UK DevOps & AWS Career Accelerator Programme
Job Placement Guarantee - Terms & Conditions
Last Updated: 27 December 2025
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction & Programme Overview
- 2. Programme Structure
- 3. Tier 1: Mandatory Core Requirements
- 4. Tier 2: Mandatory Portfolio Requirements
- 5. International Student Guarantee Terms
- 6. UK Resident Guarantee Terms
- 7. Payment Terms
- 8. Professional Conduct Standards
- 9. Support Services Included
- 10. Compliance Tracking & Reporting
- 11. Warnings & Disqualification
- 12. Dispute Resolution
- 13. General Terms & Conditions
- 14. UK Legal Compliance
- 15. Acceptance & Acknowledgment
CRITICAL NOTICE
This is a CONDITIONAL guarantee, not an absolute employment guarantee. You must meet ALL requirements listed in both Tier 1 (Core) and Tier 2 (Portfolio) to qualify for any refund consideration.
- • Missing ANY single Tier 1 requirement = immediate permanent disqualification
- • Missing ANY single Tier 2 requirement = immediate permanent disqualification
- • Declining ANY suitable job offer = immediate permanent disqualification
- • Payment default (2 missed payments) = guarantee void, balance due immediately
- • All requirements are objectively verifiable and disclosed upfront
1. Introduction & Programme Overview
1.1 Programme Description
The UK DevOps & AWS Career Accelerator Programme ("the Programme") is a comprehensive 10-month technical training and career development programme designed to help career changers enter the DevOps engineering profession. The Programme combines intensive AWS certification training with practical DevOps skills, portfolio development, and structured job placement support.
1.2 Who This Programme Is For
This Programme is designed for motivated individuals who:
- Are seeking to transition into a DevOps engineering career
- Can commit to intensive study and professional development requirements
- Are prepared to meet strict attendance, certification, and application requirements
- Understand this is a performance-based conditional guarantee, not a guaranteed job placement
1.3 Programme Duration & Investment
| Component | International Students | UK Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Total Duration | 10 months | 10 months |
| Training Phase | 4 months | 4 months |
| Job Placement Phase | 6 months | 6 months |
| Programme Fee | £3,995 | £3,495 |
| Potential Refund | £2,595 (65%) | £2,095 (60%) |
| Non-Refundable Components | £1,400 | £1,400 |
2. Programme Structure
2.1 Phase 1: Training (Months 1-4)
Training Components:
- •Instructor-Led Training: 128 hours of weekend intensive OR 96 hours weekday evening sessions covering AWS services, DevOps tools (Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, Git), CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code (IaC), monitoring, and security best practices.
- •AWS Certifications: Structured preparation and examination for:
- - AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)
- - AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (SAA-C03)
- - AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional (DOP-C02)
- •Hands-On Labs: Access to AWS sandbox environments and guided practical exercises
- •Capstone Project: Comprehensive DevOps project demonstrating IaC, containerization, CI/CD, monitoring, and security implementation (minimum 75% score required)
2.2 Phase 2: Job Placement Support (Months 5-10)
Career Support Components:
- •CV & Resume Optimization: Professional rewrite of your CV tailored to DevOps roles
- •LinkedIn Profile Enhancement: Complete profile optimization for recruiter visibility
- •Interview Preparation: Mock interviews, common technical questions, behavioral interview coaching
- •Bi-Weekly Career Coaching: 30-minute calls with dedicated career coach to review applications, strategize, and maintain accountability
- •Job Board Access: Curated DevOps job listings updated weekly
- •Employer Introductions: Direct introductions to hiring partners when available (not guaranteed)
3. Tier 1: Mandatory Core Requirements
⚠️ ALL 6 Tier 1 requirements must be met. Failure to meet ANY SINGLE requirement results in immediate permanent disqualification from the job placement guarantee.
3.1 AWS Certification Requirement
Requirement: Pass all three (3) AWS certifications within the 4-month training phase with only ONE (1) total resit allowed across all three exams combined.
| Certification | Exam Code | Target Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Cloud Practitioner | CLF-C02 | Month 1 |
| AWS Solutions Architect - Associate | SAA-C03 | Month 2-3 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer - Professional | DOP-C02 | Month 4 |
Critical: You are allowed only ONE resit total across all three certifications. For example:
• If you fail Cloud Practitioner once and pass on the second attempt, you have ZERO resits remaining
• If you then fail Solutions Architect, you are immediately disqualified (no resit available)
3.2 Attendance Requirement
Requirement: Maintain minimum 85% attendance across all 32 training sessions over 16 weeks. Maximum of 5 absences permitted.
- • Attendance is tracked via biometric sign-in or video call confirmation
- • Late arrival (>15 minutes) counts as 0.5 absence
- • Early departure (>15 minutes early) counts as 0.5 absence
- • Medical emergencies require documentation within 48 hours to avoid counting as absence
- • No excused absences beyond documented medical emergencies
3.3 Capstone Project Requirement
Requirement: Score minimum 75% on comprehensive DevOps capstone project submitted at end of Month 4.
Project Components (graded equally):
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) - 20%
- Containerization (Docker, Docker Compose) - 20%
- Container Orchestration (Kubernetes) - 20%
- CI/CD Pipeline (Jenkins/GitHub Actions) - 20%
- Monitoring & Logging (CloudWatch/Prometheus/Grafana) - 20%
Note: One resubmission allowed if score is 65-74%. Scores below 65% result in immediate disqualification. Resubmission deadline: 14 days after initial feedback.
3.4 Job Application Requirement
International Students: 10 qualified applications per week for 26 weeks (260 total minimum)
UK Residents: 8 qualified applications per week for 26 weeks (208 total minimum)
Critical: Missing the weekly minimum in ANY 2 weeks (cumulative, not consecutive) = immediate disqualification
3.5 Career Coaching Call Requirement
Attend bi-weekly 30-minute career coaching calls (13 total over 6 months). Maximum 2 missed calls permitted. Rescheduling allowed with 24-hour notice.
3.6 Communication Responsiveness Requirement
Respond to all programme communications (email, portal messages, texts) within 48 hours. Maximum 2 late responses permitted over entire 10-month period.
4. Tier 2: Mandatory Portfolio Requirements
⚠️ ALL 4 Tier 2 requirements must be completed. This has changed from previous "3 of 4" policy.
Failure to complete ANY SINGLE Tier 2 activity results in immediate permanent disqualification from the guarantee.
4.1 GitHub Contribution Requirement
Requirement: Minimum 2 substantive GitHub contributions per week for at least 20 weeks (40+ total commits).
Qualifying Contributions:
- • Code commits to personal or open-source projects
- • Pull requests (merged or substantive)
- • Repository creation with meaningful code (>100 lines)
- • Documentation contributions (>500 words)
Not Qualifying: Trivial commits (typo fixes, whitespace changes), automated commits, or commits to forked repos without original work.
4.2 LinkedIn Networking Requirement
Requirement: Add minimum 5 relevant professional connections per week for at least 20 weeks (100+ total connections).
Qualifying Connections:
- • DevOps engineers, cloud architects, SREs, platform engineers
- • Recruiters specializing in tech/DevOps roles
- • Hiring managers at tech companies
- • Alumni from bootcamps or training programmes
4.3 Monthly Technical Projects Requirement
Requirement: Complete 5 out of 6 assigned monthly technical projects during the job placement phase (Months 5-10). Maximum 1 failed project and maximum 3 late submissions permitted.
Each project focuses on a specific DevOps domain (e.g., Kubernetes deployment, Terraform infrastructure, CI/CD pipeline, monitoring setup) and must achieve minimum 70% score. Late = submitted after deadline but within 7 days grace period.
4.4 Technical Events Attendance Requirement
Requirement: Attend minimum 6 DevOps/Cloud/Tech events during the 6-month job placement phase with 200-word reflection submitted within 7 days of each event.
Qualifying Events:
- • AWS User Group meetups (in-person or virtual)
- • DevOps/Cloud conferences (e.g., KubeCon, AWS Summit)
- • Tech meetups focused on DevOps tools/practices
- • Webinars from recognized cloud/DevOps vendors (minimum 60 minutes)
5. International Student Guarantee Terms
This section applies to students requiring UK work visa sponsorship.
5.1 Eligible Roles
Only roles eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship qualify. These include (but are not limited to):
- • SOC 2135: IT Business Analysts, Architects and Systems Designers
- • SOC 2136: Programmers and Software Development Professionals
- • SOC 2137: Web Design and Development Professionals
- • SOC 2139: Information Technology and Telecommunications Professionals n.e.c.
Typical job titles: DevOps Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Platform Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer (SRE), Infrastructure Engineer, Automation Engineer
5.2 "Suitable Offer" Definition - CRITICAL
⚠️ READ CAREFULLY: This clause is the most common reason for disqualification among international students.
A "Suitable Offer" is defined as ANY formal written job offer that meets the following criteria, REGARDLESS of whether the employer offers visa sponsorship:
- Job title and SOC code match eligible roles (Section 5.1)
- Salary is between £30,000 and £65,000 per annum
- Location is within the UK
- Offer is for a permanent or fixed-term position (minimum 12 months)
Example Scenarios:
Scenario 1: You receive an offer for £35k/year as a DevOps Engineer in London. The employer states they do not sponsor visas. This IS still a "Suitable Offer." Declining it = immediate disqualification.
Scenario 2: You receive an offer for £45k/year as a Cloud Engineer in Manchester with visa sponsorship. This IS a "Suitable Offer." Declining it = immediate disqualification.
Important: CertMySkill is a training provider, NOT an immigration consultancy. We do not guarantee visa sponsorship. We cannot control which employers offer sponsorship. If you decline a suitable offer for any reason (including lack of visa sponsorship), you are permanently disqualified from the guarantee.
5.3 Refund Amount & Timeline
| Programme Fee: | £3,995 |
| Non-Refundable Components: | £1,400 |
| Maximum Refund: | £2,595 (65%) |
| Refund Timeline: | 60-90 business days after claim approval |
Non-refundable components include: AWS exam vouchers (£500), lab access (£250), capstone project resources (£150), career services setup (£300), administrative costs (£200).
6. UK Resident Guarantee Terms
This section applies to UK citizens and those with unrestricted right to work in the UK.
6.1 Eligible Roles
UK residents have broader role eligibility. Qualifying roles include:
- • DevOps Engineer (all levels: Junior, Mid, Senior)
- • Cloud Engineer / Cloud Platform Engineer
- • Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
- • Infrastructure Engineer / Infrastructure Automation Engineer
- • Platform Engineer / Platform Reliability Engineer
- • Build & Release Engineer / Release Manager
- • Automation Engineer / Test Automation Engineer (DevOps-focused)
6.2 "Suitable Offer" Definition
A "Suitable Offer" for UK residents is defined as ANY formal written job offer meeting:
- Job title matches eligible roles (Section 6.1)
- Salary is between £25,000 and £65,000 per annum
- Location is anywhere within the UK (no distance restrictions)
- Offer is for permanent or fixed-term position (minimum 12 months)
Important: Declining ANY suitable offer for any reason (salary too low within range, location preference, company size, etc.) immediately disqualifies you from the guarantee. No exceptions.
6.3 Refund Amount & Timeline
| Programme Fee: | £3,495 |
| Non-Refundable Components: | £1,400 |
| Maximum Refund: | £2,095 (60%) |
| Refund Timeline: | 60-90 business days after claim approval |
7. Payment Terms
Three payment options available. Payment default (2 missed payments) voids guarantee and requires immediate balance payment. See full documentation for payment schedules.
8. Professional Conduct Standards
3-strike system for minor violations. Severe misconduct (harassment, plagiarism, exam fraud) results in immediate disqualification without refund.
9. Support Services Included
128 hours training, CV rewrite, LinkedIn optimization, interview prep, bi-weekly coaching, job board access, GitHub/LinkedIn resources, curated events calendar.
12. Dispute Resolution
Step 1: Informal Resolution
Discuss with career coach
Step 2: Formal Dispute
Email disputes@certmyskill.com - 21-day review period
Step 3: Senior Management Review
Escalation to senior leadership - 14-day response
Step 4: External ADR
Independent Alternative Dispute Resolution provider (free, non-binding recommendations)
Step 5: Small Claims Court
Always available as final option
14. UK Legal Compliance
Consumer Rights Act 2015
- • 14-day cooling-off period (full refund if cancelled within 14 days of enrolment, no questions asked)
- • Services must be performed with reasonable care and skill
- • All terms must be fair and transparent
UK GDPR Compliance
- • Right to access personal data (30-day response)
- • Right to rectification of inaccurate data
- • Right to erasure after programme completion (subject to legal retention requirements)
- • Data retention: 7 years for financial records, 3 years for academic records
Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
Liability Cap
CertMySkill's maximum liability to you under these Terms is limited to the refund amount (£2,595 for international students, £2,095 for UK residents). We exclude liability for any indirect, consequential, or punitive damages.
15. Acceptance & Acknowledgment
By enrolling in the UK DevOps & AWS Career Accelerator Programme, you acknowledge and agree that:
- You have read, understood, and agree to be bound by ALL terms and conditions outlined in this document
- You understand this is a CONDITIONAL guarantee requiring you to meet ALL Tier 1 AND Tier 2 requirements
- You understand that missing ANY SINGLE requirement results in permanent disqualification from the guarantee
- You understand that declining ANY suitable offer immediately disqualifies you from the guarantee
- You understand CertMySkill is a training provider, not an employment agency or immigration consultancy
- You understand professional employment requires sustained personal effort and commitment beyond the programme's support
- For international students: You understand CertMySkill does NOT guarantee visa sponsorship, and offers without sponsorship still count as "suitable offers"
Questions or Concerns?
If you have any questions about these Terms before enrolling, please contact us at:
- Email: info@certmyskill.com
- Phone: 0800 002 5621
- Live Chat: Available on our website Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm GMT
Questions? Contact our team