The code of practice served as a benchmark set of standards which the World TEFL Accrediting Commission used to assess TEFL providers.

Anyone looking for a TEFL or TESOL course to teach English as a foreign language wants the reassurance of knowing that their money will be well spent and their provider is reputable and legitimate. Providers meanwhile want an independent way of showing potential customers that their courses are high quality, reputable and come from qualified and experienced professionals. For both parties, the World TEFL Accrediting Commission was a great way to get the independent verification both needed.

The WTEFLAC served as a private accrediting organization which assessed and approved providers of TEFL and TESOL courses. To become accredited, a provider would need to demonstrate that they met minimum standards of quality and reliability.

To do this the WTEFLAC drew up a code of conduct by which it would assess all providers. Its parameters would represent the boundaries around which all courses should be judged – transparency, accountability and the professional experience of its team.

Advertising and marketing

The first of these was the provider’s advertising literature. The market is full of companies that make bold claims in advertising but do not match the content of their courses. To make sure the claims match the reality the WTEFLAC would scrutinise promotional literature.

Customers should be given clear and transparent information on which they could make their decisions, and providers should be open and honest about all fees charged.

Selection

All providers should make sure students are well suited to teaching English as a foreign language – and that starts with actually being proficient in it. All providers would need to insist that students demonstrated competence in English and have a clear admissions policy which meets all equal opportunity standards.

Course content

One of the most common areas of concern has been the actual content of the courses. When assessing organizations, the WTEFLAC would make sure modules were presented in a clear and easy to understand way.

Learning should proceed at a pace which all students are comfortable with and lessons should be delivered by a qualified professional who themselves has at least three years’ experience teaching English as a foreign language.

When it came to feedback and assessments, all students should have a clear framework against which they would be judged and they should be assessed on a wide range of subjects.

Staffing and development

The quality of a provider is shaped by the quality of its staff. To ensure the best standards, the WTEFLAC insisted staff were qualified and experienced and that they were given support to improve themselves within the provider. All new teachers should have a good training course in place which would enable them to offer the best standards.

Ongoing improvement

It was not enough for a provider to meet standards at a certain given time. They needed the ability to continue improving. Courses would need to be reviewed and updated to meet evolving standards especially if the course had been going for some time.

Each component of the code of conduct comprised part of what customers should be looking for in a TEFL provider. WTEFLAC did all the in-depth research and investigations to reassure customers that any provider accredited by them would help them achieve their aspirations.