a week is £30k+/year on top of whatever else you do. The programme runs at your pace, around your existing job.

Real numbers

What you can earn after the programme

Most of our coached students take their first paid will in month 2 (£200), add LPAs in month 3 (£600+), and start selling trusts in month 4 (£600–£1,200). Two trust clients cover the entire year-one investment.

Typical fees per service

Single Will	£150–250
Mirror Wills (couple)	£250–400
Single LPA	£200–300
Both LPAs	£350–500
Trust Wills	£600–1,200
Full estate plan	£800–2,000

Part-time

£15k–£20k

2–3 days/week

Full-time

£40k–£60k

4–5 days/week

Intensive

£60k–£80k+

5–6 days/week

From students

What coached students say

"If I'd done another course I wouldn't have a clue what to do next. I can't thank Alex & Michael enough for the role-plays — I now feel confident to go and speak to a client knowing I'm doing it right."

— Coached programme graduate

"I was made redundant at 52 and didn't know what to do. The free course gave me a completely new direction, and the coached programme turned it into a business. I now work 3 days a week and earn more than my old job."

Sandra

Birmingham · Former Office Manager

"I was sceptical about "free" but there genuinely was no catch. I completed the free course in 3 weeks, joined the coached programme, and had my first paid client in month two. The role-play sessions made all the difference."

Mark

Leeds · Former Sales Executive

"The 1-to-1 calls with Alex and Michael are what set this apart. Every other course I'd looked at finishes when the certificate prints. These guys are still on the phone helping with my fifth client."

James

Manchester · Former Teacher

Common questions

Frequently asked

Free reading

Ready to build the business?

Book a 20-minute call with one of our friendly team. We'll talk through where you are, what support you need, and whether the coached programme is the right next step.