Quote:
Originally Posted by legs4me
I'm new to the hobby and in the process of obtaining P411. I don't have references yet but will the P411 help me get them. Maybe this is a stupid question but many ask for P411 plus references. I'm kinda confused.
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Your P411 membership (I assume you've got that, and you're "basic" without okays there) may help you with getting some refs.
If you're a member there, search your local area for providers whose profiles say that they see "basic members". Be aware that if you're a total noob with no references you'll have to probably undergo some screening. That varies from provider to provider (I'll leave it to the providers to say, if they want, what their screening requirements for a newbie might be). Don't panic about this, it's for both the provider's and your safety. Once you've got that first reference there, the process goes a lot easier.
If you're not yet a member there, it might be easier to find a provider who's both newbie friendly and a P411 member (this very site is an excellent resource). Once you've seen her, she can actually invite you to P411 and you get in with an okay (that's how I got my P411 membership).
We were all newbies once, so be aware that it's not as bad a vicious circle as it seems ("You can't see a provider without references, and you can't get a reference til you've seen a provider."); there are newbie-friendly providers out there. Just don't get scared at the screening requirements; think of it as an investment in your hobby future.
Cheers,
bcg