TEFL Accreditation Bodies
When you spend your time, effort and money on a TEFL course, you want to be sure that it will help you to get your first teaching job and then develop a rewarding career as a TEFL teacher.
There are a lot of courses out there, so how do you choose one that will be recognised as a good quality qualification in demand by most schools across the world?
Read on to find out how TEFL courses are accredited and the benefits of taking a course approved by a respected TEFL accreditation body.
What is TEFL accreditation?
Accreditation is a mark of quality given to TEFL courses.
An accredited course has been assessed and approved as being of high quality and meeting professional standards.
The assessment will include consideration of course materials, the quality of teaching and the student experience.
TEFL course accreditation demonstrates that the course equips students with the skills to deliver high-quality English teaching in any setting.
This seal of approval can be given to TEFL courses that are delivered in person or by online study.
Who are the accreditation bodies?
The accreditation bodies that carry out this quality assurance process are external, trusted bodies independent of the college or course provider.
As a future teacher of English as a foreign language, your course must receive accreditation from a body that is recognised and respected around the world to maximise your job opportunities.
Internationally recognised accreditation bodies include Gatehouse Awards and ACCREDITAT, which both accredit our courses.
Why does accreditation matter?
An employer in, say, Thailand or Vietnam may not be familiar with the course provider where you qualified for your TEFL certificate.
There are too many colleges and online providers for this to be possible.
However, they will be familiar with the most trusted accreditation and regulatory bodies and will look for details of them on your course certificate.
How do I know if my teaching English as a foreign language course accreditation is any good?
There are loads of TEFL accreditation bodies, but not all are created equal, and you’ll have to do a bit of homework to check that the bodies accrediting your course are well-established and reputable.
There are three questions that you should ask to check that the course has suitable accreditation.
Check your course provider’s website
Your course provider will probably have a list of accrediting bodies on their website.
It will only take a little due diligence, aka a Google search, to find out whether these bodies are well recognised and if they conduct their assessments in a professional manner.
Which other providers does the accreditation body work with?
Accreditation bodies should list all the colleges and courses providers they work with on their website.
If these are high quality, then you can presume that the body itself has a good reputation.
Do graduates of the course get good jobs as English teachers?
Websites are promotional tools and usually feature stories about where their graduates are employed to attract students.
Browse graduate testimonials, but read between the lines.
Are course graduates working in a place you would like to work in and in an environment you would like to teach in?
As a rule of thumb, countries in the Middle East and Asia, including Japan, China, and South Korea, prefer highly qualified TEFL teachers, so if the course provider has graduates working in these countries, you may be onto a winner.
Do I need to gain an accredited course to teach English online?
You may be able to get a teaching job online in a casual arrangement, but you will only be eligible to apply for roles at most reputable online schools if you have a high-quality qualification.
Online study is popular among students who want to learn English as a foreign language, and it can be a lucrative career option for teachers.
We offer specialised online teaching modules, enabling our students to work in this sector if they wish.