 Poster: A snowHead
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Just come across this http://www.ski4cheap.com
Couldn't find any reference on a SH's search, wondered if any of you guys had heard of it ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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having a quick shufty on google, it looks to be a new venture that's grown out of a facebook group.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Looks like just another attempt to cash in on Google AdWords account holders.
Just blocked em from our Ad Words Acc, thanks for the heads up.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 1-09-09 16:56; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Just for fun I tried their ski lesson price calculator. It says "The average cost of a 4 hour lesson in France is €1785. Using Ski4Cheap will save you €1120.". Wow! I did not realise that ski lessons averaged over 400 euros per hour.
Further study shows that I asked for five lessons each of four hours, but the text it generates as the answer omits the bit about "five lessons".
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Wayne, you've just lit a little light up about some stuff I saw about adwords today, as to why it was of value, thank you! Do you have the content network? A long while back I was advised to steer well clear of it and have done ever since.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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http://www.google.com/adwords/contentnetwork/partners.html
There is nothing wrong with AdWords (work exceptionally well for us) but, as with all these things, there are always slimly little gits that will see this as a way to make a buck whilst doing sod all.
It's simple - just create a website and fill it with adwords adverts and get a kickback from google for each click.
Problem is that the vast majority of clicks from these "partners" produce no sales to the people paying the bills - the main site owners.
So we just block any site that hosts us and produces more then 1 click per week, as it's normally a scam.
There are exceptions, msn, yahoo, etc etc that are where people actually search if they want something.
There “may” be a very few sites that really do see the ads as an extra to the site’s main value, but these are very few and very far between. Most are just set up primarily to host ads and for that they need to produce a site that is the minimum the google will let em get away with
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Wayne, re-read my post and realized that I may have mislead you somewhat. I actively use adwords, to good effect driving traffic to our site that generally organic methods wouldn't produce, but have the content network turned off. I now suspect that the reason I was advised to turn it off is the reasons you give.
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Hmm
It seems to be a 'matching process' for free-lance instructors with clients which is a slightly dubious process if you ask me. I prefer to hear about instructors through personal recommendations from friends that I trust. Not being up to speed with the legalities but IIRC I thought you have to be associated with a school to teach in France. I know that 'unofficial' instruction does go on, but it's very much by word of mouth amongst the seasonaires, and I'm not convinced trying to formalise that process is a good idea.
There's no validation of qualifications or similar during the sign-up process for instructors, nor checks on insurance - see I managed to 'become an instructor' with about 3 mouse clicks - under the name 'micky mouse' http://www.ski4cheap.com/search.php?country=France&month=January&resort=Arc+1800
I'm not ESF's biggest fan (at all) but I'd much rather have friends / family taught by them than some random I'd found through that site. I dread to think of the legal ramifications if there was a snowbizz type accident during a lesson.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| bertie bassett wrote: |
| Not being up to speed with the legalities but IIRC I thought you have to be associated with a school to teach in France. |
You can teach as an independent in France if you are fully qualified. You can also coach a ski club that you are associated with, providing you don't recruit clients in resort and you're not teaching beginners.
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| bertie bassett wrote: |
| There's no validation of qualifications or similar during the sign-up process for instructors, nor checks on insurance - see I managed to 'become an instructor' with about 3 mouse clicks - under the name 'micky mouse' |
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| bertie bassett wrote: |
| Not being up to speed with the legalities but IIRC I thought you have to be associated with a school to teach in France. |
You can teach as an independent in France if you are fully qualified. You can also coach a ski club that you are associated with, providing you don't recruit clients in resort and you're not teaching beginners. |
there seem to be 8 x instructors advertising their wares for France, of which 2 have listed quals as CASI lev 1 and one with ASPI lev 1
Now I'm new to this instructing lark, but I wouldn't consider those to fully qualified ? Not to mention the ones without any quals listed.
rob@rar, 'fully qualified' in France - is this ISTD level with test technique or does it / can it vary?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| bertie bassett wrote: |
| Not being up to speed with the legalities but IIRC I thought you have to be associated with a school to teach in France. |
You can teach as an independent in France if you are fully qualified. You can also coach a ski club that you are associated with, providing you don't recruit clients in resort and you're not teaching beginners. |
I knew I would be put right - perhaps it's austria then..
Having wasted another 5 minutes on that site I noticed that there's no exchange of mobile numbers - i.e the client doesn't get the instructors number and vice versa - imagine trying to find the instructor in the blue jacket at the bottom of the main lift in any big resort during 1/2 term week.
The other bit that's pretty random is they way it lists resorts - Plagne Bellecote is listed as separate from Plagne Centre etc - but you'd imagine that an instructor freelancing in La Plagne would be more than happy to collect a client in Centre even if they were nominally based in Bellecote and vice versa.
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All looks a bit amateur.
I'm sure there are already sites that allow private instructors to promote themselves, but none so successful they immediately spring to mind.
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You know it makes sense.
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| masmith wrote: |
| rob@rar, 'fully qualified' in France - is this ISTD level with test technique or does it / can it vary? |
Yes, qualified with an ISTD level award (which would include the Eurotest not Test Technique).
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