SCIENTOLOGY^® AND DIANETICS^® COURSES

 The first action a person should take in his Scientology training is to read a book, such as Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health or Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought. He can study these on an extension course which is designed to help people understand the basic fundamentals of L. Ron Hubbard's books and find out about Scientology for themselves. The lessons in the course are completed and mailed in to the Extension Course Supervisor who grades them and informs the student by return mail what his grade is and any parts of the book he may have misunderstood.

 After completing a book or extension course, he should go into a church and see one of the Public Division Registrars who can help him decide which course he should do next. There are many different services available. For instance, many Life Improvement Courses exist, on such subjects as marriage, children, work, relationships with others and personal integrity. These help a person move from effect to cause in a specific area of life. Or there is the Hubbard Dianetics Seminar which utilizes Dianetics auditing techniques based on Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, providing as much Dianetics auditing to a person as he wants and giving him experience applying Dianetics to another. There is also the Success Through Communication Course which teaches the basic communication skills one needs to succeed in social or other situations.

 Factually, it is best to talk to someone to find out which of the many courses available is addressed most directly to what one wants to handle or improve in life.

 Training gives a person the knowledge and tools to handle life. A basic datum in Scientology is that what one learns is only as valuable as it can be applied, and as it helps one do better in life. This is why Scientology is correctly called an applied religious philosophy. The information and technology a person learns is not just to increase his understanding (although it will definitely do that as well), but it is for USE.

 Although many Scientologists become practicing Scientology ministers, many others simply use the data in their everyday lives, on the job, and with their friends and family members. They report that life becomes more confrontable, their abilities increase and they are happier because they are winning in the game of life.

 The major difference is that Scientology and Dianetics training give one tools to use in life. Whereas studying other philosophies or religions may provide information that is interesting, only in Scientology does the individual get the exact tools he needs to change and improve conditions in his life.

 L. Ron Hubbard has written many times about the fact that 50 percent of one's gains are from training and 50 percent are from auditing. It is actually impossible to successfully make it through the upper processing levels of Scientology without also being trained. Therefore, to get the most from Scientology, one progresses in his training simultaneously with or at a comparable rate to his progress in auditing.

 Most churches of Scientology are open from 9:00 in the morning until 10:30 at night weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends. Several different course schedules are offered within these hours.

 Scientology training is unique. Each course is done by following a checksheet. A checksheet is a list of materials, divided into sections, that lay out the theory and practical steps which, when completed, lead one to a study completion. The items contained on the checksheet, such as books, recorded lectures and other written materials, add up to the required knowledge of the subject. Each student moves through his checksheet at his own rate. This ensures nobody is ever held back by slower students, and no one is under pressure from faster students. A trained Course Supervisor is always available to help the student, to refer him to the exact materials, to answer his questions and to ensure he is applying standard study technology to gain the full benefits from his studies.

 Every major training course in Scientology is followed by an internship. This is a period of auditing others under the supervision of technical experts. In this way, an auditor's skills are honed and polished to a very high level of proficiency.

 This course can be studied by any Scientologist who is training in Scientology or Dianetics. The course provides an appreciation of the world's great religions, the religious background and philosophy of Scientology, the ethical codes of Scientology and the ceremonies of the Church. One also learns to deliver services and carry out basic ministerial duties.

 Each course takes as long as it takes since the student goes through each course at his own pace, he regulates his own progress. How long it takes depends on how diligently he applies study technology and how honestly he completes each item on his checksheet before proceeding to the next. The length of each course will also depend on how many hours he studies per week. On the average, Scientology courses take anywhere from a few days (for most introductory courses) to several months (for more advanced training).

 Introductory services are designed to take one week at 2 1/2 hours a day. Academy training to become an auditor is generally two weeks, at forty hours a week, for each individual level.

 The required time to complete the more advanced courses is quite extensive. The Saint Hill Special Briefing Course, which is a chronological study of Scientology and Dianetics from 1948 to the present, takes approximately one year, at forty hours a week. This course gives the Scientologist the entire philosophic and technical development of the subject, and is the most extensive training course in Scientology.

 Church staff ensure that auditors are professionally and thoroughly trained so that they can achieve the best results with their preclears.

 According to demographic studies, a high proportion of Scientologists have graduated from college or university studies. However, this is not a prerequisite for becoming a Scientology Course Supervisor.

 In Scientology, there is a very precise technology of how to supervise and successfully help students through their courses. All Scientology Course Supervisors are trained in this technology to ensure that students get the most from their training.