In-Person Finance Training in Dublin: How to Choose a Format

If you are choosing training for yourself or a team in Dublin, the first question is usually about format: a room with a tutor, a live online session, or self-paced learning. There is no single right answer. This guide explains what in-person training is good for, what to ask any provider before you book, and what Learnsignal says on its own pages about live training for teams. We have kept it to what we can state accurately, and we label our own advice as such.

What in-person training is good for

In-person sessions tend to suit subjects where discussion and worked examples matter more than reading. Examples include a team agreeing how to apply a new reporting requirement, a finance function rehearsing a month-end process, or managers practising a difficult conversation. Being in the same room lets a tutor see where people are stuck and adjust, and it lets colleagues compare how they do things.

It is less compelling where the content is mainly reference material, where people are spread across several sites, or where each person needs to move at a different speed. Those cases are often better served by live online sessions or self-paced courses. Our suggestion: decide the learning goal first, then choose the format that fits it, rather than the other way round.

What Learnsignal says about live training for teams

Learnsignal's Live Training for Teams page describes private workshops, live webinars and tailored programmes. It says sessions are delivered live online or onsite, with the format and timing agreed around the team, by tutors with practical finance experience. Onsite workshops are described as working through examples and activities together, with delivery at a location agreed with the team.

The same page lists the topic areas teams can work on:

• Financial reporting and accounting standards, including IFRS and IAS and FRS 102
• Tax and VAT for the UK and Ireland
• Audit, ethics and governance
• AI, Excel and data skills, including Power Query and Power BI
• Planning, performance and cash flow, including budgeting, forecasting and FP&A
• Corporate finance and valuation
• Sustainability and ESG
• Leadership and business partnering

It adds that the UK and Ireland are the main focus and that other topics can be discussed. The page does not publish prices, fixed dates or a fixed programme of open courses, and neither do we here. To discuss a session, use the contact page on our website or the book-a-call option on the Live Training page.

Our Dublin offices

Our Dublin offices are off Baggot Street. They include two offices, a brainstorming area and twenty desks upstairs. These are our working offices, and we are not describing them as a classroom or quoting a capacity for training sessions. For a group session, the venue is agreed with you, and the Live Training page says delivery can be at a location agreed with the team.

Questions to ask any provider before you book

These are our suggestions, and they apply to any training provider, including us.

• Who is teaching, and what is their practical experience? Ask for a short description of the tutor's background in the subject.
• What will people be able to do afterwards? A clear outcome is better than a list of topics.
• How is the session tailored? Ask whether the examples will use your own processes and documents, and how much agenda you can set.
• Where will it take place, and what does the group need? Confirm the venue, the room set-up, any equipment people should bring and access arrangements for anyone who needs them.
• What evidence of attendance do you get? If people will log the session as CPD, ask what record they will receive.
• What happens if dates change? Ask about rescheduling in writing before you commit.

Will a live session count for CPD?

That depends on your professional body and its rules, not on the provider alone. Learnsignal's CPD page says that CPD from its on-demand courses counts toward annual filing requirements at the bodies it lists, and that a certificate is issued on completion. That statement is about the on-demand courses. It does not tell you how a particular live session will be treated, so for a live session, ask the provider what record you will receive and check your own body's guidance. Our suggestion: do this before you book, not when you file at year end. Our guide to CPD record keeping for professional bodies in Ireland explains what to keep.

Deciding between in-house and open training

Many Dublin employers weigh a private session for their own team against places on an open course. Our separate guide to in-house training versus open courses for Dublin employers sets out how to compare them. In short, a private session lets you set the agenda around your own work, while open courses suit individuals or small numbers of people from different organisations.

A simple way to decide

1. Write down the goal in one sentence, such as "our team applies the same close checklist" or "managers use the forecast model confidently".
2. Count how many people need it and where they work.
3. Decide whether discussion with a tutor and colleagues is central to the goal.
4. If it is, price up a live session, in person or online, and compare it with a self-paced alternative.
5. Agree how attendance will be recorded before the date is set.

You can read more about the format we describe on the Live Training for Teams page, and the list of topics there is a good place to start a conversation about what your team needs.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

Does Learnsignal offer in-person training in Dublin?

Yes. Our offices are off Baggot Street and we offer in-person training from there. Our Live Training page describes private team sessions delivered live online or onsite, with the venue agreed with the team. Contact us to discuss what you need.

Can a team session be held at our own premises?

The Live Training page says onsite workshops are delivered at a location agreed with your team. Raise it when you make your enquiry.

What topics can a live team session cover?

The page lists financial reporting, tax and VAT, audit and governance, AI, Excel and data skills, planning and cash flow, corporate finance, sustainability and leadership. Other topics can be discussed.

Will the session count towards my CPD?

Check with your own professional body, and ask the provider in advance what record you will receive. Do not assume a session counts because of the provider's name or the venue.

Is in-person training better than online?

Neither is better in every case. In-person suits discussion-heavy topics and team exercises, while online suits spread-out teams. Choose by learning goal.

In short: decide the goal, choose the format that fits it, ask the practical questions in advance, and confirm CPD treatment with your own body.