Cojak, is ITIL training your full-time gig ? Got the foundation sorted which has opened up a few doors but need to push onto the manager cert to get through the next ceiling/tap into the SDM contract market (350-450/day) Right now that is a lot to me. Will have to pay for it myself though, any recommendations (north west england preferably) ? Are there any boot camps where you need to reach a certain level through distance learning then crack in for a weeks slog then exams ?
Sorry for the delay - I don't post when I'm on-site.

No, ITIL training isn't a full-time gig - I'm a consultant first and a trainer second. I do the odd freelance course every now and then. It helps to keep IR35 at bay and my ITIL knowledge sharp.

Having never been to a boot camp I don't know how to answer that one - you need to attend 2 separate weeks of training; one week for Service Support and one week for Service Delivery. This is non-negotiable; there is no distance learning allowed for the Manager's certificate (you can add to the cost by going to a day's exam prep but I don't rate them).

Average pass marks for the ITIL training specialists are in the region of 80%, dropping to around 65% for some the smaller bandwagon training providers* with variable quality trainers and less than 50% for self-learners before the exam entrance criteria were tightened up.

As for providers, choose from Sysop (a particular favourite), QA, FoxIT etc. These have training centres around Manchester. Always ask them their pass mark rates, the best are proud of them (and this can be cross-ref'd with the ISEB )

Overall passing the Manager's Certificate will cost approximately 3,000 - 5,000 depending on who you go with (and the biggest aren't always the most expensive). This doesn't include potential loss of earnings.

As for your £350 - £450 a day rate - you'll get those rates once you've proved yourself and with experience. Don't expect that much straight away (although I wouldn't get out of bed for 'em meself... )

*I am not a bandwagon but a sleek specialist in red with go-faster stripes whose own average stats are higher than the big-hitters...

HTH