All reviews must comply with TEFL Course Review’s SUBMISSION GUIDELINES.
The most common reasons we don’t publish a review are:
1. The review is already posted elsewhere on the web.
We don’t like reading duplicate content any more than prospective TEFL students do. If you’ve already posted on a review site, a course provider website, or a school’s social media page, please do not copy and paste the same review here. Thanks!
2. The review does not contain substantial information.
We are looking for specific examples of what you liked AND/OR did not like about the course. You don’t have to address every single criteria in-depth and we’re not asking for an essay, but by writing a few sentences that address at least one or two examples to support your opinions, your review will be more useful than a generic comment like “Liked the course. Great stuff!”.
- What did you appreciate most about the course content?
- What part of the course was least helpful?
- Did the quality of feedback help you or disappoint you?
- Did you receive feedback from one instructor or several? From peers?
- If the school offers job placement services, did this help you find a job?
- Why are you giving a high or low star rating for a given criteria?
- What is the overall school environment like: rushed, businesslike, supportive, friendly?
- If you could change one thing about the course, what would it be?
3. The reviewer did not complete the course.
We only publish reviews written by students who’ve completed the course in its entirety, or who are no longer registered in the course. If you’re part way through and intend to finish, wait until you’re done before reviewing.
4. The content posted is not a “review”.
We do not publish posts which are purely information requests, commentary about other reviews, complaints about classmates, general opinions about the TEFL industry or job market, reflections on the English language, letters to the school, biographies, thank yous, happy birthdays, or any other type of comment which is not a review of the course you have just completed.
5. We cannot determine with certainty that the review was submitted by the student herself/himself.
Please do not submit your review from the campus or school building where you took your course or using a shared computer. To prevent fraud, we err on the side of caution and do not publish reviews submitted from identical locations. We may also unpublish previously-approved reviews for the same reason.
6. The review contains inappropriate language.
“Inappropriate language” is interpreted broadly to include not only curse words, but also spelling and grammar errors that hinder comprehension, unprofessional commentary, as well as defamatory statements.
Language most often becomes an issue when reviewers are writing a negative review and their anger gets the best of them. To avoid having your review go unpublished, we recommend waiting a day or two and writing your review after you’ve cooled down. Stick to the facts of your experience and do not accuse any person or company of illegal or malicious activities.
For example, we could publish a criticism such as: “The school did not give me an adequate reason why my final score was so low”. But we cannot publish a review that says: “This school is a scam. They fail everyone they don’t like”.
If you truly believe the course provider is engaged in unlawful activity, please file a report with the appropriate local authorities and notify any organizations which have accredited the school in question.
Resolving disputes:
If a course provider disputes a review that has passed all of our submission guidelines and been published, we first temporarily remove that review. We then try to contact the reviewer and ask that he/she provides proof that they did in fact complete the course. If proof is provided, the review is republished. If we cannot make contact with the reviewer or if no proof is provided, the review remains unpublished.