To learn a new profession, it is not necessary to go somewhere now. High‑quality education can be obtained without leaving home, simply by using the services of an online school. But first you need to make sure that it is reliable. These are the signs that indicate that the school can be trusted.

1. Availability of an educational license

The license is a guarantee that the online school complies with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated September 18, 2020 No. 1490 "On licensing educational activities" meets the requirements of Rosobrnadzor and has the right to provide educational services. This document is required to have programs of primary, secondary, basic education, as well as additional professional training programs.

That's what the license says:

The online school has its own educational program that meets educational standards.
The staff of the school have sufficient qualifications to teach.
The educational institution is equipped with everything necessary for conducting classes. For online schools, this is computer equipment, and for others, it also has its own room, laboratory, desks, and so on.

The document is issued by several government agencies. Thus, Rosobrnadzor receives licenses to work in higher education programs, secondary education in the field of defense and security, as well as to work abroad. In other cases, it is issued by the executive authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation. For example, the Ministry of Education or the Department of Education of the region.

This document can usually be found on the school's website. You can also check its availability on the Rosobrnadzor website — in the registry Licensing of educational activities / Federal Service for Supervision of Education and Science licenses. If an online school does not have a license, it exists outside the legal field. Therefore, it is better to bypass this option or, at least, study the curriculum and reviews more closely.

2. Availability of accreditation

This criterion is important only for general education online schools ‑ that is, for those in which children master the school curriculum. Accreditation is not mandatory, but it proves Order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation No. 993 dated November 16, 2022 "On approval of the federal educational program of basic general education" that the content of educational programs has been verified and meets state standards.

Accredited online schools can independently conduct final tests and issue state‑issued certificates. That is, if you are looking for an educational institution for your child and are not ready to choose an additional place for annual tests, you need to choose exactly such a school.

You can check for accreditation on the website State accreditation / Federal Service for Supervision of Education and Science Rosobrnadzor.

3. Highly qualified teachers and experts

Even having a license does not guarantee that all teachers, teachers, or online school experts are qualified to teach other people. Therefore, it is important to independently assess its level according to the following criteria:

Availability of specialized education and academic degrees.
Teaching experience.
Certificates of professional development, participation in grants, scientific discoveries and publications.
Practical experience in the discipline.

It is not necessary to demand high performance from teachers on all points. You may not have much experience in teaching, but you can be an excellent professional practitioner. And a software developer does not have to participate in scientific grants. You need to evaluate the qualifications of teachers in general, understanding what benefits you can get from them.

Usually, the site contains minimal information about the experts or teachers of the course. For example, it may be written that this is the head of an IT company or a Skolkovo speaker. You can request additional information yourself. Or search for them on the Internet. There you can find scientific publications, information about participation in conferences, as well as follow your career path.

Another option is to find a teacher on social media. Experts often run expert blogs where they share useful information.

4. Transparency

An online school should provide comprehensive information about how the training will take place, what results and documents you will receive as a result. Full transparency helps to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts in the future.

The website of the educational platform should contain information about the following important points:

The training program. The online school should indicate which subjects and courses are offered, as well as describe their content, goals and expected results.
Rules for using the platform. The website should contain information about how and where the training will take place. You should also have access to educational materials and the opportunity to contact technical support.
The duration of the courses. This will help you plan your time and evaluate your learning commitments.
The cost of training and the form of payment. The school must clearly indicate the amount, including all possible additional costs or payments. Information about the available payment methods, its terms and conditions should also be freely available.
Money back policy. The terms and conditions within which you can return the funds should be clearly indicated if you do not like something during the training process.

5. Ease of learning

Each person has their own requirements for this moment, but we will focus on the most important ones:

Flexibility and accessibility — the ability to choose the place and time of classes. If you have a busy schedule and the training takes place at certain hours, it will be difficult to adjust.
Intuitive and intuitive interface of the learning platform — you should easily find lessons and useful materials. And also quickly figure out where and how to send homework and where to monitor your progress.
The ability to communicate with teachers at any time is good if you can always request help or ask a question, and they will respond promptly. If communication is delayed, then the pace of learning decreases.
A variety of learning formats — texts, videos, audio, live lessons and guides. We perceive information in different ways: someone likes to listen, and someone likes to read. And the more options the school offers, the easier it will be for you to study.

6. Good feedback from graduates

Reviews can be attributed to indirect signs that allow you to evaluate the quality of learning on an online platform. But only if they are reliable. We advise you to pay attention exclusively to those that contain details and specifics. The phrase "Great learning, I liked everything" does not create a complete picture of education. And it's also easy to fake such a message.

In addition to the reviews on the site, we recommend that you search for them on special platforms on the Internet. For example, Otzovik or Profi.ru . There, each user has a reputation rating, which shows whether this person's opinion can be trusted. And it's much more difficult to fake it.