By providing accreditation of TEFL and TESOL providers the WTEFLAC helped to raise overall standards in the industry. Here’s how.
The internet has made life much easier for anyone looking for service providers of all kinds. However, while it offers convenience, quality can be variable. This has been the case in the TEFL sector where, despite rapid growth in demand, many providers can still not offer the standards customers have a right to expect. By creating a code of conduct, the WTEFLAC raised the bar for the sector and helped customers to decide whether a course was right for them.
Raising standards through accreditation
The primary aim of accreditation is firstly to provide information for the customer. Anyone looking for TEFL providers will want as much reliable information as possible on which to base their buying choices. Just looking at a website is not enough.
Anyone can put together a nice-looking website and fill it with appealing content. However, what matters is what lies behind the promises. Can they truly deliver what they promise? Are the staff qualified and experienced, and does the marketing material accurately reflect the quality of the courses on offer? More importantly, is the company legitimate and can you trust them with your personal information?
What customers need is an assessment demonstrating that this company is reputable, legitimate and offers high-quality courses delivered by qualified and experienced professionals. An accreditation provides that. It shows that a company has been evaluated by a board of professionals.
The WTEFLAC would look at a company’s offering and make sure the marketing material reflected the content of the course and that the content itself provided people with the knowledge needed to pursue their professional aspirations and secure a good placement.
It put companies through a rigorous assessment process in which they evaluated the content and structure of the courses, the expertise of the people providing them and the marketing material. It would check to see whether the company was upfront about its pricing and offered good training and career progression for its staff.
The end result for the company would be an accreditation which they could use to bolster their own marketing efforts. However, the value of this offering went further than that. The process actually offered an opportunity for reflection and reviews which the company may use to make improvements to their own courses and operations. The process of going through the accreditation process, therefore, often led to the provider improving their own service offerings.
Meanwhile, they also offered information and tips for trainees which could help them understand the market better and further improve their own teaching skills. From the perspective of the provider and students, therefore, this not only provided more information and clarity but also helped all sides build their skills and improve the sector overall. They rewarded high-quality providers who gave their trainees all the tools they needed to succeed in their chosen careers.