A new college course teaching singles the art of successful dating and promises to help those searching for love improve their chances of getting to first base.
Parramatta Community College is offering a Skills with Dating course run by former teacher and relationships author Karen Moloney.
Ms Moloney devised the course after finding herself single after almost two decades of marriage.
"After 18 years of marriage I didn’t want to do the dating thing again, but then I realised I wasn’t the only one and there were other people out there who didn’t have the skills," the 42-year-old said.
"I also went on one bad date too many."
She said students are not taught tacky pick-up lines, instead they are schooled on how to communicate and be confident in setting their boundaries.
She said the secret to successful dating is easy.
"Men and women want to be treated the same and that is with respect," Ms Moloney said.
"Let’s try not looking at someone like a relationship or a liaison - let’s look at them as a person.
"We put up all these defences and our dating face on and then people wonder why they don’t get a second date."
During the seven-week course students are teamed up and sent out on "practice dates" so they can use the skills they learned in the real world.
"It’s about giving people the confidence to say they’re not interested if they’re not interested," Ms Moloney said.
"The whole point of dating is to set up the relationship properly. If the dating is done properly then the relationship will follow and it will flow so much easier."
"Happily single" friends Laura Christy, Janet Michie and Maree Ashard said they prefer to learn dating skills through "trial and error".
"You learn that stuff in the real world," Ms Christy, 33, of Coogee, said.
"It’s about trial and error and clicking with people and I don’t think you can be taught that."
Ms Ashard said the course may appeal to people who don’t have the time to go out and meet people on a regular basis or those who shy away from pubs and clubs.
But 30-year-old Qtim Broad, of Redfern, said he would only ever consider attending such a course "if Shane Warne was teaching".
The friends said their tips for successful dating include "being yourself and don’t get too picky".