Computeach a (hopefully) factual , personal but critical guide

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Hello All,

I thought I'd give my 5 pennyworth on computeach, i've been with them now for 2 years and am nearly at the end of my studies, 4 exams down all passed first go. I've done the CIW web design course and the Java certification with them.

OK I'm aiming to be a web designer, I live in rural Northumberland so work is a bit thin on the ground. I'm also quite good at picking things up from books and don't necessarily need a "teacher" I also have no kids and plenty of spare time.

1. Take everything their salesmen say with a big pinch of salt. The talk of just walking into a job at the end of the course, huge salaries, challenging work was a bit optimistic. The web design employment marketplace is pretty saturated, companies rarely have their own in house designers and, with no experience, getting into an agency is well nigh impossible. Apparently they are independent contractors and my one did a really hard sell. They don't do Computeach any favours.

2. Their materials are poor. They give you their own published materials which are middling to poor, and, I did not get on with their "interactive learning software" at all; although I think there are plenty of people who do. Having said that for the second and third part of the web design course we were given a Sybex Study guide book which was excellent, I got 98% for the last exam which was largely down to the book.

3. The courses at their premises are quite good; the tutors are excellent and really seem to care about getting you through the exams and also priming you as to how to be good at your new chosen career. If the salesman has told you (as did mine) the cost of the courses is "all covered"what they mean is they give you £20 per night to cover accommodation which just covers the cost of a local B&B. If like me you don't fancy staying in some old ladies spare room for a week then think again. Oh and it doesn't cover Sunday night if like me you live a long way from Dudley.

4. Their in house employment agency Software Professionals hasnt been any more help than any other employment agency. They got me a job.... but it was 60 miles from where I live, the pay was minimal and it had nothing whatsoever to do with web design. It took the job... a jobs a job right?...but it was hell and I lasted 6 months I left the job 12 moths ago and I havent heard much from Software Professionals since. I do live in the middle of nowhere but I have got more interviews by looking in the paper for a massive 35p per week.

4 On the whole the tutors just, and I mean just, swing it for me as being a worthwhile exercise. I financed the courses with redundancy money so the price was less of an issue for me, but they are pricey. I figure that I could have just bought study guides and software for myself and got the qualification for far less. However that is with the benefit of hindsight and being good at picking things up out of books.

5. Having the qualification has made me a better web designer but hasn't help me get a job, most of the employers I have encountered have never hear of the CIW qualification.

On the whole I wouldn't say that Computeach aren't a bunch of scam artists. Their salesmen do them no favours at all but they are a legitimate business staffed by some genuinely good people who are trying to make a profit.

On the other hand, you're a free agent right? with a brain, and a big diverse marketplace in which to shop? If like me you are good at learning things out of books, and are not in a hurry; there are some excellent study guides out there and independant Prosoft examination suites.If you have plenty of time to experiment, fiddle about and generally learn by experience so there are plenty of cheaper (and in my opinion better) alternatives to Computeach.

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

I have been with them for a year and I believe they seriously overcharge for the services they offer.
I could have bought the transcender disks and 3 A+ books then done the exam with about 4 or 5 attempts at £100 a time and it would still have worked out cheaper.
I just found out the accomodation "deal" also and was informed by the sales guy ALL accomodation etc was included in the price, now it's a £20 per night refund, well that just sums it all up, I have been well and truly had!

 

Yes I reckon I could have done things by my own devices for much less than the cost of the Computeach course. You do however have to bear in mind that

1. Business training in IT is really expensive
2. Not everybody finds it easy to pick things up out of books

As I said before if you can rely on your own devices, have plenty of spare time and dont mind the stress of taking an exam that will cost you £100 if you fail, then go for it!

I agree they do need to come clean about the £20 per night cover for the courses. Its not a huge sum of money and just leaves people feeling "done" I was the same.

 

I personally didn't like Computeach's sales pitch they were pushy and made promises like I would get a well paid job straight away (which I knew was bulls**t). Because I did some background research before ringing them on the certs I wanted to do I had a bit of knowledge beforehand. There prices were a joke for an A+ it was something like £2000 and they tried to push me into doing an MCSE which I wanted to build upto and not do straight away. I had also heard about there crappy learning material and ridiculously high pass requirements before they allowed you to do the proper exam to cover their backs on the guaranteed pass promise. In all I told them to stick in and I feel I made the right choice...

 

I don't know how you can say anything good about them, or give them credit.Seriously, I just don't understand people's acceptance to put up with this cr@p.

Really, isn't that lovely.Just 3500 quid, and on top of that, the tutors give a fook about you, well what a bargain that is.

I suppose it's harder for them to ignore you when your in a classroom.Not like when dealing with them on the phone, in which case they're never there, or they don't ring you back whent hey say they will.

So they're just two thirds scam artists then.
Hmm, I'm trying to remember how we learnt fractions at school.Now if the whole is a full cake, then we take pieces out of it to work out the fractions.
So if we take out the amount that computeach are cr@p, we can see by the crumbs that are left, this is the good part.
Not sure how to work that fraction out, hardly noticeable anyway.

Really, I haven't heard of any.

So, another person who reckons they would have been better off without computeach.Hmm, how many does that make now.Oh, yep, that makes pretty much enarly everyone.

If your not any good at picking things up out of books, then I would pretty much advise anybody of that mind, to not bother with a career in IT, full stop.

Anyway, what on earth are you talking about with that argument.Did your computeach course not require you to pick things out of books.
Like 7 x 1000 page books, for my course.

Perhaps your course didn't require you to pick things out of books.I'm confused by your statement.
Why?
Well because it makes absolutely no sense.

Oh please, somebody pass the sick bucket
Legitimate?
Well I suppose they're not drug dealers.Yeah, they legitimately con people.
I'm not sure what you mean by legitimate.

See my earlier statement.

Well, I have paid Computeach, yet I still have to deal witht his stress of paying for a retake.
Why?
Well, because they told me that because I'm not attending (in-centre), then if I fail at my local test centre, they won't pay for my resits.
What lovely thoughtful people they are, just like you said eh.

I'm not going to the incentres, because I have better things to do with my work holidays, than going to their premises.
What's the point in going for "training" when in order to be invited to the damn incentres in the first place, you have to pass a mock paper (closed book, if your doin it as they recommend) which qualifies you as an expert.

Hopefully you'll read this before the mods go to work on it.
I couldn't give a toss, they can edit it, I've said what I wanna say.I don't say things to piss people off or to be nice to them, I merely tell it like it is.

 

I will second that.

 

Flex,

Can you tell me exactly how you have been conned or of an actual incident, you use the phrase "con" very blasé but without factual content. Maybe you mentioned it in another post on this subject but I cant seem to find it.

Thanks

 

Why thankyou.Yes, i am rather sophisticated, as it happens.

Actually, maybe you should bother to read my posts, as well as the earlier ones, because I have mentioned facts in them.
But to make it easier for you, I'll write a nice neat list, to save you having to read those soo long posts of mine

Facts in a nice list for people who can't be bothered reading full posts

- Your ring Computeach up for advice from their tutors.However, most of the time, no tutor is available, in the evenings (most people work in the day).
- When you eventually get to speak to a tutor, often they don't give good explanations (most people I know who are with conuteach, have said this)
- Appalling training materials.In conuteaches own books in stage 2, there was a section in at the end of the book listing the book errors.It was huge, it took me ages to just correct the dam book, which made it look awful.Why the **** put a book out with that many mistakes.Again I reiterate that I am paying 3500 British pounds for this shite
- The netg software training materials are worthless.I know of nobody who has gotten any value from them.
- Upon requesting that a tutor point out the corrections in the syngress books (of which there are many), the reply was
"just google around, you'll find the corrections on the net somewhere"
When I told them that the corrections where no longer available, the tutor said:
"well, we're not the publishers, so it's not our problem"
FFS they supplied these books.The don't give a toss about the people who they're supposed to be teaching.
- Mock exams with a pass mark of 90%, for people who haven't had any classroom training, or previous experience in IT, is too high.
- Absolutely no feedback on the mock paper results.If you fail, you get a score, that's it.No suggestions, nothing.
- After you pass the mocks, you egt invited to the in centres.Yet one guy was told that there wasn't a place for him, until November, and this att he beginning of September
So, having to wait near two months, hmm, or go and take it in 2 days time at your localt est centre.hard choice eh.
- They invalidate your free resit when you decide to take the tests locally.People may not be able to go to the incentres for avrious reasons.Why the **** should this invalidate their free resit.Again, this course costs 3500 quid for you people who are a bit soddin slow and don't seem to get what I'm on about here
- I was, and quite a few other people, were banned from the cunuteach website, simply for asking questions that they didn't like us asking.
After asking repeatedly about the book corrections, and where I could find them, and saying I wasn't happy about this, I was simply banned.Just for askin a flamin question which they couldnt be arsed finding the answer to.
If you think that's acceptable, then your very sad

These points have been noted throughout my time here, either by myself, or other conuteach victims.
I could really go on a lot more, but I've got A+ quiz to go to.

Maybe you should use your search function, and read my bloody posts, before being so friggin smug with me.

 

Flex

Once again you seem to be using the forum to vent some of your mis-givings about your training provider. You have been approached numerous times regarding your previous posts as they were defamatory.

Again the situation has arisen where you have taken it upon yourself to use a type of language that is inappropriate. Your behaviour over the past few weeks with members of the site is unacceptable.

Your account at CertForums has been suspended for one month.

 

Whilst he can't reply, I'm sure Flex can read this response to his erm somewhat contentious reply.

I've been to 5 Computeach in-centre courses so far. I've arrived absolutely seething at Computeach over a number of different issues, I've arrived on 2 occasions convinced I had not got a chance of passing the exam.

On the courses the tutors have been excellent. I stand by what I said earlier, and seeing as how Flex has not been on any courses I can't see how he can argue with my point. On the two occasions that I was really struggling with the material; because of the tutors I managed to pass the exam, it's as simple as that.

I have also met, person to person about 30 other Computeach students. Only one of those was as unhappy with Computeach as Flex seems to be. All the others were happier than I was about their course.

As I've said twice now I have plenty of spare time. I call Computeach during the day and have no problem getting a response, if you need to call during the evening then maybe they aren't as good, I can't comment.

I take Flex's point about being good at picking things up out of books I guess you do need to be that way by definition or a career in IT isn't for you. What I was getting at is that, looking back if I had "gone it alone" and not had Computeach's support when I was stuck I would probably have been ok, I think there are plenty of people who need that "human touch" to help explain tricky concepts to them, or put things in a different way. The tutors at Computeach and the courses do help and I recon on two occasions without them I would have failed an exam instead of passing it.

I'M NOT DEFENDING COMPUTEACH, they aren't nearly as good as they think they are, their materials are poor and their salesmen do them no favours at all. Forewarned is forearmed as the proverb goes and my post was for the benefit of anyone considering a course with Computeach.

 

geez, bit like jerry springer in here folks!

id be gutted too if i took the plunge, but no need for the comments from flex.

 

moominboy...this thread is almost a year old.

 

tbh i only read the date on the last one few, but had a few spare 2 pence lying around and thought i'd randomly throw them about!




EDIT: even bigger , didn't REALLY read the dates, cos its oct......erm......nope no excuse! must be a blonde day! lol

 

Blonde moments aren't *that* bad.

 

lol! if only ALL blonde moments were that good!



p.s. lovin' the new sig trip!

 

Bugs Bunny is a classic wabbit.

 

I just read this thread too. Thanks moomin boy for dredging it up....

I can see why management doesn't want so much anger floating around the forums, but that being said I sure can understand why some people get so angry with training centers when they see what they've gotten for their money. I wouldn't be much more diplomatic than flex was if I had been in his shoes.

 

hello there im new to this forum but im thinking of signing up with computeach with the same as youself my redundeancy money and was really keen on the course until i read this forum, you say there are better courses for less money, do you know of any? i would love to hear from you as this is a large amount of money to be throwing away if computeach isnt as good as they make out. i think i was sold on the idea of a job at the end of the course. i am married with a 1 year old son so dont want to make any major mistakes or gambles with my money

 

hello i was thinking of applying for a computeach course, it sounded really good but seeing these messages on the forum has put me off, is it really that bad. my course is costing £5900 would i be getting ripped off? i was promised a job at the end aswell? im worried i might be chucking my money down the drain as i have no real computer experience.