Hi Guys
So I completed my 120 hour TEFL cert on : http://www.theteflcertificate.com/
Basically I searched everywhere online for anything about this site but couldnt find anything
I tried to contact them on email, google + , facebook but nothing
Someone recently contacted me over Facebook to ask me the same questions
If I know anything about this site and its TEFL cert
Unfortunately I was really broke and travelling and I got a job offer in Taiwan
I completed the online course fairly and got emailed the e certificate
Of course the course and site seemed appealing because it was free , with me being pretty broke
If I had some money I would have spent some money on a proper course
But for now I did the course – 120 hours went through all of the material and it was really useful
I do have over a year teaching experience teaching online as well as classrooms
So the TEFL was just a matter of procedure as I am also a native English speaker
It was just about getting the relevant paper to get the visa here in Taiwan in order to get the job
However since having the email e certificate – the school now requires the hard copy to make the visa application
On the site, to get the hard copy sent to you costs 50GBP
I might just take the chance as its not too much money however, I don’t want to lose money anyway
How will they even know where to send it to??
Its weird – just smells like a scam but nothing about it online at all
Why is there nothing negative about this site online?
They have google + and Facebook accounts and a blog that is updated sometimes
Yet they don’t respond to my emails at all so its a little sceptical
Anyone know or have heard anything about this site??
http://www.theteflcertificate.com/
Basically I have the e certificate now but it contains a watermark that says: “E Certificate”
So the school and recruiter fears that this might not be accepted by the Taiwanese government
Help!
I will pass on any info I get to the guy on Facebook also reaching out to get some information :))
Thank you so much
Kindest regards
Hi Zeetee
I haven’t heard of this organisation. A quick look at their website raises a few concerns for me:
– It’s not very professionally designed or laid out
– For a company which claims to include members from all major sectors of the teaching industry, It’s not very well written. For example from the About page:
“whether in the classroom or office each our members truly understand the breath of the TEFL industry.”
– There are some very generic photos. On the About page, for example, there is a photo of a large glass building – is this supposed to be the corporate headquarters? If so, why not label it as such? If not, why is the picture there?
Maybe I’m just being picky, but the overall site doesn’t instil any trust in me.
A more detailed look at the site raises a couple of important questions:
– The “free TEFL course” business model is very commendable, but it leaves me asking the question “Why?” It seems that their way of making money is to charge for a paper copy of the certificate. First of all, if their philosophy is about providing free training, then why charge 50 GBP for the certificate? It surely can’t cost them this much to produce and send out. Secondly, if this is their way of making money, then why don’t they respond to your emails when you ask for the certificate and are willing to pay?
– The biggest concern is accreditation: They have three logos on their Accreditation page, OTTSA, ALAP and BOAA.
The OTTSA website doesn’t list them as one of their accredited courses, neither does ALAP. If you Google “BOAA Board of Academic Advisors” it’s impossible to find a website for this organisation, so who are they?
Okay, that’s my assessment of the organisation, but I realise none of this really helps you in your current predicament. When you try to purchase the certificate, do they ask you to make the payment online first? As they’re not responding to your efforts to contact them, I would advise against sending them any money – it looks like you’d be risking losing the 50 GBP. If they continue to ignore your emails, I’m not sure there’s very much you can do unfortunately, so I’m not sure what else to advise, except maybe to take another course from a more professional organisation…
Dan
Hello Zeetee,
Just did the same thing, finished the 120h with a 97% .. Did you purchase the certificate? Did you get it? .. I received an e-cert. But I’d like to get the hard copy. I don’t want to waste my money too..
I hope you can read my comment and advise me. Thanks.
Anyone received any feedback yet?
Before I do the course, can anyone please confirm whether or not this is actually a legit certificate?
Hi Guys! I, too, just discovered this course which seems way too good to be true! Does anyone have updates to share regarding feedback received, proof of accreditation, success with obtaining a hard copy of the cert, etc.? I was planning to begin the course this week, but after reading the above posts… not so sure it’s worth it.
Anyone got an answer on this yet?
A couple of red flags for me were the fact that this is a Course for teaching English but there are a number of English language mistakes in the content.
Also the fact they are asking for money sends out a warning signal. I am going to try get the school in China to pay the £50 and will get back to you guys!
Hey Alex, any news on this? I now require to buy a physical copy too but I’m really not sure if I should pay to get this or take another tefl. Thanks.
They Have 2 Positive Reviews on Indeed, But… Stay Away
I found 2 reviews on Indeed, but they could’ve been put there by the company. I would suggest to stay away from this company, just from the information in this thread. They don’t return calls or emails.
Also, right now, there are a few very reputable, accredited places that are selling the 120-170 hour TEFL course at a big discount.
International Open Academy is selling the course for $29, click below:
https://offers.internationalopenacademy.com/joinus/course/tesol-course
English First offers a free certification, but you have to work for them for a year and you have to have a bachelor’s degree. Click below for more info:
https://www.englishfirst.com/esl-jobs/free-tesol-certification/
There’s also some deals on Groupon. Just Google Groupon TESL Course and it will come up.
I’m not affiliated with any of these companies, just found them during my own search. Hope it helps.
I went through the first two minutes of their first TEFL lesson and gave up. The guy made two pronunciation mistakes in those two minutes and I didn’t want to be certified by people who don’t check their own content.
You’re probably wondering what the two mistakes were:
1. vehicle (he said vee-eye-ckel)
2. anxiety (he sad an-she-tee)
Hey!
So I was contemplating the same as there were no reviews on this company/website, yet the school/company which hired me to teach English in China recommended that we used this website to gain the TEFL certificate. After completing the online course and receiving the E-Certificate I was told by my employer who made it clear in the beginning that we would need the hard copy of the certificate for our application process, hence, I was forced to purchase this. In the back of my mind yes, $50 EURO is a lot of money and I was expecting to be scammed as I saw no reviews. However, I placed my order and the responses via email were very detailed and they responded in a timely manner. They even made sure I confirmed all the information regarding the name on the certificate as well as delivery/shipping address.
I ordered the hard copy on the 27th November 2019 and I received it in hand on the 4th December, 2019, really satisfied! The company includes all shipping and handling fees hence the $50 EURO, they stated that they don’t like hidden fees that’s why it’s so expensive.
Hope this was helpful to you!
Accreditation
Put simply, if it’s not accredited by a government or a tertiary level educational institution, it’s definitely a case of ‘buyer beware’. I hope this helps.
Peter Goudge
https://avse.edu.vn/
Reassured
Hey Karrisa!
Thanks for the reassurance, I was skeptical about this website as well. I went thru the exam and got my E-Certificate. I was contemplating about getting two hard copies at 80 GBP. Just like you guys, I try my best to do some research. I found the website thru youtube videos and indeed. A few other people says it legit also. Now I’m more confident in purchasing the hard copies.
I purchased the certificate and now I am having problems trying to notarize it. Has anyone managed to notarize their certificate and how?
Hey
So guys I’m sincerely confused about whether I should purchase the hard copy of my certificate or not, can you please confirm that it was actually shipped to you? And is it legit?
I didn’t have money and decided to enrol with this program only to find the page blocked when I was about to log in for the exam. Can anyone help me with a proper platform I can use to study TEFL online with a certificate for free I’m in dire need.
I completed the 120 hours with ease and received an E-Certificate. All this was earlier in 2020.
I later purchased the hard copy for 11,000 JMD and was contacted by them each step of the way to ensure my address and contact information was accurate.
I was able to get the hard copy notarized in my country to teach in China. However, recently I have been trying to access their website to no avail.
I don’t know about you guys but I have had no problems contacting them and I got my certificate notarized by the UK government. I got a job and all the interviews I went for recognized the cert. Good luck
Further information
Hi:
This may help a bit.
I have been in email contact with them within the last year, and had replies to my emails (which is more than I had from one or two other places).
I have, literally today, decided to enrol in their free programme, more by way of getting a feel for the TEFL scene than anything else before I commit any money to it.
I found that the web site that I had is no longer functional, and from the browser tab title, and one or two other bits and pieces, it seems to be Chinese in origin.
I found some reference to them at this web address:
http://www.oneworld365.org/company/tefl-professional-development-institute
This “onewworld365” seems to be a general advertising set up for TEFL programme and job suppliers, and so on, as is the web site http://www.hyperli.com.
I also found reference to them at this web site:
https://www.indeed.com/certifications/companies/tefl-professional-development-institute-in-online-4FTCBRN4/reviews
But again, the link to their web site shows a dead site.
So I rather think that this one may now be dead in the water.
Stuart Aitchison
You should. I did the course, paid the fee and my certificate was shipped to me in less than a week.
I am currently doing a free course from The TEFL Professional Development Institute
For some reason I get to questions that no matter what I put, the answer is wrong.
My friend who is an English teacher and studied for 4 years can’t get it right.
The communication from the company is rather pathetic, it’s all “well its not our problem” and it irritates me beyond explanation at this point.
“I am currently doing a free course…”
I think the old adage “you get what you pay for” is often true when it comes to TEFL courses. Reading these posts, perhaps this is the ultimate example of that?