TEFL Accreditation Explained

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TEFL ACCREDITATION EXPLAINED

Let’s be clear from the start: there is no one internationally accepted accreditation for the TEFL. Sound a bit odd? Well, it is, but that’s just how it is. While most other educational programmes or certificate courses have some kind of a body or association which regulates the content and the standard of all courses, this is not the case for TEFL. This is why there can be so many different courses which all end with the awarding of a TEFL certificate, when in fact there is no way to know how the courses relate to each other. Essentially, any school can hold a TEFL course, charge money and give students their very own TEFL certificate.

While this may not be the ideal situation, the fact remains that this is how the TEFL world works and it’s not going to change. Instead, it is necessary to do your research and make sure that your TEFL course offers exactly what you need and what employers look for. Even though a TEFL certificate alone is not proof of the level of training you received, by finding out what was included in the course, the number of hours of the course and if there was any practical aspect, employers are able to ascertain the standard of your TEFL.

So, while there is no one body which accredits TEFL courses, TEFL companies can apply for accreditation from accreditation organisations. These organisations have a set of rules and regulations which need to be applied in the company and these usually include strict guidelines regarding modules, assessment and trainer qualifications.

Bear in mind, there are a lot of these organisations and some offer accreditation immediately on payment, which defeats the purpose of quality control. Good accreditation organisations require strict adherence to a set of rules and these should be available online, so it is easy to check the authenticity of the accreditation body. As a rule of thumb, any organisation related to a government or a well-known national agency should be a safe bet as they are in the public eye and held accountable for their standards.

At the same time, while accreditation stickers on a website are great if they were awarded by a trustworthy organisation, many TEFL companies fill their websites with stickers that do not actually show anything. TEFL has a lot of organisations which it is possible to belong to if you are a teacher or an institution, but membership does not mean anything other than access to events, research and information.

Clearly, TEFL accreditation is a sticky issue, as many companies may try and present themselves as accredited when they are not, but if you do your research it is easy to see which companies are taking you for a ride and which are genuinely being held accountable for the standards of their TEFL course.

 

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The TEFL Academy was the world’s first TEFL course provider to receive official recognition from government regulated awarding bodies in both the USA and UK. This means when you graduate you’ll hold a globally recognised Level 3 (120hr) Certificate or Level 5 (168hr) Diploma, meaning you can find work anywhere and apply for jobs immediately.

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