TEFL Accreditation & Regulation

Our Level 5 TEFL Course is DEAC-approved as meeting the criteria for Approved Quality Curriculum (AQC) status. The DEAC is a U.S. Department of Education National Accreditor. Our course is regulated by Ofqual (UK government department) and awarded by Qualifi, a UK government recognised awarding body. 

The Distance Education Accrediting Commission was founded in 1926 and is a U.S. Department of Education National Accreditor.  DEAC's goal is to ensure a high standard of educational quality in the distance education institutions it approves by requiring compliance with its published standards, policies and procedures.

Our Level 5 TEFL Course is DEAC-approved as meeting the criteria for Approved Quality Curriculum (AQC) status.

You can find out more about the DEAC on their website: https://www.deac.org/

The TEFL Academy is fully accredited by Qualifi an Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, a UK government department) regulated awarding body. Qualifi have robust quality assurance systems and procedures in place which all course providers must successfully pass in order to be accredited under the scheme.

Potential TEFL course students should remember that their prospective employers are likely to be based outside the USA. This means that accreditation bodies based solely in the USA may not be recognized by employers abroad. This is why The TEFL Academy has chosen Qualifi, as they offer international accreditation for training course providers.

You can find out more about Qualifi on their website: https://qualifi.net

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland.

Ofqual is a non-ministerial UK government department.

You can verify our qualification on the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications here.

Ofqual recognize Awarding Organisations like Qualifi and regulate qualifications like ours. An Ofqual regulated TEFL qualification will be recognized worldwide and is highly respected by employers.

When you hear about “levels” this refers to the UK government’s framework for qualifications. This framework allows learners studying UK government regulated qualifications to understand where their qualification sits in comparison to other qualifications. A regulated level 5 qualification means that Ofqual (UK government), have approved the qualification to be at a recognised level of achievement. Our Level 5 TEFL Certificate (168hrs) is the same level as the following qualifications: a diploma of higher education (DipHE), a foundation degree and the CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL qualifications.

A regulated qualification means that it is officially recognized by government and sits on the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications. You can view our qualification on the Ofqual register here.

The simple answer is, we just don't know! Recruiters offering the best opportunities with the most competitive packages are now asking for level 5 TEFL qualifications. All regulated level 5 courses are 150hrs+ in length. We have never seen a single employer ask for more than 168hrs of TEFL training. 

We know that navigating your way through the TEFL web of courses is very confusing. This is why we offer just one course, exactly what you need to get the best jobs around the world!

Choosing to study a regulated qualification is your guarantee of quality. Course providers offering regulated qualifications must comply with very tough quality assurance rules and procedures. This ensures that:

• The staff delivering and assisting students are suitably qualified
• The course provider has the resources to effectively deliver the qualification
• The course itself effectively teaches and assesses the qualifications aims
• The contents of the course have been written and designed by industry professionals and peer reviewed
• The feedback and grades given to learners is fair, moderated and meets modern academic standards
• Officially regulated by the UK government, therefore the qualification will be internationally recognized by schools, employers, foreign embassies and governments of most other countries.

Any qualification that is officially recognized by the UK government will sit on the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications. Make sure to ask your course provider to provide a link to the register for their qualification.

You can view our qualification on the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications here.

TEFL and TESOL are both acronyms for teaching English to non-native English speakers. Both acronyms can be used to describe qualifications which certify you to teach English as a foreign language. To a large extent, "TEFL" and "TESOL" are used interchangeably.

• TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language
• TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Offering a high quality TEFL course that provides students with qualified tutors and leads to a government regulated qualification doesn't come cheap! Course providers selling on daily deal websites must heavily discount their course fees and then split what they make 50/50 with the deal portal such as Groupon, Wowcher & Amazon.

With such small revenues it’s impossible for TEFL course providers selling on daily deal websites to:

• Offer on-going support from experienced & qualified tutors
• Have fair & moderated marking/grading systems
• Develop and continually update quality course content & resources
• Offer a course that leads to a government regulated qualification
• Offer job support and on-going assistance after course completion

TEFL courses sold on daily deal websites are unregulated, unaccredited, lack academic credibility and will not be respected by employers.

Read our blog 'Are cheap TEFL courses too good to be true?'

You may see cheap TEFL courses advertised online that claim to be a “level”, such as “Level 5 140-Hour TEFL Course” (often advertised on daily deal websites), unfortunately these courses are not the level they claim to be and are highly misleading.

The level of a course tells learners where the qualification sits on the UK’s Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).  If a course is not listed on the Register of Regulated Qualifications, then it is not really a level at all. You can find our qualification on the register here.

Make sure you ask any TEFL training provider that claims to be offering a “level” of TEFL course to provide a link to the Register of Regulated Qualifications. If they cannot provide this, then the qualification is not the level they claim it to be and will not be accepted by foreign embassies and employers.