How do I find a TEFL course
I can trust?

Finding a TEFL course that you can trust can be challenging but here are some tips that should help you distinguish a quality course from a disreputable one.

It must be Accredited.

A good course should be accredited by an independent and academically rigorous organisation.

Accreditation essentially means that an organisation higher than the school you attend approves, regulates, inspects and ensures that a high standard of training is maintained. It is your quality assurance guarantee. Many academies say they are accredited but if you check the fine print you'll often they monitor their own standards.

Our accreditation body is IATQuO. IATQuO was started by one of the most well known people in the TEFL industry. Dr Moller is a retired British Council Officer, a current full time Chief Examiner for Trinity College and the 2003 Chair of Examiners for the London Tests of English.

IATQuO stands for the International Accreditation of TESOL Qualifying Organsations. IATQuO it is deeply respected for its ethics as an independent body and its scrutiny of quality. IATQuO recently gave TtMadrid a score of 22 out of a possible 25. This is considered exceptional and we work had everyday to try and make our score even better. Our TEFL certificate is recognised internationally and our graduates have worked and are working all around the world. Click on the following links to find out more about accreditation and IATQuO.

• The International Accreditation of TEASOL Qualifying Organisations (IATQuO)
• Our accrediting body page

Dr Moller, or one of his representatives, visits our school at the end of every single course we run. They spend time with our trainees getting feedback on the course, they check the quality of our materials and resources and ensure that our assessment is fair and in accordance with industry standards. In addition to this Dr Moller himself visits our school at least three times a year to spend a period of no less than three days assessing the entire school. He checks every single handout and lesson we give, he observes us teaching to ensure the quality of the tuition is of the highest standards and he comprehensively interviews everyone on our course. At the end of this rigorous process he writes a very detailed report on the schools performance. Our last score out of 25 was 22. This is considered an exceptional mark and one we are incredibly proud of. Saying that, we're not resting on our laurels, our aim will always be to get a perfect score.

Membership does not equal Accreditation

There are a lot of academies that say they are accredited. However, when you do the research you´ll sometimes discover that they are just members of international organisations. To get into these organisations all they have to do is pay a yearly membership which is sometimes as little as $20 a year. As you can imagine - $20 doesn't go far if you want someone to independently and thoroughly monitor the quality of your course. Doing an unaccredited course will compromise your ability to get work.

Ask the Right Questions

It is important to speak on the phone to a course administrator - my school calls interested candidates at a prearranged time in order to have an extensive conversation about the course as well as living and working in Spain. Below is a list of questions we recommend asking the school you contact - their response will be very revealing:

• Does an independent body come to the school to moderate every single course?
  How else can you be reassured that the course you're doing is in accordance with industry standards?
• Would you be able to put me in touch with some of your graduates in order to get their feedback on your course?
  All our graduates are happy to be put in touch with you. Our graduates are our greatest asset and can provide honest and unbiased answers to your questions.
• What is the maximum number of students you will allow on a course?
  Our maximum is 14.
• How many trainers do you employ?We employ four.
• Do you provide ongoing support and advice after the course finishes?
  As a graduate of my school you will be a member of a large family and will receive help and support as long as you want and need it. Our graduates are always welcome to come to the school to prepare their lesson, photocopy our resources or just have a chat. Our school is vibrant with activity - there is never a dull moment at TtMadrid.
• Do you guarantee work?
  Yes. We have worked hard to build excellent relationships with teaching academies who prefer to employ our graduates. Click on the link to read the testimonials of two respected teaching academies in Madrid.
• Do you have electives or subjects that prepare me for the local market?
  We do business English units and have a Young Learners elective. We've made Young Leaner's an elective because a lot of people don't know whether they want to teach children or not. Most TEFL schools offer you a children's TEFL or an adults TEFL. The problem we find with this approach is that many people discover they don't want to teach children half way through their expensive children's focussed TEFL course and have to pay to do an adults course later. Our approach is to give you some experience with, and theory behind, teaching children. This way you can start teaching both adults and children when you graduate thus not narrowing your employment options.
• What relationship do you have with the teaching academies that will employ me?
  We have an excellent relationship with the academies that will employ you. We are very honest about your performance on our course. We want to see that you are prepared to work hard and make steady progress. Our reputation has been built on the quality of our graduates. It is why we can guarantee work. The academies hire our teachers because they know that a pass on our course is a guarantee of excellence in teaching methodology and innovative lesson planning. We expect a lot from our graduates because they are our greatest ambassadors; we pride ourselves with the care and effort we put into training them.
• Do you have graduate recruitment fairs?
  We do. We organise a day when a selection of the best academies come to us to interview our graduates. It's a lot easier than organising your own interviews and making your way from one to another.
• Can I speak to any of your graduates?
  An TEFL academy's best asset is its graduates. If they aren't prepared to endorse the school they went to then there's probably a good reason why. At TT we are happy to put applicants in contact with our graduates. We believe in transparency - we don't have anything to hide.