Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find the list of schools already accredited/validated by IATQuO?

Is this school or course legitimate?/ Does this school exist?

Why doesn’t IATQuO provide feed back on the schools visited and moderated?

What does IATQuo provide?

Who is accountable for the impartiality of IATQuO moderation?

What are other validating bodies?

Is it possible to gain a validated certificate by following an online course?

What do these acronyms mean?

Where can I find the list of schools already accredited/validated by IATQuO?

The full list of courses that have been accredited/validated and moderated by IATQuO are

The following TESOL Certificate courses have been validated and moderated by IATQuO

TEFL Paris, France
To contact them mail@ttcp.org

TT Madrid

To contact them info@ttmadrid.com

TEFL Barcelona

To contact them information@teflbarcelona.net

The following TESOL Certificate Combined Course (ITTT online plus practicum) has been validated and moderated by IATQuO:

The International TEFL Corporation (TITC) Phuket, Thailand

to contact them: info@teflcorp.com

Validation and Moderation of the practicum element of this course is pending in the following centres:

TEFLINBCN, Barcelona, Spain
To contact them info@teflinbcn.com

The following online course has been validated and moderated by IATQuO:

ITTT online course (20 unit tutored course ONLY)

to contact them infor@teflcorp.com

N.B. This course provides a sound introduction to the grammar and the phonology of English as well as to learning and teaching styles ans strategies.

It cannot ,of course, provide supervised teaching practice or other practical experience

To check up if your choice of teaching centre is a fraud or not click on this hyperlink:

List of centres claiming to be validated and that are not

Is this school or course legitimate?/ Does this school exist?

If it is one of the schools/courses in the list on this website, it will be bona fide.

No two teacher training courses are identical, even if they are inspired by the same model or content.

The fact that the "parent" course has been externally validated does not mean that all derivative courses benefit from that validation. Each course has to undergo its own validation process.

Good examples of this are the courses offered by the International House network. Although each of their courses is validated by Cambridge under their CELTA scheme, each has to undergo its own validation and assessment processes.

We have been made aware that an increasing number of Teacher Training Centres claim to be IATQuO validated. Only those in the list above are.

Some in good faith, have been told that by buying into a TEFL International programme they get automatic accreditation by IATQuO; this is a total fantasy.

A lot of PELT TESOL (Practical English Language Training) programmes claim to be validated by IATQuo: only one has applied for partial validation and has obtained it

The online ITTT course have applied for partial validation/accreditation and has obtained it

To check up if your choice of teaching centre is a fraud or not click on this hyperlink: List of centres claiming to be validated and that are not

An intending teacher should make the following three checks before
registering for any TESOL training course:

1. Check the exact address and location of a specific course, with the local
telephone number - note that an international or national "toll free call"
number is almost certainly NOT the day to day number of the course site.

2. Contact the Director of Studies, preferably by phone, ask for his name,
(his credentials or experience), and ask some simple questions about the
course and the location.

3. Contact the quoted accrediting/validating body direct to ascertain their
credentials and to discover whether they have in fact validated the centre
that interests you.
(The quoted accrediting/validating body should have at least a website link,
a valid email address, a telephone number and a postal address.)

If any of this information is not available, dubious or inaccurate, warning
bells should sound!

It may take a little time, the cost of an international phone call or two,
and that should be it. But a few dollars/pounds/euros spent in this way may
well prevent a subsequent loss of 2000 or more! There should be absolutely no
need to pay any deposit until the above checks have been made.

A further check you can make if you live in the country, or if you have a
friend living in the country, is to ask to visit the centre: no trustworthy
teacher training centre should refuse access.

Finally, an intending teacher should be aware that some quoted
accrediting/validating bodies are not validating bodies but simply associations. It is
very simple to become a member by paying a small fee.

Why doesn’t IATQuO provide feed back on the schools visited and moderated?

Because the reports are owned by the schools that ask to be moderated, and it is up to them if they want to publish them.

The reports are working documents that address the plus and the minus points found during the moderation.

If you wish to consult a report, you should contact the training centre concerned.

What does IATQuo provide?

- We provide initial and ongoing external accreditation/validation services.

- We provide information on accredited/validated training courses to prospective trainees.

- We provide information on accredited/validated training courses to employers looking for suitably qualified teachers.

- We plan to disseminate information on best practice in TESOL and support research and development in the field, resources permitting.

Who is accountable for the impartiality of IATQuO moderation?

Dr Alan Moller, the Academic Director.

He is assisted by an academic advisory panel.

What are other validating bodies?

There are two other bodies operating internationally –

Trinity College London

CELTA courses validated by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES).

Details of their activities appear on their respective websites.

Is it possible to gain a validated certificate by following an online course?

While a purely online course cannot receive a validation a Combined course- The International TEFL Corporation TESOL Combined Course ITTT has now received validation

Successful completion of such a course would indicate that the trainee has a sound understanding of the underlying theory and practice of English Grammar and Phonology and of different approaches to the learning and teaching of English.

Successful completion of an accredited Combined Course has to be supplemented by a practical component, incorporating certain assignments and minimum observed practice teaching in the only centres accredited and validated by IATQuO* whose list is on this page

To contact them info@teflcorp.com

What do these acronyms mean?

TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language

This applies to situations where English is learned and taught in an environment where English is not used on a daily basis in either an official or unofficial capacity. Examples – Italy, Indonesia, Thailand

TESL Teaching English as a Second Language

This applies to situations where English is learned and taught in an environment where English is used on a daily basis in either an official or unofficial capacity but where the mother tongue of the learners is normally a language other than English. Examples – India, Singapore, U.K. immigrants.

TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

This term is used for both the TEFL and TESL situations, where the mother tongue of the learners is NOT English.

TESOL is also the name of the largest organisation of teachers of English world wide, with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. There are many autonomous national affiliates in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

TEAL Teaching English as an Acquired/Additional Language

This term, in either of its forms, is now widely used in situations where English is taught to non native speakers in a native English speaking country. Examples – U.K., Australia.

TESNL Teaching English to Speakers of the National Language.

This is a a term created by IATQuO. It is a more local form of TESOL, where teachers of English in a specific country teach students of that same country.

ELT English Language Teaching

A general term for the teaching of English in any of the above situations.

ESP English for Special Purposes

The term is used for the particular English required for special situations. Examples – English required in business situations, for academic purposes, or in the tourism industry. Some TESOL training courses contain sub-components on teaching ESP.

EYL English for Young Learners

Some TESOL training courses contain sub-components relating specifically to teaching English to learners of ten or under.

AU REVOIR

If you are thinking of training to become a teacher of English, for however short or long a period of your life, we hope you have found this website useful and we wish you every success in your training course.

If you are a course provider, we hope to see you soon as one of our accredited/validated TESOL course organisers.

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