Focus on your future
Longer Courses
The Designer Maker Series
The Designer Maker Series offers a flexible route into fine furniture making. The Professional course may be taken as the gold standard 40-week programme (within a 48 week enrolment window), or through three stages, Foundation, Practitioner, and Advanced, each building in confidence and skills. Entry to each stage follows progression, with Foundation completed before Practitioner, and Practitioner before Advanced. You can choose when to start each stage with our rolling entry.
For those seeking a more individual pathway we offer a fully bespoke tailored service. This can also be accessed by students who wish to adapt our International Course to match their needs
A defining feature of Williams & Cleal is our rolling entry and the option of a four-day week. Unlike other traditional furniture schools with fixed intakes, at W & C students can begin all year round across all courses, subject to bench availability.
The Professional
Fine Furniture Course | £23,500
40 Weeks Tuition | 48 Week Enrolment Window
Widely recognised as the industry’s premier long-term furniture making course, The Professional is a 40-week immersion in excellence. Supported by award-winning tutors, you will reach a master-class level, covering everything from complex veneering to the essential business skills required for studio setup and branding. You will graduate with a professional portfolio and the precision skillset that remains the definitive foundation for elite furniture makers.
The Gold Standard in Professional Furniture Education
The Foundation
Fine Furniture Course | £5,500
6 Wks Tuition | 7.5 Wks Enrolment Window
The Practitioner
Fine Furniture Course £ 7,500
12 Wks Tuition | 15 Wks Enrolment Window
The Advanced
Fine Furniture Course - £10,500
22 Wks Tuition | 27 Wks Enrolment Window
Bespoke Tailored
Beyond our structured series, we can offer a Bespoke Tailored Provision for makers with specific project requirements or distinct time constraints.
For those whose ambitions sit outside the designer maker series, we can also create a fully bespoke programme of any duration, shaped entirely around you. For example, whether a focused period of technical refinement, design development, or a longer period dedicated to a single piece, we will provide a tailored proposal to support its development. This service also is extremely useful for international students.
The International
Fine Furniture in the UK | £16,420
24 Weeks Tuition | 26 Week Enrolment Window
Our International Designer Maker Course offers a focused opportunity for aspiring furniture makers from around the world. This six-month intensive programme is designed for all levels, providing full immersion in fine furniture making and design within a professional workshop environment.
No prior experience is required, only a commitment to learning and making. You will develop practical and design skills while producing bespoke furniture under expert guidance.
Please note, due to visa requirements, this course is intended for students travelling to the UK on an appropriate international study visa
Key Terms explained
Tuition | Enrolment window?
1
Your enrolment window is slightly longer than your tuition time. For example, The Professional runs for 40 weeks of tuition within a 48 week enrolment window.
This simply allows you to flexibly take up to 8 weeks of holiday, e.g. to focus, take time out to travel, family time, work, rest …..
It gives you the freedom to manage your time alongside your training and step away when required.
What is ‘Rolling Entry’?
2
We offer rolling entry across all courses, subject to availability, allowing you to begin at any point during the year. With consistently manageable student numbers and tailored programmes, your start date will not impact the learning of others, and you will benefit from working alongside students at all stages of their journey.
The workshop closes for a two week period over Christmas for staff development; otherwise, we remain open throughout the year for new students to join when the timing is right for them.
Can I do a 4 day week?
3
We believe high level craftsmanship can benefit for focus and reflection, as well as the realities of modern life e.g work, childcare, personal commitments, and travel. To support this, any of our courses can be taken on a four-day-per-week basis.
As this extends your enrolment window allocation, rather than your tuition, we can offer you an Extension. For a weekly fee, lower than tuition, you increase your holiday allowance, while your teaching weeks remain unchanged.
Tiered pricing explained?
4
Our pricing follows a sliding scale that rewards long-term commitment. As you progress into longer enrolments, the weekly rate reduces.
The courses are designed so that if you complete The Foundation, The Practitioner, and The Advanced in sequence, your total investment is identical to the cost of the the 40 week Professional Course.