Joskos?

Discussion in 'Training & Development' started by Fazzy, Feb 7, 2005.

  1. Fazzy

    Fazzy New Member

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    Hi guys. After visiting the site for a while and finding it very helpful and a great source of information, i decided its time i finally started posting. Typically, the 1st post is asking for help!
    Im currently looking for somewhere to start an MCSE/CCNA. Im based in London and after carrying out a web search i came across a company called Joskos based near Kings Cross. They are offering the MCSE (including the MCSA & MCDST/MCDBA) and CCNA for £5750. The full package includes course materials, manuals, mock exams and text books for each module, free retraining. a Dell P4 Laptop and 11 exam vouchers. They also provide work placements and give the guarantee of a job placement or your money back but i am very sceptical about this myself .The price seems steep to me but would be most grateful for your opinions on both the company (if you have ever had any experience/come across them) and the price of the whole package. Cheers guys/gals.
     
  2. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    I can't help you with your query since I'm not located in the UK, but I can say hello and welcome. Glad you found the place and have decided to post. You might want to take a moment and pop up to the New Members forum to introduce yourself and tell us a bit more about yourself. Greetings. :)
     
    Certifications: A+ and Network+
  3. Jakamoko
    Honorary Member

    Jakamoko On the move again ...

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    Hi Fazzy - I know Joskos were mentioned at least once already on here, so have a search through the older posts and see...

    I suppose it is steep sounding, but if it includes a Dell, then you bear in mind the average cost of a course on this is around £3-4k, then it all really comes down to the quality of the training materials they provide (ie are they MSPress, Sybex, etc or something "in-house" and largely unknown ?)

    I guess they would be the best people to seek initial answers from, but good luck however you choose to proceed, m8 :D

    Just my 2p worth ...
     
    Certifications: MCP, A+, Network+
    WIP: Clarity
  4. JOEJOETHEJOEY

    JOEJOETHEJOEY Bit Poster

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    I'm in the same boat as you Fazzy. I've been looking at three training companies that all offer various certs and a job guarantee at the end. But I'm not sure who to go for, who's trustworthy and who actually gets you a good job at then end.

    What have your findings been so far?
     
  5. Jakamoko
    Honorary Member

    Jakamoko On the move again ...

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    Hi Joey - you might notice the date on this post was around a year ago. You're unlikely to get a response on such an old post. Your best bet would be start a new post on the subject of what you want to find out about :)
     
    Certifications: MCP, A+, Network+
    WIP: Clarity
  6. JOEJOETHEJOEY

    JOEJOETHEJOEY Bit Poster

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    Heehee, sorry. I was hoping that since it's been so long, Fazzy might have taken the course or found an alternative. But seems he's no longer active on here. Oh well. :(
     
  7. Jakamoko
    Honorary Member

    Jakamoko On the move again ...

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    Hey, don't worry about it, JJTJ :)

    Both Members and threads come and go over time. If you see something in a thread that hasn't been doing anything in a long time, then just fire up a new thread on the subject. There's every chance that someone else may be in that boat at that time. Also, if there are any relevant older threads on a specific issue, the Guys here will generally drop in a link to it anyway, so you're unlikely to miss out on any good info that is on our Boards.

    Hope that helps :)
     
    Certifications: MCP, A+, Network+
    WIP: Clarity
  8. JOEJOETHEJOEY

    JOEJOETHEJOEY Bit Poster

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    Yes siree!! Thanks Jakamoko!! :biggrin
     
  9. nightguy79

    nightguy79 New Member

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    Avoid Joskos. Here are my reasons why, do your best to verify them in person if you go on the tour of the Joskos building.

    (1) Infrequency of courses: If you ask them, they will happily say all courses occur approximately once every month. I'm on the second course now and I've had to wait 2 months for it on two occasions. This is very worrrying, as the earlier courses should be more frequent since there are more people taking them. I dread to think how infrequent the later courses are going to be.

    (2) Courses are overbooked. This is coupled with the infrequency of courses. Evidence: If you are late by even a minute on the first day of any course, your place will be given to someone else. Why is it like this? Because Joskos do not spend money to make courses more frequent and as a result there's a long queue of people waiting to sit courses. You can resit courses if you fail, but you get second priotity behind first-time takers. Since courses are already oversubscribed, you're not likely to get on second time round.

    (3) Cost: At over 4,000 pounds at this time, excluding the cost of exams or any other materials, Joskos is one of the most expensive training companies. I paid this in the false belief I was going to get a great company to study with; I regret that decision

    (4) Work experience: Apart from lying about the infrequency of courses, I was also told another lie whilst I was touring the place deciding whether to join. I asked whether work experience was paid - they said yes, at full wages. I asked this around 3 different times, phrasing the question differently every time. Each time they said yes. This is not true at all. Work experience is *unpaid*. You need to do 3 months work experience before you qualify for the Joskos job guarantee. That's 3 months unpaid work. Do not believe anything they say unless its written on paper. Ask to read all the details before signing.


    (5) Poor training and practice room: The main training room is good. The second training room is cramped and not designed for teaching - you have to stretch your neck round the corner if you have a bad seat. Ask to see this room before you join, because they won't show this to you on the tour. The practice room is full of Pentium 300s that barely load up the pdf files of test questions. You are not able to practice networking or any software; the computers are only there to load pdf's

    (6) Dropout rate: Very high. There are many people who pay the 4K, take the first course, and are never seen again. Joskos does nothing to encourage them to continue once they've taken their money.

    Just about the only thing good about Joskos is that their teachers are reasonably good, without being exceptional. Too bad about the infrequency of courses.

    If anyone has complaints about other IT training companies, please list them; I would prefer the quality training companies to do well. I hope others think the same.
     
  10. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    nightguy79, please do not post the same information to two separate threads. This is known as cross-posting and discouraged from all Internet forums, not just this one.

    Also please take the time to read our terms and conditions regarding the contents of posts.

    We discourage people from posting potentially defamatory and libellous information regarding any training provider on our site. The training providers may hold CertForums entirely responsible for the content of any post. Clearly, if they feel that their intellectual property is being adversely affected in any way, they have a right to take legal action.

    The purpose of this forum is to help and guide people in their chosen path to certification. It is not a soap box for people to rant on about how in *their* opinion a particular company does not live up to *their* expectations.

    I will discuss the content of your posts with our other members of staff. We may decide to remove it completely or edit out parts which we feel are inappropriate.
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  11. nightguy79

    nightguy79 New Member

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    Point taken. However, if your intention truly is to 'help and guide people in their chosen path to certification' as you claim, then my posting, in response to this Thread entitled 'Joskos?', is entirely relevant and is a valid reply to the original query asking for information on Joskos.

    If people ask about a particular trainer as in this case, I feel this forum has a duty to let an answer be published as the poster thinks is true - otherwise what is the point of asking a question in this forum? Answers need to be given to questions.

    I have given solid facts in my answer, therefore I think my posting is more than just an 'opinion' as you say.

    If in the end a person reading this thread joins Joskos and finds out what I said for himself, and that my posting was censored by the administrators, then this forum will have failed in its duty to share information amongst its members.

    I feel the information I have is important for anyone choosing an IT trainer, and I want people to know the facts before they join. If you feel the posting can be rephrased in a way that is acceptable to you but without masking the facts, please advise me on how to do so.
     
  12. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    I have made my point and will not debate it with you.

    When your post count rises above 3, I might become vaguely interested in your opinion but as far as I am concerned, right now I am far more interested in the opinions of the experienced staff here.
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  13. jimbob123

    jimbob123 New Member

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    hey dude


    did you have to do an internal exam? after 290 and 270



    what did it involve
     

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