Is this just a scam ? Job guarantees / training

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Well said, Johnny.

 

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what johnny said!

nowt wrong with paying for training... don't expect job guarantees, or, like any other area of your finances, be swayed by deferred payments or sales patter that claims miracles

 

ADMIN NOTE:

I'd like to ask at this point if the main contributors to this Thread would like to see it left to run, or would this be an approriate time to quietly draw it to a close and discuss similar matters in the inevitably similar threads as they come up ? As noted the thread is in it's latter stages of maturity and much of the valuable information is now buried deep under controversy, debate, flaming, moderation and general banter.

Your choice Guys - let me know :

 

Tricky one Gav...

I'm sure this will come up time and again, but I agree we've gone off topic (then back on to it again).

I'm happy to lay it to rest, I'm sure future searchers can be directed here to read our epic posts long after we are gone.

Or not.

 

I have been reading through the threads and I know its not easy to get a job. I do not think IT is an easy job and it requires a lot of skills.

I have spent 3 years learning in university. and when i come out the least what i expect is a decent job.

I have reached the end of my tether and I am very very very very frustrated. Imagine pulling out files in an office when u know u are capable of more than that. now its been some time since uni and i seem to be losing my confidence as the days go by

When there are training providers who give u job guarantee...... i am tempted. i do know there is no shortcut to success but i am very desperate for a job

 

well, i had to pay £300 first. now i have to pay £700 to start my training. and during my training i have to pay £100 in 5 installments. (that makes it £1500).

i cannot afford to pay £6000 upfront and i am not very keen on taking loan on something like this. Why fall into debt?

I am trying to be level headed as i can be.

 

I understand. I've "been there done that" and am "doing that" myself. However, knowing how tight the job market is, doesn't it strike you as just a little bit over the top when somebody "guarantee's" you a job when jobs are seemingly next-to-impossible to find in IT? That in itself should tell you to beware. Things that sound to good to be true, are to good to be true the vast majority of the time. If you combine the "too good to be true" aspect of the promise along with the ways the "job guarantee" can be voided without the training provider being penalized because of the restrictions written into the "guarantee" they are pretty worthless guarantees.

However, if you're desperate enough to gamble, it's your money....

 

actualy, when i was on the interview, the guy was asking me questions about what technologys i have used, what programming languages i know. he described the MCSA and the MCSD.Net course to me, and told me how the course will go.
he said it is a live online classroom where you have full live contact with the rest of the people taking the training at the same time, and a few tutors, lead by an existing MCSA/MCSD cirtified profesional instead of just your standard run of the mill teacher with a text book.. the only mention of sallery is when he got towards the end of the presentation he said that they garentee jobs to anyone who passes with ICS (parent company) or with one of their partners and said sallerys are around £20k and most places throw health insurance on top. then he went on to say that the £6000 of my side is to keep me commited to the training, and not just take the qualifications at the end for free and go work for anyone else.

i have seen that the parent company (ICS) is listed on the microsoft resource directory as a microsoft certified partner. so i am going to call microsoft's edu department monday morning and ask them about apprenta/ics and see what they say. ill post my findings once i have them.

 

I wouldn't pay much attention to that, anyone can be a Microsoft certified partner. I am for example. To display their logo, you have to pay them, simple as that. I don't believe there is any real partnership involved.

 

actualy, to be a partner, it depends on.
1. how much MS product you shifted.
or
2. how many people you have gotten to pass their exams.

you dont really have to pay anything

 

No, actualy anyone can become a MS Partner.

I am a MS Partner. I don't sell MS kit, I don't have my own company. All I do is use MS Products.

To become a Patrner (Registered Member) all I had to do was fill in the form on this page.

MS have different level of partnerships depending on the criteria that you identified, but at the end of the day anyone can become one.

 

True to be registered only.
Certified Partner will cost you £1000 p.a. and Gold Certified £2000.
Plus you need to meet requirements for competancies, the most heavily promoted one being 'shifting MS products'.
Others include providing training (through MS products), or providing products or services that meet with MS standards.

So there's a bit more to it than just paying, but I'm sure that waving a £2000 cheque under Bill's nose greases the rails nicely.

 

so really, you cant just pay and then be on the ms certified list..

also, what is an average timescale for passing a mcsa and mcsd saying you already know the "how to program" and the how to build a pc and install windows and set up networks and general stuff like that?

 

"i have seen people from my course start work with them already, i.e the ones who have finished."

This was posted on the "Apprenta Who Are They?" tread. Find this very puzzling cuz how can this be possible when the course and the work experience promised by Apprenta are done ONLINE and AT HOME???

The Companies Technical Faults:

newayz geting to the point...if the this is real and such a big company why have i found so many errors in there website alone?? I dnt wana go into to much details to allow u guys to see them urselfs n make ur own mind up.

<> Firstly...the i've noticed broken links the website
<> You can access forms without even logging in...so theres
no form of security.
<> Control buttons don’t even work...bring up an error page
so basically has no use to the company, so obviously
its only purpose is an illusion

and remember this is suppose to be a major international SOFTWARE company...i find this very hard to believe!!!

First Stage - Telephone interview

i dont knw bout u guys but it was basically a call to arrange an interview rather than any kind of assessment...i could have been a road sweeper n still got an interview. and was just fogged off every time i asked a more detailed question.

Second Stage - Formal Interview

they had a small presentation of the details of the course...when i asked for a copy...they refused.

They say you do work experience from home for 12 weeks from home on one of there companies systems. So they tryin to say there companies are more willing to have us on there live systems from home with no experience where we cnt really be watched properly BUT AFTER wev had the work experience we then go and work within the company...thats just daft!!!!

The actual courses MCSA etc....if you look on the net ur see that there is a special package of three MCS courses for 1500...so where did £14000 cum from?? n remember u have to pay them £4500 back after the course WITH INTEREST as its a loan!!

I dnt know bout you guys but usually in interviews u hav to sell urself and try to demonstrate you can do the job but Apprenta..theyr practically giving it to u!!

I hope this will help u guys to make a decision...i say just be open minded...after all it is ur money!!!

 

That's right - it is extremely complicated, have a look at the MS website.

If you have a good grasp of programing then you ought to be able to do an MCSD in 12-18 months. Beware, there is much more to it than 'programing'. Likewise, being able to build a PC won't help you with an MCSA. Haven't tried that one myself so I can't quote a timescale.

 

Hi guys - first post so excuse my confusion.
Like everyone else i was nearly suckered into parting with my cash with apprenta in return for a good job etc. Several people mentioned training yourself. What exactly did you mean? I was under the impression that apprenta provided access to the course and that was the only way to gain the qualification. Can these exams be taken indipendantly and how realistic is it that someone with no programming experience can take these exams and find employment? If anyone has done this on their own how long did it take?

thx for your help guys!

 

Hi and welcome.

Many certs do not requires you to do a course. You 'merely' need to pass the exam.

In such cases 'training yourself' means studying until you feel competent to pass the exam. You can usualy book the exam on-line, and you can choose the exam centre that you take it at.

All my certs were passed in this way.

Harry.

 

About a year has gone by. Has anyone trained with them? Did you get the £25k job?

James Thornton now call themselves the Microsoft Student Campus and come very close to calling themselves Microsoft on their website... www.microsoftcampus.com.

Microsoft's address in the UK is Microsoft Campus, Reading - isn't this a bit too close for comfort? They are now claiming that they will pay you to train with them - i.e. pay whilst you are in training!

 

Just looked at your comments and I agree but when I looked on microsoft's website on a general search (all areas) I came up with nothing how did you get on?