Article from: http://www.argentinaindependent.com/reviews/thelearner/catch-the-lingo-is-catching-on-/
Too many options can be overwhelming. This applies whether you are standing in the supermarket staring at a wall of 13 different brands of dulce de leche, trying to decide which omnibus company will provide the least painless 20-hour journey, or searching for a Spanish school because your broken Castellano has been met with blank stares.
Enter catchthelingo.com, operated by a group of former travellers from Britain. This user-friendly website seems to be a deliverance from option-overload, at least when it comes to Spanish and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) courses, free and low-cost volunteering opportunities, and apartment rentals.
For instance, when I googled “Spanish schools in Argentina”, 623 results popped up, many of which are “properly shady”, according to Catch the Lingo creator Eamonn McMahon. Who can be bothered to sift through those?
Eamonn McMahon - Founder of Catch the Lingo
A few mouse clicks on catchthelingo.com quickly reassures me that spending hours trying to gauge which schools have the best prices and quality would be a silly endeavor; the site did the work already. They weeded out the most reputable schools and volunteering opportunities in Argentina and Chile (and are currently working on Bolivia, Peru, and Uruguay). A 10-15% secure booking deposit lets you book the Spanish and TEFL courses through the site as well, for the same price the schools would charge if you showed up at their doors. The site is straightforward and simple (even for my short attention span); best of all, it’s free.
McMahon says they ensure the quality and lowest price of schools by: only working with schools that have existed for at least a year, researching their histories, and personally visiting the schools. They have met the directors of 90% of the site’s schools. Since the website is a community model, the schools are charged a low commission to be hosted on it, which guarantees the best price for users.
“I guess you could sum it up by saying what we’re doing is making the market a little more efficient. Almost like the way 30 years ago your parents were buying flights from a travel agent and they’d pay some huge commission to that agent. Now if you buy a flight, you can go to a booking engine and you get so many more choices and information. It’s just an all-around better system,” McMahon says.
Whether you are considering booking or have already done so, there is also an online community for researching your options and finding support from people willing to share their knowledge and experiences. McMahon is quick to point out that catchthelingo.com is “not just a booking engine. We are trying to create a kind of community.” The site launched in March, so the community section is still in its early stage because “it takes a bit of time to get enough momentum for people to get really involved on the community side. And we are getting there.”
By the end of 2010, the site is aiming to cover all of Latin America, right up to Mexico. So watch this site and watch those World Cup games also; if a Spanish-speaking Latin American country wins it, all booking deposits for courses will be completely refunded for some lucky bookers. You might still be staring at that long list of omnibus companies, but this website stands a good chance of making life in South America at least somewhat less confusing.
For more information, visit www.catchthelingo.com.
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