Category Archives: British Council accreditation

Expect a flood of criminal TEFLers to a school near you

Posted on 27/08/2013 by alexcase

According to the EL Gazette all British Council inspected schools in the UK will need to conduct criminal record checks from 2014, so if the country or school you are in doesn’t insist on such checks a whole bunch of … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, EL Gazette | Tagged | 2 Comments

The end of accreditation?

Posted on 30/01/2010 by alexcase

A guest piece by Jason West of English Out There: “In my opinion accreditation is now an anachonism. The path that most ‘self-regulating’ accrediting bodies take is counter productive to their collective and continued good health. When you get a … Continue reading →

Posted in Accreditation UK, ARELS, British Council accreditation, TEFL in the UK | 5 Comments

A bit of TEFL justice

Posted on 08/05/2009 by alexcase

Paul Lowe and his former sidekick Ashley Arnold have been given fines, community service and (for Paul) a suspended sentence for the notorious time when Windsor Schools took money off students for a Trinity TESOL course knowing full well that … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, Dodgy TEFL courses, Dodgy TEFL school owners, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TEFL villains- Paul Lowe, Trinity, Trinity CertTESOL, Windsor Schools, Windsor TEFL | 7 Comments

How to really improve the standard of TEFL courses

Posted on 01/05/2009 by alexcase

The Guardian reports (uncritically, as ever when it comes to TEFL) on the setting up of yet another organisation meant to, apparently, boost the standards of TEFL in the UK- this one called The Association for the Promotion of Quality … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council, British Council accreditation, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, Dodgy TEFL courses, Guardian TEFL, links, Teacher training, TEFL, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL qualifications, TEFL scams, TESOL, Trinity, Trinity CertTESOL | 6 Comments

Why are EFL classes so cheap?

Posted on 24/03/2009 by alexcase

Not something I’d ever thought about, so instead of giving my usual instant opinions I am going to yet again break copyright law to quote the fabulous Melanie Butler, editor of EL Gazette, at length: “David Graddol argues that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Accreditation UK, British Council accreditation, EL Gazette, links, Oxford Street schools, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL heroes- Melanie Butler, TEFL in the UK | 16 Comments

TEFL by numbers Feb 2008

Posted on 05/02/2009 by alexcase

78 pounds How much capital you need to set up an English school in Ho Chi Minh City. Wouldn’t rush out there to set up your own, though, as there are already 474 (!) registered language schools there. At least … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, EL Gazette, Guardian TEFL, Oxford Street schools, Teaching English in Korea, Teaching English in Saudi Arabia, Teaching English in Vietnam, TEFL in the UK | Tagged | Leave a comment

TEFL joins the North South divide

Posted on 18/01/2009 by alexcase

“International House Newcastle – The only school in the North of England that is accredited by British Council” All the other school oop North were banned because of health and safety concerns with the presence of racing pigeons and whippets … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, International House, TEFL, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Interview- Jason West Dishes on Guardian Languages and Sets the TEFL World to Rights!

Posted on 04/01/2009 by alexcase

It’s a great interview, stimulating, controversial, and full of TEFL insider tidbits. So many ideas did the CEO of English Out There have, in fact, that it takes a good 10 minutes to read. Please feel free to leave questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative teaching techniques, British Council, British Council accreditation, Distance learning, EFL exams, ELT publishing, Guardian TEFL, Job security, Linguistics, applied linguistics and SLA, links, Materials, self employed TEFL teachers, Teaching English Abroad, Teaching methods and methodologies, teaching online, Technology, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL celebs/ TEFL heroes and villains, TEFL chains, TEFL in the UK, TEFL scams, TEFL working conditions, textbooks | Tagged | 9 Comments

Slogans for crappy English schools Part Three

Posted on 29/09/2008 by alexcase

96. “Sick of our dirty classrooms? Home lessons available for just 50% more!” 97. “And your thought only pizza delivery boys would travel all the way to your house！” 98. “Our 100th international branch right here in your town is … Continue reading →

Posted in British Council accreditation, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL in the UK | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

TEFL International's Bruce Velhuisen- Interview Part Two

Posted on 20/07/2008 by alexcase

TEFL International is not only often quoted as one of the largest TEFL training organisations (see the stats below), it is also almost certainly the one most likely to set off a firestorm by mentioning it on the internet- hence … Continue reading →

Posted in ARELS, Bell, British Council accreditation, Bruce Veldhuisen, Cambridge ESOL, CELTA, IATEFL, IATQUO, MA TESOL, Teacher associations, Teacher training, Teaching English Abroad, TEFL, TEFL career planning, TEFL certificate, TEFL in the UK, TEFL International, TEFL qualifications, TESOL | Tagged | 100 Comments