Job Discussion Forums

[YA PO]

does anyone know about the EBC english school? are they good? will their certificate be widely accepted in latin america and the world? is their job placement as good as they claim?

[amy1982]

ya po-

i will be taking the ebc course in buenos aires in july. the first bsas course is at the end of march, so no one has taken it in bsas yet, but it has been going on in spain for a while.

i did a bit of research before i chose ebc (looked at websites, googled articles, and emailed former students from several programs). while most students were generally positive about their programs, i consistently heard complaints about them being somewhat unprofessional and not very helpful in the job search. in contrast, the ebc students were quite pleased with their professionalism and help in finding jobs. not only giving out contacts, but in spending 10 hours of class time working on resumes and preparing for interviews. a few also mentioned that ebc continued to be helpful several YEARS after the students had completed the course.

so, keep in mind that this is all from what has been done in spain, but based on their responses, i chose ebc. when i wrote, i specifically asked what they thought were the weaker points of the program and tried to figure out whether or not those things would really bother me. the "complaints" i got about ebc were that it was intense - a lot of work. but all of the students said they were able to quickly find jobs and felt it was good preparation - they felt confident walking into a classroom. let me know if i can help more, but i highly recommend writing to the former students.

[justin andersen]

Let�s put it this way, I am a Madrid grad and I was happy with them. I agree with the comment about the endless job search help they give you . Of course you have to remember that you will be the one to interview so don�t forget that the Spanish employer or the Argentinian employer is looking for professional teachers, so act the part! No jeans or sneakers, suit preferably (at least for the first time!), ok they told us that at the EBC job workshops! I followed their advice (and I hated the suits!!!) but it seemed to work, got hours right away. Or maybe it�s my charm, ok just kidding.

I have stuck with the schools I started with but my roommates have changed schools and EBC was always ready to help. I also agree that the course can be intensive, so although youre in Madrid, Buenos Aires or any of these reknowned fun cities, EBC will make sure you work. I was a bit overwhlemed at times especially on the third week when you were being assessed but the teaching practice classes were superb, its really like the real thing. Suerte y hasta luego!

[tirant lo blanc]

I've also heard very good things about EBC and decided to take the July course. I already have a TESL certificate but the extra training sounds useful and the "guaranteed" job help in BA and Madrid makes it worth it for me.

[Jenny Thomas]

I am taking advantage of the job placement help they give, its lifetime so I will finish my Madrid classes in June and then I�m off to Buenos Aires. You see I was very happy with EBC�s help when I moved around. I changed schools because the pay wasn�t good for all the work I did and EBC was always there to send me more contacts, they even called the schools and gave me personal referrals. What happened was I was kinda unhappy with one of the schools I started with, so I called EBC and in a matter of hours, schools were calling me and I found out later on from the Director of Studies of my present language school that EBC (well the people there!) make phone calls to the Directors of Language schools when students asked for more help with job changes, more hours, more contacts, etc. So on top of the job placement help they give all their students, the "needy" ones like me (well at least only for a little while! ) get even extra help.

So I was really overwhelmed when I found out that the support they gave their students and alumni seemed endless! It�s always great to know that they were true to their word. At least for me they delivered what they promised. Good work guys, good luck with Buneos Aires, I�ll be dropping by in June or July!

jenny

[vivaBarca]

Hey guys,

Anyone who is reading this and is signed up for the EBC program (I believe it begins in late March), please do us all a favor and don't forget to let us know your impressions of the program after you finish it up! You could also let us know your impressions as it goes along, however and observations made so early on could be a bit pre-judgemental. Either way, you have a great opportunity here to help alot of people out (myself, and it seems like a host of other people are very interested to see what EBC has to offer), so please keep us posted! Thanks, and good luck in Buenos Aires.

-Adam

[Jenny Thomas]

Hey , are you doing a blow by blow account of EBC�s developments in Buenos Aires or Madrid? Madrid, I was extremely happy and as I am moving to Buenos Aires in the summer (Spain summer that is!), I�m all for their success over there!

Are you looking for TEFL programmes in Buenos Aires? Just search the internet you�ll find some to compare EBC with. EBC was real helpful, teachers, admin, so good luck EBC.



�Hasta pronto!

[Maria Kirby]

Hey Adam,

Give the guys a chance, also I wouldn�t call the others� opinions pre judgemental, after all they were all referring to EBC Madrid. You see I�m like Jenny in a sense, I�m a Madrid alumni and being able to enjoy the after course support is something nice to have since moving continents can be kinda unnerving!

Europe is similar to the States in so many things like ease in banking, shops, credit cards, consumer comforts! In South America I know its a totally different ball game, so its nice to get all the support when you decide to move cities.


maria

[amy1982]

also, a "blow by blow" could be helpful to get an idea of what it is like taking the course. once it's over, that's a different opinion altogether. i've been able to hear thoughts from people who have already taken the course in madrid, but none from those in buenos aires (for obvious reasons). all the madrid ones are useful (helped me decide on ebc in the first place!), but thoughts on the program in buenos aires would also be appreciated

i've heard that the course can be intense, which is understandable. but if anyone has some time, please let us know how it is going. good luck and have fun in buenos aires!!

[vivaBarca]

Maria,

I wasn't trying to devalue the opinions of any of the EBC participants by calling them pre-judgemental...I merely sought to convey the point that it may be difficult to gauge the true value of the program so early on, especially considering that it is supposedly rather "grueling." I think that any comments regarding the program, even from Madrid, only serve to benefit any potential enrollees. The more informed, the better...sorry for the confusion.

-Adam

[Maria Kirby]

Ok, i will let you know the news as I get them.

What I did though in preparation for my "Argentinian" adventure was to call them ( 4 or 5 hours behind Madrid!) and guess what? my teacher - John is there! The administration guy is Jim but there�s an Argentinian lady there as well, don�t know her. John and Jim were at the Madrid office when I was at the TEFL course. They�re both very nice and they do know their stuff. I did ask and I was told that the program in Buenos Aires is identical to the one in Madrid. Even the daily tasks to be done, identical. So that means you will also get that big, humongous manual ! Ask for Jim, he�s this British guy who coordinates the offices I guess. He�ll explain the whole program to you. So I guess if they are running the Buenos Aires program like Madrid then you�ll be fine. And yes I do understand where you�re coming from, when I was looking for a TEFL program, I did a lot of homework and lucky for me it paid off, I�ve been quite happy with EBC and I hope I like Buenos Aires as much as I am enjoying Madrid.

Been doing some South American research and there are lots of pluses for Buenos Aires over the other South American cities. PS. If you are a Spanish speaker and you learned your Spanish in Spain, �OJO! (careful!!) there are some words you don�t use in Argentina, ie: the famous "coger". But I guess all these peculiarities make learning a foreign language sooo interesting!

why viva barca, you�re one of the Barcelona football team�s avid fans???



Suerte y hasta luego,



maria

[vivaBarca]

Maria, thanks for the posting - it sounds like EBC Buenos Aires should be just as good as its counterpart in Madrid. It'll be interesting to see how their job placement success pans out! If it seems like people are getting jobs, then I think there is a very good chance that I will be doing EBC when I go to BA in september.

I studied in Barcelona a year ago, and I love Barca (the football team) as well as the city! That explains my name.

[shannon w]

I know of EBC from Madrid but the current class in Buenos Aires has already echoed Madrid - intensive but you learn. As a former student of EBC I get emails asking about Madrid, and now Buenos Aires. When asked about the good and bad points of EBC I can name the good ones as professional, serious about the students learning, real help in finding a job and the bad points, well, can be intensive and they make you work for that certificate. So I guess if you want to come out real prepared be ready to work for the 4 weeks you�re with EBC. As a whole they�re value for money and you will learn. As with any school you�re considering, ask for references, contact former students and do your homework.