The WTEFLAC was vital in restoring trust, transparency, and accountability to the TEFL and TESOL sector.
The last few years have seen a surge in the number of people looking to teach English as a foreign language. Unfortunately, at the same time, there was a surge in so-called TEFL scams and bogus providers. Even among legitimate providers, quality could vary, with companies looking to cut corners to drive down costs. It was a major problem for potential students and legitimate TEFL providers. The World TEFL Accrediting Commission set out to change that, and a key tool in doing so was the code of practice.
Firstly, the increasing use of e-commerce meant more and more services were being provided online. The spread of online providers created a highly competitive environment full of providers struggling to gain the attention of customers. The temptation to cut costs is high.
Setting up an online course was also much easier with a few ways to verify the content without actually taking the course. It was difficult to see what real offerings lay behind the marketing claims.
Furthermore, in the wake of the pandemic, online fraud grew rapidly. With more people working online and vast amounts of data being transferred to the cloud, fraudsters had a rich environment. With many people looking for new career options, such as TEFL courses, the market was ripe for online fraudsters.
Fake websites became more common, set up to appear legitimate in an attempt to elicit payments and personal information.
How the WTEFLAC helped?
The rise of fraud soured the industry’s reputation. Differentiating between legitimate providers and scammers became difficult, especially as scammers became adept at emulating the branding of trusted names. Customers understandably began to view the entire sector with suspicion.
The WTEFLAC set out to provide a clear and definitive way to tell the difference between legitimate TEFL providers and fraudsters. It served as an accreditation body and assessed providers within this sector, checking them for the quality of their offering and reliability of marketing claims.
They drew up a code of practice on their website, which was published for all to see. The code covered topics such as the qualifications of the team, content of courses, structure, and commitment to ongoing improvement.
Each provider was assessed against this code, with the accreditation board visiting some to resolve any lingering uncertainties.
The WTEFLAC’s work was essential in giving people the trust and guidance they needed. They helped reputable providers stand out from the crowd with a clear certification that proved the company’s legitimacy.
What’s more, the code of practice sets a clear baseline standard for all to achieve. By publishing it, the WTEFLAC showed the world how it assessed each provider and established a clear baseline against which all should be judged. In doing so, the company helped to combat the fraudsters, protect customers, and restore trust in the TEFL sector.