About IT-certification in Ukraine and Canada

I read a blog of one girl from Minsk (Belorussia) living in Vancouver (Canada), link to the blog. Marina works in a company specialized on Oracle products - databases and Java-applications.

Marina periodically mentions a good job offers from her company. I decided to assume job in their office an evacuation option in case my own business will give me unplanned vacation. At this moment I know nothing about Oracle databases or Java, so I looked for appropriate learning classes with a possibility to pass Oracle exams. I looked for them not only in Ukraine, but also in Canada, to check the difference in prices. I'd go into this classes in Canada, but the difference in price is significant. Moreover, IT certificates from Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco and others are international.

In Kiev you can finish the Oracle "SQL Fundamentals"course for $350. For example, here - "Praktikum". Schedule is the same like in Canada - 5 days per row. 5 days and you are half-way to Oracle Associate Certificate. In Canada you'll spend 2300CAD for the same course, and you can already pass the exam for Associate. In Kiev, you will need to pass one more course - "Administrating Oracle 11g, Part 1" - $350 more, 5 days, and the same 2300CAD for the same course in Vancouver. After these two courses you can pass Associate exam for $125 and get Oracle Certified Associate status, that doubles your chances to get a job offer.

After you finish the third "Administrating Oracle 11g, Part 2" and pass one more exam, you'll be an Oracle Certified Professional. You'll need 2-3 month in total, or even more, because of the courses schedule, but actually it will be 15 days and 2 more for exams. Plus 1300CAD. In Canada you will spend 5000CAD to get those certificates with finishing two courses, instead of three in Ukraine. You can add 2300CAD more for the third course to equalize the knowledge level.

I was wondering about the difference in learning rates, at first. Then I've checked Cisco and Microsoft certification rates. Situation was the same - low payability of students, low certificate weight in resume and lower trainers wage makes Ukraine very cheap to get international IT certificates.

Now I'm even thinking about forming russian-speaking students group from Vancouver and Toronto to get certification in Ukraine. We can offer the price about 3500CAD instead of 7000CAD in Canada for 3 courses including exams, tuition and habitation, and get about 1000CAD income from each student. Please send me the check if you'll use my idea.