I got a reduced price when I went on the website using the chat box, but what they didn’t tell me was that this also meant I had only 6 months to complete the course, instead of a year. If I had also known how much reading there was I may not have agreed to it.

The modules have suggested self study answers which in 4 of them didn’t always correlate to the questions or just weren’t there. (see Module 2,3, 6 and 8).

The website itself never remembered me when I logged in and I clicked the box alot and changed browsers to see if that fixed it, but no!

I thought the further reading resources were a great idea, until I went through the list at the end of each module and found that so many of the links didn’t work, they no longer existed or those links hadn’t been updated either, one I noticed was from 2009! These lists are obviously not kept up to date!

I also found the course sexist with the use of some of their language, like the constant use of “business man”! And one reference to dealing with difficult students with a reference to “beauty queen”, this is inappropriate in 2025.

Mod 8 seemed disorganised in itself, asking you to answer questions in the forum without providing the link and then asking the same questions at the bottom of the module with a link.

There is also a question in their self study and quiz about BULATS, it asks you to find something out about them. Well I searched for them only to find that BULATS had been discontinued since 2019!

Whilst they warn you that this is not a Grammar course, I thought their grammar course was very basic. I used youtube to substitute my learning and will continue to in the future.

The quiz questions (there is a quiz at the end of each module) they are standard questions but many are written in the negative which seems weird, like they want to make you slip up. Sometimes they have nothing to do with the topic or ask at one point a question that they hadn’t taught me anything about! Some are also dependent on who or what you are teaching so there isn’t a yes or no answer.

The worst I can remember was in the Grammar quiz I was asked “do students like coursebooks?”, surely that is not a grammar question and indeed doesn’t have a simple answer.

Writing the lesson plan went well for me but I couldn’t help but wonder why you don’t get to try this earlier on in the course because as soon as you send it in, it is assessed and you may get marked down if it isn’t acceptable. Seems unnecessarily stern.

The one upside is that the trainer was very helpful and encouraging.

One thing that I think is missing if that they never teach you to evaluate your lesson. I always write down what works well, what didn’t and why surely this makes you a better teacher. I’m a trained Youth Worker and I was taught to do this after every session. I can’t imagine teachers don’t normally do this.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend this course to my worst enemy! It’s boring, and whilst it did give me some confidence by the time I got to module 2 after that I hated studying and doing this course. I just wanted to finish it and at times thought about giving up! I like teaching but this course made me feel like I never wanted to teach again!

The layout of the course was confusing and cumbersome. It wasn’t easy or intuitive, you had to open each “page” of material one by one. You couldn’t have to the next or anything like in other online material I have done.

They tell you only to contact your trainer when you submit your lesson plan, but when you do they message as though you are just starting the course. The turnaround d time on grading is painful, likely because it appears they only have one trainer (my fiance and I had the same one weeks apart). Putting the grade right on the certificate is so unnecessary when you have confusing questions and instructions. I say that as someone who passed with an A.

I wish I could go back in time and take my training elsewhere.

I thought there would be a little more engagement with the job search assistance or at least have an initial consultation where they look at your resume and try to place you, but they only send a list of companies that hire TESOL/TEFL instructors. Lastly, if you are going to take this course, be prepared to get your grade on your certificate for all to see! So if you got anything lower than a A-, there maybe some limitations landing a job.

The content is poorly written with mistakes that impair intelligibility and either written by someone with less than proficiency or level English or badly translated.

The training is flimsy, lacking in depth and detail. Some core content in the paid course is actually open source – YouTube and the British Council – which apart from being lazy and unprofessional raises ethical questions as to whether the sources are aware of this and being credited adequately.

Communication and customer support was poor and if I could give zero stars I would.

Theresa H.

I believe every email I sent I got some type of reply within 48 hrs.

I got my certificate but it was difficult to find initially because it went to my spam folder. My trainer told me to check my spam and there it was.

I haven’t tried their job placement yet but hope to in the very near future.