Job Discussion Forums

[Reviewdude]

we are finalizing the site and have begun to receive reviews of programs.
are there any programs which we are missing please?
your input is really welcome.
thanks guys!
MOD EDIT

[AGoodStory]

Do you really want suggestions? Okay, here goes:

1. My first response is to be skeptical of the site's credibility because of the content of the "Course Description" block. With few exceptions--Costa Rica TEFL provides a course description of sorts--the entries are advertisements, NOT course descriptions. "Join the 5,000 graduates of xxxxx school, and begin your exciting adventure teaching English abroad." I could tolerate a blurb from the provider, but don't call it a course description. This immediately establishes a lack of credibility.

2. DO provide a short, accurate course description: length of course, number of contact hours, supervised teaching practice, location, cost, etc.

3. The review format would be more helpful if there were a structured component in addition to the reviewer's comments. Request info about such things as: the number of trainees in the class, the number of trainers, the state of the facilities (including internet, computers, printer, copier, etc.) Did the school help with housing? Assist with a job search? What did the reviewer like about the course? And what were the negatives? "How could the course be improved?" might elicit useful information.

4. In my experience you will eliminate a number of potential reviewers by requiring their phone numbers, even though unpublished.

5. I would find the format more useful if the listings were divided into two sections--one for providers of 120-hour face-to-face courses with 6 hours or more of supervised teaching practice of ESL/EFL students. Everyone else--on-line, weekend and other short courses, etc.--could be listed in a separate area, at least until you have enough listings that it might make sense to catetgorize them.

As with all good ideas, success is in the details!

[Reviewdude]

those are really good points and thank you so much for your feedback.
we have taken note and will wait and see if there are any other responses.
THANK YOU!

[spiral78]

To add just a bit to AGS's useful post:

point 3: you might also request information regarding the experience level of the trainers - or head trainer at least. There are a few dodgy courses around with newbies (very recent course grads) functioning as (less expensive) trainers.

[Justin Trullinger]

Didn't you post about this same website a while back?

It looks good visually, and I hope it will grow to provide a valuable resource.

At the moment, still not much info there.

I'd like to know what "verified" means. It seems that you've listed all the courses you could come up with, emailed them, and "verified" those who responded? That's just a guess- your website doesn't really say. I worry that unwary unworldly newbies may think that "verified" equals "researched and found to be in some way...whatever."

As a sometime adminstrator of TESOL courses, I should also explain one reason that some schools may NOT have responded. Most administrators receive daily "advertise your course here" emails. Most of those present themselves as free, impartial places where people can go for TESOL info...and most of them, if you investigate, turn out to be dodgy, for-profit, and of questionable value. Many of us, after a few abortive and frustrating attempts have got in the habit of deleting without a glance. (And even with a glance, many would not respond to yours, because the "verification" appears to offer a random, ill-defined sort of "endorsement" to some rather dodgy courses.)

I appreciate your offering a place for these to be reviewed by graduates. I think that can be really useful.

But by "verifying" courses, without mentioning what that might mean, I worry that you're sending an unclear message.

Best,
Justin

PS- If you'd like to add information for the SIT TESOL course, would you drop me an email? [email protected] (I'm not a graduate- I'm a trainer, was an administrator at the Ecuador center for a number of years.)

[Reviewdude]

Thanks ever so much for the feedback
Especially a THANK YOU to the regulars who added their valuable assessment of the site
The site has been partially updated to reflect your given feedback
Justin will email you of course.
Yes we will also be updating the verified feature.
Any other feedback at all?
THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE

[markcmc]

The site is much too small at the moment, but could develop into something very useful later. How will you deal with negative comments, rants etc?

[Reviewdude]

Nice feedback.
Thanks!
With regards to rants and negative comments if they are from actual students then they will be published without editing.
People need to know the good and the bad.

[Reviewdude]

Sent you that email Justin.
Sorry for delay but been busy wild these past few weeks.
Thanks all EVER SO MUCH for any constructive feedback on the site!