A Guide to TEFL Accrediting Bodies:
Which Ones Are Real, and Which Are Selling You a Membership Badge?
TEFL training is one of the least regulated industries in the world — And there is no single global body that governs it, and many “accreditors” you’ll see advertised are just paid membership directories with no government recognition behind them. A course is only meaningfully accredited if its accrediting body is itself recognized by a government, education ministry, or regulator (like the UK’s Ofqual or the US Department of Education) — not just a private company selling logos.
If you’re researching TEFL or TESOL courses, you’ve probably seen the terms “accredited” or “internationally recognized” being bandied about and wondered, which ones matter to get hired online or abroad?
But here’s the truth, as we’ve covered many times, TEFL training is by and large the most unregulated industry, which is quiet concerning. Considering you are teaching children it seems a vast number of courses are popping up daily.
When you have decided which TEFL/TESOL course provider that’ll give you your money’s worth and in our case a guaranteed Job at the end. Make sure the accreditation meets with approval from higher education approval and one that gets your resume to the top of the pile. And another step closer to landing your dream job teaching English abroad or online.
There are dozens of so-called TEFL accreditation bodies that seem like they are legitimate, but over the last decade, I have found many to be useless or even just paid membership bodies. The root of the problem is there is no single one official accrediting body governing TEFL courses in operation worldwide. And in some cases Governments accredit courses in their own countries and that’s all they will accept.
Some accreditations seems to offer some level of quality assurance but one way to check the quality of a TEFL course, is to check that it offers some practical teaching skills. A growing number of countries are now looking at practical teaching skills as part of the course and although some say 6 hours is acceptable, 20 hours is the requirement in other countries and for you to be able to show you have experience teaching and it’s not just all theory and therefore, gets your CV at least looked at and maybe to the top of the pile.
How do I check if a TEFL accreditor is legitimate?
Look for two things:
- Government recognition — is this accreditor listed by a real regulator (Ofqual in the UK, the US Department of Education, a national charity commission, etc.), not just on its own website?
- Practical teaching hours — a growing number of countries require hands-on teaching practice as part of the course, not just theory. Requirements range from around 6 hours up to 20 hours depending on the country. More practical hours means a stronger CV and better odds of getting noticed by employers.
If an “accreditor” only exists as its own directory — with no independent government or regulator listing it — treat it as a marketing badge, not a qualification.
Written by Debra Mann — TEFL/IELTS teacher and founder of TEFL Freedom, spent over decade investigating TEFL accreditation providers directly. Last verified: 20th Aug 2027
Here is a list of TEFL/TESL/TESOL accrediting bodies
| Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training | USA | ACCET Member Institution Directory | ACCET is recognized by the US Department of Education. | USDE List of Institutional Accrediting Agencies |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| ACTDEC | Accreditation Council for TESOL Distance Education Courses | UK | ACTDEC Members | ACTDEC is a UK registered private limited company. | UK Companies House Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| BAC | British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education | UK | BAC Directory | BAC is a UK registered charity. | UK Charity Commission Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| British Council | UK | British Council Accredited Centres | The British Council is a UK registered charity and non-departmental public body. | UK Charity Commission Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| Cambridge Assessment English | A division of Cambridge Assessment / University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES). | UK | Cambridge Teaching Centres | Cambridge Assessment is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual. | Ofqual Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| DEAC | Distance Education Accrediting Commission | USA | DEAC Approved Providers | DEAC is an American national career-related accrediting organization recognized by CHEA and by the US Department of Education. | USDE List of Institutional Accrediting Agencies |
| CHEA Directory of Accreditors |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| IATQuO | International Accreditation of TESOL Qualifying Organisations | UK | IATQUO Accredited Centres | IATQuO is a UK registered private limited company. | UK Companies House Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| ODLQC | Open & Distance Learning Quality Council | UK | ODLQC Accredited Providers | ODLQC is a UK registered charity. | UK Charity Commission Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| Qualifi | Qualifi Ltd | UK | Qualifi Qualifications | Qualifi is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual. | Ofqual Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| SQA | Scottish Qualifications Authority | UK | SQA’s TESOL page does not list accredited centres. Contact SQA directly. | SQA is sponsored by the Scottish Government’s Learning Directorate and recognized by Ofqual. | Ofqual Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| TESL Canada | TESL Canadian Educational Foundation | Canada | TESL Canada Recognized Programs | The TESL Canadian Educational Foundation is a charity registered in Canada. | Canada Revenue Agency’s List of Charities |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| TQUK | Training Qualifications UK Ltd | UK | TQUK Approved Training Centres | TQUK is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual. | Ofqual Register |
| Accreditor | Full Name | Country | Accreditor’s Membership Directory | Regulation | Government Directory |
| Trinity College London | UK | Trinity-Validated Course Providers | Trinity College London is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual. | Ofqual Register |
THESE COURSES ARE NOT ACCREDITED!
Unaccredited certificate
Free online courses or training, such as Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of Participation, or Certificate of Accomplishment.
Examples, courses from: https://support.italki.com/hc/en-us/articles/206352058-How-do-I-become-a-Professional-Teacher-What-are-the-requirements-for-certificates
Unaccredited certificate
Free online courses or training, such as Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of Participation, or Certificate of Accomplishment.
Examples, courses from: https://support.italki.com/hc/en-us/articles/206352058-How-do-I-become-a-Professional-Teacher-What-are-the-requirements-for-certificates
Unaccredited certificate
Free online courses or training, such as Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of Participation, or Certificate of Accomplishment.
Examples, courses from: https://support.italki.com/hc/en-us/articles/206352058-How-do-I-become-a-Professional-Teacher-What-are-the-requirements-for-certificates
I think its only fair we warn people that i-to-i TEFL is no longer a good company to go with. It went bankrupt 2 years ago and was then bought out by Learn Direct – Many people have not received their Certificates 2 posts to read – https://www.facebook.com/groups/TEFLteachingcommunity/posts/1201207401235744/
And the updated post https://www.facebook.com/groups/TEFLteachingcommunity/posts/1205298677493283
Unaccredited certificate
Free online courses or training, such as Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of Participation, or Certificate of Accomplishment.
Examples, courses from: https://support.italki.com/hc/en-us/articles/206352058-How-do-I-become-a-Professional-Teacher-What-are-the-requirements-for-certificates
The lack of a website should be a giveaway! So its impossible to see if its accredited which I highly doubt as there is no website and it looks like its just another free course wasting your time! Based in South Africa
Unaccredited certificate
Free online courses or training, such as Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of Participation, or Certificate of Accomplishment.
Examples, courses from: https://support.italki.com/hc/en-us/articles/206352058-How-do-I-become-a-Professional-Teacher-What-are-the-requirements-for-certificates
No — this is flagged as a scam. It’s a tick-box course with zero practicum. It claims accreditation via “iaTEFL,” but is not actually a member of that body.
Not fully. It claims accreditation through ACCREDITAT, which is only a membership body, not a recognized accreditor. It does offer 20 hours of practical teaching, which is a genuine positive relative to others on this list.
No — multiple red flags: no verifiable accreditation body, a Chinese-operated site claiming a Chicago address, and language soliciting “business to business bulk buying,” which is inconsistent with a genuine training provider.
No. It claims “Internationally Recognized Accreditation” via ACCREDITAT (not a recognized accreditor) and claims UKLRP registration (10089441), which is not a recognized TEFL accreditation. Its certificate-authentication tool has also been found not to work, meaning certificates can’t be verified — which can prevent visa/work-permit issuance.
No. Claims accreditation via ACCREDITAT (a paid membership, not an accreditor) and offers no practical teaching component.
No. It’s a free course claiming ACCREDITAT accreditation (a paid membership, not a recognized accreditor) with no real training component.
Unaccredited certificate
Free online courses or training, such as Certificate of Achievement, Certificate of Participation, or Certificate of Accomplishment. No. Same unaccredited free/participation-certificate category as ALISON, Coursera, etc.
Examples, courses from: https://support.italki.com/hc/en-us/articles/206352058-How-do-I-become-a-Professional-Teacher-What-are-the-requirements-for-certificates
Just going onto their website should tell you to stay clear of this TEFL
Visions TEFL course accreditation, licensing, recognition, and endorsements are through organizations here in Thailand where our center is located which are themselves recognized and accredited by governments to perform those roles. We do not seek accreditation from self-appointed accreditation organizations, or any organizations that do not have accrediting functions, and which can only provide peer endorsement’
No. The provider explicitly states on its own site that it does not seek accreditation from established accrediting organizations, relying instead on local Thailand-based recognition it describes itself. Treat this as a red flag.
World TESOL Academy No. Claims accreditation via ACCREDITAT and CPD, but the CPD listing was last updated in March 2021 and has not been updated since — indicating it is not an active, maintained accreditation.
Questions about a provider not listed here? Book a call or ask in our 80,000+ member Facebook community.