Escape the City Reviews 

We recently posted a job with Escape for my startup.

The customer service was second to none. I had a few questions but they immediately answered them. We got a really good selection of applications. Not hundreds but more than enough and we hired someone who has been geneuinly game changing. The people in their network really are really interesting people that you wouldn't find on linkedin.

The product is good, and I have used multiple times. However, I have been waiting for a response from Customer Service for over a week regarding a payment query. We are hoping to set up a great partnership, but the lack of communication from the team and willingness to resolve challenges quickly is a concern.

I completed the Career Change Accelerator in April 2019. I had been aware of the programmes that they run for a couple of years and finally decided to go for one - and I regret waiting so long. It's difficult to give much more insight beyond what a lot of others have enthusiastically described in previous reviews. From my perspective, what you get is an experience that equips you with the tools - and most importantly the mindset - to start exploring the types of opportunities that could be more meaningful to you. From the course facilitators and all my fellow course attendees, I felt a level of support I have never experienced anywhere before. Attending an Escape Programme is just the first step. The cohort I completed the course with continue to support each other and keep us all accountable. Escape the City is an amazing experience and a great community. If you are not sure what you want next from your career, then join it.

I completed the Career Change Accelerator in December 2019. What can I say? It was the best decision I ever made for my personal development and growth. The course structure was excellent and gave me a solid framework to ask all the right questions of myself and figure out a direction that matters to me. One of the best parts of the course was all the support from likeminded people and one on one support from the course co-ordinators. I'm so happy with all the new friends I've made and I've come away with a much needed mindset shift and a new way of life. It was worth every penny!

The ESC school is a great first step you should take if you're serious about becoming an entrepreneur. The course teaches you all the steps required to create a new business in a lean way. You will be assigned to a Get Sh!t Done group of 6 people which is a fantastic way to keep each other accountable and helps with brainstorming early issues you may come across in your startup.
Overall I really enjoyed my experience and the teachers we had in Autumn 2019 were very professional with plenty of their own business experience. This meant we were guided by people who know exactly what they talk about.

I completed the start up accelerator program and I found that not only did I have new like minded friends, more information and a plan of action but I also found that I had changed. My confidence levels have soared!

Throughout the program you’ll go through ups and downs, and that’s all normal. But you’ll leave with the knowledge of a beautiful process that lets you test and build new concepts, so that if they are doomed to fail, you fail quickly without loosing both money and time.

The support you get is fantastic, just do it. You have nothing to loose but everything to gain.

I just finished the program and all I can say is that it was worth it. I learned a ton about myself, gathered the framework to think about how to change, figured out where I wanted to go and got all the support I needed to go for it!

I did the course in Feb-April 2019 and it was a profound experience of unfolding and evolving who I am, what I do and how I see the world. It’s been fun, entertaining, thought provoking, challenging, and practical, all with a great bunch of people who have come to be a community I trust, enjoy, respect and value. And I have learned nothing is finished. It's all about experimenting, learning and iterating.

Be ready to give it lots and it will give lots back. Be ready to enjoy meeting people, having laughs and being uncomfortable in that challenging but managable space where you grow. There is a lot of learning and growth in 10 weeks. It’s surprising how close the tribe becomes along the way, in a good way. And there's a great team supporting you as and when you need.

Before I started the programme I felt incredibly stuck. I couldn't see my skills and attributes beyond the career/job box I thought I was in and I didn't feel that anyone else would and therefore I was not sellable outside of that realm. Not only did I realise that wasn't the case, I regained confidence and reignited my passion, drive and self -motivation for my career beyond my job. I connected with a community of like-minded people and learnt so much from the course leaders and my fellow course mates. It has been a truly amazing experience.

I am so glad I stumbled across the career change accelerator. It was not just about changing your career it is about changing the way you think and approach work and life so you can be open to a wider range of opportunities that you may not have even recognised before - extremely powerful stuff!

I'm so glad I made the decision to do the course. It takes the fear out of starting a business gives you all the tools you need to get going. I loved it! The instructors were amazing and you build a fantastic support network going forward.

Liberating, exciting, encouraging and sensible.

I was prevented from making hundreds - maybe thousands of pounds worth of wrong decisions/mistakes after maybe even the first 2 weeks. I was then further encouraged to embark on my journey but in the right direction. De-risking in a fun way is incredibly liberating, but hard, so it was vital that I was introduced to this next step of how to actually start a business safely. It was so much better than I ever expected, and the people on these courses are like-minded so don't worry about your background, or anyone else's. Since you all have the shared goal of seeing each other develop its super encouraging to attend every week.

I did the CCA spring 2019 course - not so much because I wanted to 'escape' as such but more to help me make the most of the opportunities I have at work, in life and to pursue my interests in a more effective way than I have been. For me it has been a life-changing experience that is much more than about careers. I would describe it as a life/career bootcamp. It's really not just for those looking to 'escape' - it's for anyone who wants to make more conscious decisions about their lives, careers and what they want to achieve in life. Things I'm doing as a result of the course include starting a campaign on wrapping paper waste and a project to find flexible resourcing at work.

And it would have been impossible for me to meet all the wonderful people I've met on the course and the community I am now part of.

It's a brilliant interval in any professional's life, a rare chance to reassess what your values are, and how your life and work support those values. From there it's a incredibly practical process of helping you identify and go after opportunities that will nurture you. And giving you the tools and skills to land those opportunities, or pursue your ideas

Very 21st century, fresh modern and relevant. I'd say to do it for the learning opportunities and building a network irrespective if you actually end up starting a business at the end of it or not. Helped to eradicate/manage some of the preconceived beliefs I had about starting a business. Brilliant content and a great team - felt I've learned more in 10 weeks than the last 2 years. The push to actually go and do it, not just discuss the concept.

I took part in the Career Change Accelerator in the spring of 2019 and would thoroughly recommend it. The course provides such fundamental insight, understanding and action that it's much more about personal development than a 'job'. So many elements are relevant to who you are as a person that it feels like a very good - and in fact, essential - investment. It's part group therapy, part self awareness development, part confidence improver, part future-world training and part kick up the bum call to action! It's also a very open, patient, inspiring process that provides empathy, support, confidence and practical assistance in dealing with some fairly big questions about what makes you happy, and how to do more of it.

Escape is more than just a course you go on, it's a community of like minded kindred spirits. I had the idea on my mind of wanting to branch off in my own for a long time, the beauty of Escape is that they have really given me the confidence to just do it and get things done.

The contacts I have made at Escape, thanks to the sense of community, have been invaluable . The one to one appointments with all three course leaders I found incredibly helpful.

Escape and the escapee community really does put my faith in humanity. That sense of accountability, community, friendship, hard work but also fun. Meeting and working with like minded people. At first I thought it was a little pricey as I hadn’t budgeted or even planned it. But it has been so worth it and a real help for me financially to be able to pay in instalments. The slides, the tools, the material, the knowledge, the community. As scary as it is, it feels like the beginning and not the end! Life changing - go for it!

I cannot recommend this course highly enough. The organisers are a fantastically well-prepared and inspiring group of people, who understand the incredible power of having a community to accelerate change in your life. I learned so much on this course, not only about career change, but also about myself, and the power of working honestly and openly with others. The price put me off initially, but I now have a a community and an incredible toolset for the rest of my life. priceless :)

The ESC community is full of very different yet like-minded people who want to do work that aligns to their goals, values and sense of purpose. This course, for me, was probably the best investment that I have ever made - And I actually had fun during the process which can rarely be said for any formal course, degree or qualification you undertake. This is more than a Career Change Programme - this is a course on how you can navigate the changing landscape of LIFE.

I have come away with a clear methodology of how to continually reinvent myself both personally and professionally towards a life which I care about and one which aligns to my values. The course is designed to uncover what you truly care about which you experiment through action based project learning - both experience and conversations. The best part of the course is being able to share experiences and relate to others on their journeys all of whom are undergoing their own challenges and internal thought process. Be prepared to channel your energy in the right places.

I have made lots of great friends, and uncovered things about myself which I did not know most of which were initially outside my comfort zone. I now have developed a solid set of resources to make the transition from curiosities and ideas to practical actions. Above all of this I have re-established my personal drive and in turn almost completely refreshed my view of what I am capable of and what the world of work can offer me as opposed to what I can offer it. Arguably the best investment I could make for my future self. If you're thinking of doing the course - Just do it!

I have completed the Career Accelerator course about 3 months ago and I feel that now is a good time to look back and consider what has been the impact of this course on my life. It was difficult to write a review when the course ended, as the course has been quite intense – in a positive way – and I needed some time to digest it.

Despite being called a “career” accelerator course, in my opinion to a certain extent is a “life” course too; following the course I have reassessed my life generally and considered within that framework what I want from my worklife.

In my case, the course has helped me to come up with a plan relating to my next small steps, to implement it and to identify the skills I need to work on. Following the end of the course I have started three small projects outside work, which I am loving, without even realizing how this happened!

I feel that the course teaches how to get out from the “thinking/no action zone”, how to come up with plans and ideas and how to start doing things. It provides with useful practical tools which are really helpful at the implementation stage.

The course has changed my mindset and I feel much more confident and positive about the future. The support of the course “tribe” has also been fantastic during the course and is ongoing.

Thank you so much Escape!

I did the start up accelerator course in Jan 2018 and today just a little over a year later I am sitting in Indonesia having escaped my corporate job as an executive assistant in London and about to launch my own business!!! I did the course with ESC while I was in my final year of college re-training, I was also working full-time and on top of that did the start up course. It was hard to juggle everything BUT totally worth it! I had amazing support and guidance from the rest of the group and the amazing mentors! I learnt WAY more than I could have anticipated but the best thing of all was the community of incredible like-minded people that you get to be a part of who have turned into life-long friends!
If you are considering this course DO IT! Stop thinking about it and jump right in.