If you’re someone who already is very comfortable working with energy, then having less guidance and practice opportunities through an online experience might be just fine. Especially if you already have other types of energy or bodywork experience under your belt, or are interested in using Reiki with friends/family and yourself versus starting a professional Reiki practice.
As Reiki is considered a spiritual healing art you might be required to have a certification of an ordained minister. Therefore, for starting your fact-finding mission it would be useful if you make some telephone calls to your local chamber of commerce. In addition, make sure to obtain liability insurance in case you need protection against lawsuits.

We are opening the minds and hearts of our students to the ever increasing scientific knowledge that ‘energy is non-local’, and as such can reach anybody, for attunements or healing, from anywhere in the world through thought and intention, just like prayer (which is scientifically proven). Indeed with evolving technology, other modalities including medicine are moving toward the use of new technology to reach a broader population than was thought previously possible, for example, through the new 'Telemedicine' and also Online Integrative Medicine studies as provided to medical doctors through the University of Arizona. The Canadian Government has also been engaged in creating a digital health infrastructure as seen through www.betterhealthtogether.ca.

_{Learning Reiki is a good starting point for experiencing and working with healing energy and a wonderful method for depending awareness of universal energy. In general, Reiki complements other healing methods and spiritual practices. There are no hard and fast rules about how to approach starting Reiki and starting healing. You will only know it once you experience the universal power within yourself.}
^{I am in LOVE with this course. Not only is it packed with lots of information to guide you toward understanding and appreciating Reiki, but it’s also highly inspiring and transformative! All of the lectures are really special. I love how focused they are. Every piece of information being delivered is very powerful and eye-opening! I feel more energized and clear-minded since taking the course. I’m very in tune with my body in a way that I’ve never been before. And I feel more connected to the people and the world around me. I’m excited to go deeper in using all that I’ve learned! This course has been a major blessing in my life!}
I realise that this question is a few years old but the answer will remain relevant for anyone interested in practicing Reiki. I’m a Reiki Master who lived, studied and trained in Japan the traditional methods of Usui Sensei by one of Dr Hayashi’s original students who still lives today. It took me almost three years to become a Master. Each level has 4 degrees of studies and it shocks me to learn that people call themselves a “Reiki Master” after doing a weekend course or even worse taking an online course. This is NOT Reiki!
This course is registered with the CMA (Complementary Medical Association), which is internationally recognised as the elite force in professional, ethical complementary medicine by professional practitioners, doctors and, increasingly, by the general public. Upon completion of the course you can gain membership to the CMA, which in addition to supplying a professional accreditation, offers a number of benefits, all of which can be found here.
Once I started the course, I felt Reiki settle inside me, entering every cell of my body. I am so grateful I chose this course, that I chose Melissa from which to earn my Reiki Master. She is a beautiful soul, and her course is simple yet has so many new things I didn’t know. Anyone would be very lucky to have an attunement with her. Her energy is beautiful, crisp, and clear. This was the perfect path for me to take. Thank you so much Melissa.
“Many thanks for guiding me through such a rich and full course. I was very impressed by the quality of the materials in particular the attunements section. You managed to break down a complex procedure into understandable and memorable steps and repeating across different media and formats really helped the learning process.” Clare Ewins, West Sussex
^{Home study, or distance learning as it applies to Reiki has long been misunderstood due to the confusion around the Reiki ‘attunements’.  Reiki attunements are what activate Reiki to flow in your system and this does require a real live Reiki Master to carry out the attunement.  However, it does not have to be done face to face.  Much like when we learn to send Reiki at Reiki Level 2, Reiki is not bound by geography, and attunements are equally successful done face to face or via distance.}

Melissa is so passionate about her Reiki craft and it shows very clearly in every aspect of this online course. The videos are excellent and so well presented. The most important part for me was that I could follow the course at my own pace and it was relatively inexpensive too. I would highly recommend this (and have done already) to anyone seeking personal and professional development opportunities in Reiki. Thank you Melissa.

One of the most important, yet least explained, benefits of Reiki is its ability to guide your life in a way that is exactly right for you. When you focus Reiki on difficult situations in your life, guidance about what to do comes more easily. Or it may inspire a change in attitude or belief about your situation. Suddenly, you see your condition from a fresh perspective, one which reveals a previously unseen course of action leading to a more positive result. - William Lee Rand

I also am a Reiki Master. I've always known I have this incredible connection and am blessed. Not practicing or working enough these days, but when I do, I cry for the happiness, joy, and peace within. I paid good money for a hands on healing class, but the amount of verbal learning was way too overwhelming for me, and missed some info, my binder and notes, were not enough.

_{Interestingly I gave a friend who is already 2nd degree a first degree empowerment and the results have been stunning. She is very sensitive to the energies and has always been a guinea pig for me. Not only did she experience a huge jolt as I formulated my intention but in the week since she has been feeling excellent and has dealt, with ease, with some stressful problems which would normally have reduced her to quivering jelly. This is the kind of feedback which makes it all worthwhile for me.}
“Many thanks for guiding me through such a rich and full course. I was very impressed by the quality of the materials in particular the attunements section. You managed to break down a complex procedure into understandable and memorable steps and repeating across different media and formats really helped the learning process.” Clare Ewins, West Sussex

Each Reiki Evolution RMT home study course is accompanied by this 370 page book, written by Taggart. You’ll find a wealth of advice about how to set up and run your Reiki courses: read articles about planning and structuring your courses; find out how to explain things to students in a way that honours their learning preferences and personality types; discover how to create top quality course materials and how to support your students long-term.

The second Symbol (Mental, Emotional and Addiction) gives you access to hidden regions of consciousness, be it your own or of a person you treat. Mental healing can help you to transform misdirected energies so that the receiver can experience optimism, love, and happiness. It is here that healing for addiction and unwanted habits can be applied (e.g. smoking/alcohol/gambling cessation and obsessive thoughts/preoccupation).

We include a range of original and non-original symbols on the course, though we don’t want overemphasise the use of symbols, because we believe that they have assumed an unnecessary importance within the world of western Reiki. The symbols that you learn on the Master course allow you to send Reiki to heal at the soul level, produce balance in an instant, deal with aspects of karma, and focus energy intensely on the mind or the emotions. During the Master course you will be ‘attuned’ to these symbols:

Once you have completed this course you can join the Reiki and Seichem Association. You can also add this therapy to you existing insurance policy. Alternatively if you do not have insurance your tutor will be able to give you details on how to obtain the appropriate cover. You will then be able to use your newly acquired technique, be able to charge and practice on the general public.

Each Reiki Evolution RMT course is accompanied by this 370 page book, written by Taggart. You’ll find a wealth of advice about how to set up and run your Reiki courses: read articles about planning and structuring your courses; find out how to explain things to students in a way that honours their learning preferences and personality types; discover how to create top quality course materials and how to support your students long-term.

The joys of becoming a Reiki Master are many and you don't necessarily have to teach in order for the Master training to be useful. The additional healing energy, symbols, techniques and knowledge will add value to your healing abilities. Treating yourself, giving yourself and others healing attunements and treating others in person and at a distance will all be noticeably improved. The fact that you can pass Reiki on to friends and family is also a definite plus. Many take the Master training with just this in mind. However, if you ever decide to formally teach, you will be able to do so. As each person takes the Reiki Master training, and increases their personal vibration, this adds to the vibration of the whole planet!

"After completing this course, I feel as if my Reiki journey has been brought full circle. And with that, the discovery that everything in me that I long thought was missing, broken or in need of fixing, has been here all along, fully formed, beautifully and perfectly imperfect, and exactly right. And I cannot imagine a greater gift than that." Ash