TESOL CERTIFICATES: Caveat Emptor

We suggest you read the thread on TESOL Certificates on the Forums as well as this page. (Membership only) There are some good courses combined with some fraudulent courses luring the teacher to join. The following is a partial list of TESOL Courses you can undertake. The list of providers grows longer each day - some run by professionals, some run by persons looking to make fast dollar. Some courses have an R next to. Those are recommended. NR are not recommended. Some we advise you to Avoid.

It is our RECOMMENDATION that if the Course leads to CREDITS at University Ma TESOL courses, then you should choose that course. Without this, the course is of little tangible value or benefit to you.

Highly Recommended TESOL Certificates (those supported a Board of Global Linguistic professionals and Universities)

1. The Asian EFL Journal (professional and practical TESOL courses in conjunction with Time Taylor College Korea)
Busan. S. Korea

(2) CELTA Courses. (Global locations) U.S.$1,100 plus accommodation

Misleading & Deceptive Practices:

a) You will notice some TESOL Certificate sites LINK to Universities - this is intended to give the impression that that University accredits the course - yet nowhere do you actually find this supported by the University.
b) You will notice some TESOL Certificate sites contain banner links to Better Business Bureaus to give the impression this course is approved - in fact it is not. The link is merely placed to give that impression.
c) Some TESOL Certificate Courses claim they have years of unblemished operation and are complaint free - they provide what appear are banner links to Government organization that control Consumer Complaints - in fact the suggested link is meaningless.
d) Some courses offer 120 hours Courses. In fact NO-ONE will examine your work whatsoever. You submit and receive a follow up that your work is exceptional - in fact your work has not been viewed at all.
e) One TESOL course operating out of Canada will, once you pay the fee, issue you a certificate that says what YOU WANT it to say.
f) Some TESOL Certificates also suggest that the 'best jobs' can be obtained through the same company. Note our pages on Recruiters and the Warnings -
g) Some courses offer 'classroom practicum teaching.' Be aware that this may merely be the school finding free teachers for fee paying students. Unless the classroom practicum is part of a University Masters course, we suggest this selling point is NOT of any tangible benefit to the future TESOL Teacher. What you learn in that session may be vastly different from what you are going to be doing in your future country of teaching - there is no substitute for the real thing.

There is no world Accrediting Authority to say which TESOL/TEFL course is good or bad. The British Council is a defacto accrediting authority.

ANYONE can open a web site and offer a TESOL CERTIFICATE course - some apparent legitimate courses are operating out of Russia for example.

A recent practice to hit the TEFL industry is the on-line TESOL certificates, which, whilst some companies offer professional courses run by well experienced and qualified staff, others are run by those who have discovered how easy it is to make U.S. $200-500 by offering a TEFL/TESOL Certificate Course on-line. Some course are run by persons who have no qualifications, no genuine interest in promoting the TEFL industry, and whose only ability is to generate misleading auto generated responses to questions and e-mail's followed by a glossy certificate of achievement.

We would recommend that any one who is contemplating spending any money on a TESOL/TEFL certificate make inquiries as to whether the company offering the Course is a Legal Entity or a Scam. You should also determine if that certificate is accepted by the Governmental Education Authority of the country you wish to teach in. Few countries require this certificate for you to teach there.

Before undertaking any course, ask the question:-

(a) Is this course really necessary {a few EFL/ESL countries do require a recognized certificate}
(b) Is the Certificate recognized in the country I am going to?
(c) Is the Certificate recognized or even required by my prospective employer?
(d) Am I buying a Certificate for the sake of having one, or am I learning something practical that will help me teach and advance my skills.
(e) Does the course have an ironclad money back guarantee should you decide to withdraw or find the course to be substandard.
(f) Most Important! Is the Certificate recognized by any University? Will you receive CREDIT -if not, save your money and time ands keep shopping around.

In most cases, you will find that if you have a University degree, you do not need the Certificate as you will get on the job training - but confirm this with your employer to be.

Canada.

The following information is very important if you are living in Canada and plan on doing a TESOL Course.

In Canada, quite a few of the less reputable training programs assure prospective students of their bona fides by stating that they are "recognized" by a federal government department called Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). This very rudimentary form of "recognition" assures students of nothing except the ability to claim tuition as a tax write-off, and if they're eligible for unemployment insurance-funded job training, the ability to get their tuition subsidized if the program is full-time. Programs at Canadian universities are also recognized by HRDC; it's a status taken so much for granted that most reputable post secondary institutions don't think to mention it unless asked. If a TEFL program that can legally claim HRDC recognition does not meet national or provincial TESL association accreditation standards, it does not give the student any advantage in the Canadian job market.

Every year, a lot of Canadians complete inadequate TEFL programs that draw them in by advertising HRDC recognition.