Who Started the WTEFLAC?

The WTEFLAC was an accreditation company that set out to raise standards within the TEFL industry.

If you’ve been researching TEFL or TESOL providers you may have seen the logo of the WTEFLAC listed as an accrediting organization. However, that information is only valuable if you know who they are, as an organization, who founded them and what the accreditation mark actually means.

Who they were

WTEFLAC stood for the World TEFL Accrediting Commission. They were a private company set up to provide accreditation for providers of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) courses.

Providers were assessed against their code of conduct by a professional accrediting board. Once accredited those companies could display the WTEFLAC logo on all of their marketing materials.

What was the WTEFLAC mission?

The aim of the WTEFLAC was to raise standards in the TEFL and TESOL sectors. They did this by establishing a benchmark of what a professional and reputable course provider should look like and how they should behave. They would then assess providers against this benchmark and determine if they met the necessary standards.

The accreditation mark would help customers make buying decisions when the time came to choose course providers. It would differentiate between those high-quality providers who were confident enough to have their services assessed by an independent provider and those less scrupulous companies which may not provide high quality or recognised TEFL courses.

What did accreditation mean?

Accreditation meant a provider had met minimum standards of quality, professionalism and honesty as set out in the code of conduct. To do this they had to meet the following criteria:

• Marketing material had to be clear and honest. It should be an accurate reflection of what each course contained. All pricing information would also have to be clearly communicated to the customers.

 

• Course structures should be clear and easy to follow. Students should be given a sequential modular structure with an element of peer to peer learning. Each student should be allowed to proceed at a reasonable pace without any unrealistic expectations placed upon them.

 

• Staff should be highly qualified and have at least three years’ experience teaching English as a foreign language. New hires should be given comprehensive training and given ample opportunity for further development within the organisation.

 

• The company should have a clear admissions policy and all students should be required to be competent in English. It should have an open and transparent working culture with a clear commitment to equal opportunities.

Only if providers met each of these standards were they awarded with the WTEFLAC accreditation mark. If students saw this, they could feel comfortable that this company was legitimate and provided a high-quality teaching experience, led by qualified teaching professionals which would lead to a valuable qualification. The course would give them all the knowledge they needed to pursue their professional aspirations.