CLF vs Samuel & Co Trading — the work-experience route

They offer something we don’t:
a desk to sit at. Compare the rest.

The verdict in 20 seconds

Samuel & Co Trading is one of the few UK providers teaching a genuinely regulated qualification — a Level 5 — and it pairs it with the thing almost nobody else offers: trader work-experience inside the firm. That is a real differentiator and we say so plainly. The structural differences are entry price (roughly £2,000+ up front versus CLF’s £120 all-in), forex specialism, and the connected ladder: CLF runs Level 2 → 3 → 5 → 7 with CISI preparation, written in-house and tested live for years before accreditation.

How we compared: Samuel & Co’s published pages and our qualification-providers comparison (logged 4 July 2026), read and verified 14 July 2026. We credit what they do well and link every claim to something you can check. Spot an error? Tell us and we will correct it.

One question exposes everything

Two regulated providers. One question: where do you start?

Entry point · the first-rung check
ProviderSamuel & Co Trading
QualificationRegulated Level 5 — genuine
Entry costcirca £2,000+ up front
StandoutTrader work-experience inside the firm
ProviderCome Learn Forex
Entry£120 all-in Level 2 — exam & certificate
LadderLevel 2 → 3 → 5 → 7 + CISI prep · TQUK, Ofqual-regulated
Checkable · before you pay

This is the rare page where both columns pass the regulation check. The comparison is price of entry and shape of the ladder.

Scroll — run the check ↓
Who they are

A genuine rival — which is exactly why this page is fair.

Samuel & Co Trading sits in the small group of UK providers whose certificate means something on a register: a regulated Level 5 in trading, delivered with mentoring and — uniquely among the providers we compare — a work-experience pathway that puts students inside a functioning trading operation. For someone whose goal is a seat and a track record, that offer is genuinely hard to beat, and it would be dishonest of us to pretend otherwise.

The differences are structural rather than qualitative. Their route starts around the £2,000 mark and centres on one qualification level; ours starts at £120 for an accredited Level 2 and runs a connected ladder to Level 7 with CISI exam preparation — qualifications we write in-house from live floor practice and prove with student cohorts before submitting for accreditation. Theirs is multi-asset; we are forex-first. Both models are legitimate. The question is only which first rung fits your budget and your goal.

Side by side

Two regulated routes, one table.

What matters
Samuel & Co Tradingregulated Level 5 · work experience
Typical influencer course$499–$4,997 · no external exam
Come Learn ForexLevel 2 · £120 all-in
Regulated qualification
Yes — Level 5, genuine
No regulator, seller-issued certificate
Yes — TQUK, centre 38286404878
Entry price
circa £2,000+ up front
$499–$4,997
£120 all-in
Work experience inside a firm
Yes — their standout
No
No — we say so plainly
Who wrote the syllabus
Awarding-body specification
The seller
CLF in-house, student-proven, then accredited
Connected pathway
Primarily one level
None
Level 2 → 3 → 5 → 7 + CISI prep
Forex specialism
Multi-asset
Often forex-led
Forex-first
Published, auditable student results
Testimonials
Screenshots
977 member-reported results at /results

Samuel & Co facts as logged on our qualification-providers comparison, verified 4 July 2026: regulated Level 5 delivery, trader work-experience offer, and an entry bracket of roughly £2,000+; precise fees are confirmed on enquiry. We repeat here what that page says: their work-experience offer is a genuine differentiator that we do not match. If Samuel & Co updates published pricing, tell us and we will correct this table.

The honest bit

When Samuel & Co is genuinely the right call.

Your goal is a seat, not just a certificateWork experience inside a live firm is the single strongest thing on their menu, and nothing on ours replaces it. If that is the goal, they deserve your shortlist.
You can commit ~£2,000 up frontIf the budget is there and the Level 5 is the target, going straight to it is a rational route.
You want multi-asset from day oneTheir scope is broader than our forex-first curriculum. Breadth is a real preference.
But match the rung to the moment: if you are not yet certain trading education is for you, £120 with an exam at the end answers that question 16× cheaper than £2,000 does — and our Level 5, when you reach it, is written by the people teaching it. Start where the risk is smallest; climb where the proof is.
Test us for free first

Do not trust this page either. Test it.

1Start freeTake the 3-lesson Taster on our platform — our actual teaching, no card. Check centre No. 38286404878 on the public register while you do.
2Sit Level 2 for £120Two days live, London floor or online. Exam and TQUK certificate included — an accredited qualification either survives an exam or it does not.
3Climb only if it earns itLevel 3 (from £4,400) holds your place with a £500 deposit that counts toward the price.
Questions

The obvious questions.

Yes — it is one of the few UK providers delivering a genuinely regulated Level 5 trading qualification, and its trader work-experience pathway is a real differentiator that this page credits plainly. The comparison with CLF is structural: entry price (~£2,000+ vs £120), forex specialism, and the shape of the qualification ladder.
Their route sits around £2,000+ up front (as logged on our qualification-providers comparison, 4 July 2026; exact fees on enquiry). CLF's accredited Level 2 is £120 all-in — training, externally moderated exam and TQUK certificate — with Level 3 from £4,400 when you choose to climb.
If your goal is experience inside a working trading firm, or you want a multi-asset regulated Level 5 immediately and the budget is ready, they are a serious option — this page says so without hedging.
The first rung and the ladder: a £120 accredited entry (16× cheaper to test), a connected pathway from Level 2 to Level 7 with CISI preparation, syllabus written in-house from live floor practice, forex specialism, and 977 published member-reported results.
No. Both are education providers; trading involves substantial risk and most retail traders lose money.

Both certificates are real.
Only one first rung costs £120.

Written by the Come Learn Forex team, led by founder Shoaib Ghauri. Published 14 July 2026. Facts from Samuel & Co’s published pages and our qualification-providers comparison (logged 4 July 2026) on that date; we correct errors on request. Trading involves substantial risk and most retail traders lose money; no course, ours included, can promise profit.

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