British Academy of Interior Design Reviews 392

I am enrolled on the Postgraduate Diploma in Interior Design and I'm really enjoying it. The BAID have been very helpful in terms of their customer service, and student support, and I get responses from my tutor quickly. Assignments are marked within a few days and the feedback is thorough and constructive.

I like how the course fits in with my lifestyle and I can create my own timeline to submit the assignments. Each lesson or unit within the course is clearly laid out and the teaching material is clear and understandable.

The assignments themselves are challenging but achievable and enjoyable. They have definitely helped me to put what I'm learning into practice. I've even surprised myself by getting distinctions, which I didn't think I would get, especially as I don't have strong drawing skills.

I am almost halfway through the course after 15 months, and that's with two small children and running a business, so it is possible. I would recommend the courses to anyone deciding whether to give them a go.

Impactful and useful information was presented, which allowed me to full understand what the course entails, and the questions asked, really helped alot also.

Really interesting content. Useful feedback from my tutor. Immediately relevant to projects I’m working on.

I’m really enjoying this course so far. The materials are clear, thorough, and explain concepts in depth, and the way the content and assignments are organised makes it easy to follow and stay on track.

I have just finished the Interior Design certificate with BAID and the initial consultation, course and tutor support & feedback were all fantastic.

Coursework was marked inside a few days with the tutor Fiona, answering any queries almost immediately.
I would highly recommend this company & course.

I enrolled at the Interior Design Academy of Ireland (IDAI) in July of 2025.

For the purpose of this review, I will refer to them as BAID, as this is how they appear to market themselves across Europe and globally.

I chose the Higher National Diploma, classroom based in Dublin. The Academy told me it was filling up fast due to 'popularity'. This sounded positive.

Once I had made payment I didn't hear from the Academy again until I received an email telling me they didn't quite get the numbers for the Dublin in-person class and suggested I move to online classes .... starting in 4 days.

I moved online. Despite 'popularity' there was no one in my online class from Dublin or Ireland.

I was hard working and diligent. I enrolled in art classes, and started sketch-up lessons.

It was what happened next that really made me realise I'd been duped.

I was getting through the assignments - many complicated and open to interpretation. Once the 'Distinctions' start popping up in your inbox it can get quite addictive. In retrospect, its more like a sort of virtual Stockholm Syndrome.

Towards the end of the first term, I received emails from the Academy about 'exciting' updates. They were adding an introduction unit with four additional assignments. This would add another 6 months to the course.

Surely I was missing something here? I didn't need more work covering material I had already learnt. I thought I would wait and talk with my tutor at the next class.

Our tutor knew nothing about the changes.

How can any educating body make changes to course content so radical it must have been at least a year in the making; yet fail to inform their tutors about the changes. The tutors are the very people tasked to teach the content.

I spent the next weeks continuing to work on the original assignments, not knowing I was wasting my time, as all previous assignments were now null and void. I would effectively be starting the course again from the beginning as ALL the content was upgraded.

Just imagine sitting in a brick and mortar classroom - just before the end of your first term someone walks in the door and informs you that the last 6 months have been a waste of your time and you will all be starting again from the beginning on Monday.
We didn't mention this earlier because we wanted your money.

My argument with the Academy is that they never should have taken on the July 2025 intake of students knowing a full new curriculum was about to roll out.

I asked for my money back. My request was declined.

It seems BAID moved student services from London to Portugal around 2018. I contacted the call centre there to ask for the Academy's management details so I could put in an official complaint.

The call centre has refused to give me any details about this Academy. Who they are? What company owns them?

BAID's replies to my request for a refund seem mostly AI written, repetitive and usually copy and pasted from previous emails.

I reached out to past students to find out more about BAID, surely there must be others in the same position as me? I only had to scratch the surface to find the level of damage caused.

It has been dis-heartening hearing these stories. Many people want the experience behind them and me reaching out has been a grim reminder of a time they preferred forgotten. Others would like to see the Academy held accountable.

Words I have heard from grown educated women include; 'Traumatised' and 'Broken'.

One class of 25 had 2 people pass.

One young person enrolled 18 months ago and has not heard from BAID since.

I have heard of 250 page long assignments for the certificate course. This person dropped out... eventually.

One woman studying full time took 5 years to complete a certificate.

Many of us are asking the same questions.

Who are those people in the graduation photos?

Why are the assignments so long and convoluted?

The Academy needs us to fail for two reasons.

Firstly: They don't have the resources to mark that many assignments. Who knows how many of us are out there globally. Failure is key.
They make it difficult so you feel inadequate and not bright enough. Its embarrassing right? Many drop off without a word. It's a tactic BAID counts on; embarrassed people retreat rather than speak up.

Secondly: Imagine all of us pass. Hertfordshire University would be sending out Diplomas and Certificates everyday. They would do the math and this in turn would expose the Academy as the money making venture it is.

Hand on heart, avoid this Academy. They will show you no duty of care. This is a for profit enterprise.

I'd like to end on a positive note.
Education is a privilege not everyone is this world gets to experience.
Keep learning and growing.
Find the right educators to get you there.
It will be worth it.

A

Loved the flexibility and the available resources. Perfect for a person who is good at self-studying and needs a flexible study plan. Lots of resources available, from books to forums, and teachers grade quickly and are very encouraging. Loved it!

The new way of learning is great. Although I am finding it hard to judge how long each task takes, and need extra time to digest the assignment criteria. I feel I have grown in a short space of time and the feedback is very useful. I am truly excited and hope it continues this way

I’m really enjoying the projects, and appreciate knowing that there are excellent videos to help you with techniques in the student library.

The updated HNP course is a significant improvement. Concepts are now introduced gradually with much better scaffolding, making the material more digestible. Breaking everything down into smaller, manageable steps has given me a much stronger foundation and made progressing through the course less daunting

The tutors are very responsive and helpful. They're warm and kind in their email communication as well. I want to definitely call out two of them, Fiona Kensington and Alastair Strong.

Back with another review. As it continues to be a shit show. Last october we got an email that the whole learning system
was going to change. They gave us a whopping 4 days notice….. all previous work was useless, and the assignment you were working on ( they take weeks) could go in the bin. It takes them roughly 2 weeks to grade an assignment, so no way you could finish it quick and have it graded. The assignment that i was completing before they changed the system is identical to the new assignment only in a different scenario, but i can’t turn it in because “ the standards have changed”. They are also not willing to look for solutions to make it work for both parities. Avoid this company at all costs.

I like the theory and the practice sides or aspects in this course. In the theory side we reflect on the art of interior design. In the practice side we revise and discuss within ourselves the information we obtained .

Each assignment is challenging and pushes me to learn more, helping me feel more confident about working as an interior designer in the future.

A great, well-structured program that successfully combines essential fundamental theory—something every interior designer needs—with practical assignments. The course is fully focused on hands-on work and on training specialists who will not only know how things are done, but will be able to create real professional designs and work with clients.
The homework is built around practical case studies, and you start working with your own real project right away.

Such a professional and quick response from Alastair, it feels so good to know if I have a problem I will get a quick response, saves so much stress - thankyou.

I had an incredible time learning at BAID. Their course is pretty extensive. At the end of the course, I'm very pleased with my growth as an Interior Designer.

The Interior Design course has been quite demanding, but also very professional and rewarding. The tutors are extremely helpful and always provide informative and constructive feedback on marked assignments, which has really supported my learning.
I particularly enjoyed the live classes — they kept me motivated and helped me gain a deeper understanding of the subject. Studying online requires a lot of self-motivation, and while it can be challenging at times, the structure and support of the course made it a very positive experience.
I’ve also met some great people during the course, some of whom I’m now collaborating with. Overall, the course has met my expectations and given me a solid foundation of interior design knowledge.

During my educational journey of postgraduate diploma I faced several challenges, particularly with the initial assignments.In general the course is quite demanding and required many hours of study. This can make it difficult for those who are working full-time alongside their studies. Personally, I had to request extensions several times; however, this experience helped me develop resilience in handling high workloads and extensive study hours, a skill I consider invaluable for professional growth.Regarding the program content, I gained substantial knowledge, both theoretically and in the design aspect, which further enhanced my skills. Additionally, the instructors were very supportive and provided continuous guidance, while the administrative staff were always willing to offer assistance and help whenever needed.

Overall, despite the challenges, the experience was highly constructive and contributed to strengthening my perseverance, self-discipline, and resilience .
I highly recommend it to those who want to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their endurance!!!

As a busy mum to a 2 year old, the flexibility of this course is very accommodating. The support has been faultless, before and after enrolling. I am a prime example of someone who will put something off. But I’m so glad I have chosen my new career path with BAID. It’s been a dream for many years which is now becoming a reality. I’m extremely grateful for the Merit grading I’ve received on my first assignment, and the amazing feedback. I am so excited to continue this course. I highly recommend!
Jennifer