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What is the Education Specialist Program?
This is an online course where you can learn to teach others how to use eBay. American Research Institute administers this program through its PowerU web site in association with eBay. You will initially learn how to teach “The Basics of Selling on eBay” and have access to student materials and curriculum for your own classes. You will also be able to use the Education Specialist logo in accordance with the user agreement. As new courses are added to the Program (such as the "Basics of Buying" course, the “Beyond the Basics of Selling” course) you will have the opportunity to participate in those as well once certain criteria are met. The program does not entitle you to represent yourself as an eBay employee or as being otherwise employed by nor affiliated with eBay.
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What is Power U and who is American Research Institute (ARI)? Is it safe to give them my credit card to pay for the course?
PowerU is owned and operated by American Research Institute (ARI). It is a source for expert training assistance for Education Specialists. ARI is a leading provider of education and training services. ARI has been chosen exclusively by eBay to delivery the Education Specialist course because of their experience in this field. PayPal, an eBay company, provides the payment interface for the course, so rest assured that your personal information is secure and private. Find out more by reading PayPal’s Privacy Policy and ARI’s Privacy Policy.
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How do I qualify to become an Education Specialist Trained by eBay to teach "The Basics of Selling on eBay" or other courses?
To become an Education Specialist, you must be an eBay Member in good standing, have good knowledge of how to sell on eBay and, ideally, have taught others to use the eBay site successfully. eBay memberships must reflect 5 or more positive feedbacks for items sold within the 90 days prior to registration and an eBay Feedback rating of 98% or higher to join the Education Specialist Program and “The Basics of Selling on eBay” Course. Additional qualifications may apply to teach more advanced courses.
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I live outside of Australia, Canada, the UK, Ireland, the USA, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Can I become an Education Specialist?
We currently only offer the program to those who are residents of Australia, Canada, the UK, Ireland, the USA, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines but we do have plans to expand the program to other countries in the future. To retain eligibility, one must maintain continued residence in the approved country for the duration of subscription to the Education Specialist Program and the eligible Course(s). Individuals discovered to be participating in a specific country's program for which they are not a resident will be immediately removed from the Program with no refund.
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I’m already teaching about eBay. Why should I join the Education Specialist Program?
Some of the benefits of taking this course, in addition to using approved eBay materials are:
- Advertise your training events in the Education Specialist's directory accessible from the eBay site so people can find your programs.
- Take the course at your leisure from your own computer.
- Watch the experts and learn tried-and-true methods.
- Order eBay-approved student-training materials — developed for and used by eBay Academy.
- Add the "Education Specialist trained by eBay" logo to your own training web site or business cards.
- Increase your credibility and stay up-to-date on the latest eBay features.
- Receive ongoing support from training experts.
- Chat with other Education Specialist instructors.
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How much does it cost and what do I get for the fee?
The registration fee to become an Education Specialist and teach “The Basics of Selling on eBay” curriculum is $199AUD (less any promotional discounts if applicable) for the first year. To remain an active Education Specialist and continue to teach “The Basics of Selling on eBay” curriculum, the annual renewal fee is currently $79AUD per year (which is charged 12 months from date of original Program/Course payment.) Prices subject to change without notice. For this fee you will get access to the online course, instructor manual, access to purchase student materials, approved logos for advertising your courses, access to the Education Specialist Directory - where you may list your class information, ongoing support from other Education Specialists and American Research Institute — a leader in training. There are additional registration and renewal fees (as well as potential minimum requirements) to be able to teach additional courses. Currently, there is a registration fee of $69.00 AUD and a renewal fee of $39.00 AUD to add "The Basics of Buying on eBay”; there is a registration fee of $175.00 AUD and a renewal fee of $39.00 AUD to add “Beyond the Basics of Selling on eBay.”
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How do I sign up for the Education Specialist Program?
To start your registration process to join the Education Specialist Program, simply choose the “Sign Up Now” link at the top of this page and enter the appropriate information. You will then be taken to our eCommerce System for Program payment. Once your registration has been approved and your payment received, you’ll be sent “The Basics of Selling on eBay” Welcome Kit (contains: Instructor Manual, Student Manual and Combo CD that features Jim Griffith’s “The Basics” Presentation and a PowerPoint Slideshow to be used in your trainings) and instructions that will guide you through the online course. As new curriculum is introduced to the Program, registration forms and directions will be available through the Instructor Portal.
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How do I contact Customer Support?
Please email espaussupport@poweru.net and a member of the Customer Service Team will be happy to contact you within one business day.
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What happens when I complete the online course and exam for "The Basics of Selling on eBay" course
Once you complete the exam with a score of 80% or higher, you will be given access to all areas of the Education Specialist Instructor Portal site, where you can order “The Basics of Selling on eBay” Student Materials, download the Education Specialist logo, enter your classes in the class directory, get updates to the curriculum, purchase merchandise featuring the Education Specialist logo and chat with other instructors.
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What curriculum do I get to teach?
Initially, you will learn to teach “The Basics of Selling on eBay.” This is the curriculum that was developed by eBay to teach “The Basics” at eBay University. Once you have passed the exam for “The Basics of Selling on eBay” curriculum, you may be eligible to participate in additional offerings. Qualifying for and passing the course “The Basics of Selling on eBay” is a pre-requisite to teach any other course offered by this program. Additional curriculum currently available in the Australia Education Specialist Program include: "Basics of Buying" and "Beyond the Basics."
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Can I teach my own curriculum while calling myself an Education Specialist?
The designation and the logo of “Education Specialist trained by eBay” can only be used when offering the approved curriculum. You may not use this designation to teach courses that you developed on your own.
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Can I post events on the Directory for non-approved curriculum?
No, all events listed in the Directory can only be for approved curriculum (currently, “The Basics of Selling on eBay” - "The Basics of Buying on eBay" and "Beyond the Basics of Selling on eBay").
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Will I get the same materials that they use at eBay Academy?
Yes, the materials you will get are the same materials that were developed for use at eBay Academy.
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Do I have to use the instructional materials provided by eBay? Can I change the materials to suit my needs?
In order to use the Education Specialist designation, you must use the instructional materials provided. You may customize the materials to fit the format of your class; however, you may not change any of the content. For more details, please refer to the Program User Agreement.
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Why do you charge an annual fee?
This is a subscription-based program to ensure the integrity and credibility of the Education Specialist instructors. In exchange for the annual fee (due 12 months from date of original Program/Course payment), ARI will monitor student feedback, provide ongoing access to the Education Specialist directory and discussion board and ensure that you are getting access to up-to-date information about eBay products and features.
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What if I decide not to renew after one year?
In the event that you wish not to renew, we will assume you will no longer be teaching under the Education Specialist name. You will be removed from the directory and denied access to member-only areas of the Education Specialist site. However, you can always rejoin the Program or Course by re-taking your original involvements steps of qualifying, registering, payment and online training/examination.
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Can I teach the courses online?
As long as courses are presented in a real-time online setting (using chat, video, etc) to ensure student/teacher interaction, than online presentation of approved curriculum is permitted. This policy is currently only supported and approved for the Australia Education Specialist Program.
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Can I use the Education Specialist Logo when I’m teaching curriculum that I created?
No. The Logo may only be used when teaching or marketing the approved program curriculum.
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Are there specific guidelines on using the Education Specialist logo?
Yes, guidelines and restrictions of logo use are provided in Section 1 of the Program User Agreement. A portion of the Agreement reads, “When You become a Qualified User, You may use the Program Logo in the form provided by ARI and eBay for approved purposes in accordance with certain restrictions and guidelines.”
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Can I use the Education Specialist logo and designation for my entire company/organisation?
The Education Specialist trained by eBay is a designation for the individual only, not the company. A company may advertise that it offers training given by an Education Specialist trained by eBay, but all such deliveries need to be made by someone who has gone through the process of becoming an Education Specialist. So if two or more people from the company will be delivering the Education Specialist courses, each must become an Education Specialist individually.
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Can I make my own Education Specialist logo items?
The only locations that Education Specialist trained by eBay are permitted to use the logo are on business card, printed flyers and websites. Guidelines can be viewed on the PowerU site and on eBay.com.
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For how long can I use the title “Education Specialist trained by eBay” and what are the criteria to stay in the program?
You may use this title as long as you are a member in good standing in the program, maintain an eBay Feedback rating of 98% or higher, continue to pay the yearly renewal fee and meet the minimum Instructor Rating. While You are not required to actually conduct courses, You are required to encourage students to leave feedback on the evaluation site. Of these evaluations, You must maintain an overall seventy-five percent (75%) positive Instructor Rating to maintain the status as Education Specialist.
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I’ve never taught formally. How do I get started teaching in my community?
The best way to start teaching is to start small. Perhaps start at your local Public Library and offer a course there. Senior or Community Centres are another good option. After you gain more experience, you can inquire at local community colleges and continuing education facilities.
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Do I have to teach in a traditional classroom in order to become an Education Specialist?
No. You may take the course and teach others in an informal setting or even one-on-one.
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Do you provide me with students?
Although eBay or PowerU will not provide you with students, we will refer any inquiries from classroom facilities to the Education Specialist web site, where you will list your courses in our Directory. In addition, you will have access to advertising and press release templates created by eBay to customize so you can promote yourself in your community.
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Can I charge students to take my class and if so, how much?
eBay and PowerU do not dictate how much an Instructor can charge for the class. We ask that instructors keep in mind when setting course fees that the "Basics of Selling" and "Beyond the Basics" courses are designed to be a 4-6 hour hands-on course and the "Basics of Buying" course is designed to be a 2-3 hour course. We recommend that you look at existing trainings that are happening on the online Directory (http://www.espaustralia.com/ebay/directory) to get a sense of what other instructors are charging.
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How can people find my class? How can I add my name to the referral service?
Once you become an Education Specialist you will have access to the Education Specialist directory to add all the information about your upcoming events, seminars and classes. eBay will provide a link on their website to the directory.
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Will I be able to talk with other training specialists?
Yes, after you complete the course, you will be given a link to the Education Specialist’s only discussion board on eBay.com. This link will appear on your Instructor Portal’s navigation system. You must be a registered eBay User to become an Education Specialist and thus use the eBay Discussion Boards.
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Will eBay limit the number of Education Specialists?
In keeping with the eBay policy of maintaining a level playing field, we’ll not limit the number of Education Specialists. It will be up to each instructor to appropriately differentiate themselves from others that offer the training.
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What kind of Student Materials can I get and how much do they cost?
Student Materials are available for all courses and can be ordered through the program website. You can download some documents in .pdf format and make a limited number of copies for your students or you can order individual Student Manuals. The Student Manuals are the same as the pdfs, but nicely bound and professionally printed. Each "Basics of Selling" Student manual costs $26.00 AUD (plus Shipping – rate subject to change). The current cost for "Basics of Buying on eBay" Student Manual is currently $24.50 AUD plus shipping. The current cost for "Beyond the Basics of Selling on eBay" Student Manual is currently $27.25 AUD plus shipping. Pricing may vary for the various courses made available to those involved in the Education Specialist Program. If you are teaching at a college or continuing education facility, check with the administrator to see if the cost of materials can be passed on to the students. The free Student Materials are not intended for print production via retail copy/print centers, but rather to enable a limited supply (1-5 copies) obtained from a home/office printer and/or photocopy machine. You may not charge students for these free manuals. Due to this intent, this Agreement does not grant permission of mass reproduction of student materials from local retail copy/print centers.
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What sorts of evaluations are completed after my training events?
You must receive feedback from your students by having them fill out an online evaluation form. You can locate the link to the evaluation form (with instructions) on the Instructor Portal. You can also retrieve the results of their evaluations at this location as well. After a class, you also need to provide feedback to PowerU. You should complete the Post-Event Report to provide us with information on actual attendance and other comments about your training event. This too can be found on your Instructor Portal.
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