The World TEFL Accrediting Commission Sought to bring oversight to the world of TEFL and TESOL providers.

Demand for TEFL and TESOL courses has surged over the past few years and with more providers than ever before, students find themselves presented with a host of options. However, added choice can come at the risk of consumer protections. With cybercrime on the rise criminals have begun targeting consumers in all industries with increasingly sophisticated and realistic scams. The TEFL and TESOL sectors are no different and the web is full of illegitimate providers who can be very difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

The need to protect customers and support legitimate providers prompted the creation of the World TEFL Accrediting Commission (WTEFLAC). It served as an accrediting body for the TEFL and TESOL sectors, to help prospective students avoid the risk of fraud.

Knowing The Risks

Customers in the TEFL sector have been targeted in various ways including:

• Substandard providers: Providers have set up professional looking websites which promise the same high-quality service you might expect from the largest and more established names. However, they attract customers in with the promise of a rock-bottom price without providing a professional service or a recognised qualification.
• Fraudulent providers: Criminals also set up fake companies in an attempt to trick customers into handing over their personal details or paying for services that never appeared. Once payments had been provided, these shadow companies would simply disappear.

Without proper oversight in this field, customers could be extremely vulnerable. The problem became even more serious in aftermath of COVID-19. With more and more people having to make a rapid career change, coupled with the rise of remote working, the number of online course providers grew rapidly.

It was a perfect environment for fraudsters who could simply create websites and wait for victims to come knocking.

The Role of The WTEFLAC

Given their busy lifestyles, many people would lack the time or inclination to conduct thorough due diligence on potential providers. For that, they looked to the World TEFL Accrediting Commission (WTEFLAC).

The WTEFLAC served as an accrediting body for the sector. It set up a code of practice which set down the expected requirements all providers should be expected to meet.

It included factors such as the experience of the staff, accuracy of marketing materials, and the structure of the course. In other words, it covered all the things that a legitimate provider should be expected to provide as a matter of course.

Each provider was inspected by the accreditation board and would have to provide full transparency of their company structure, and course content. The accreditation process also often included a site visit to see the course provider in action.

Once the board was satisfied companies were permitted to display the WTEFLAC logos on their marketing materials and websites. For customers, this provided an instant way to recognise a legitimate and valuable provider and to be reassured that they could expect a high-quality service. It kept them safe online and, more importantly, made life extremely difficult for any unscrupulous operators.