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![American Tesol Institute [ATI]](/images/business/45h/106654/106654.jpg)
The American TESOL Institute is a scam organisation claiming to be an American Based company when in actual fact it is run by an Indian company in Kolkata, India who also sometimes operate from Thailand. Their head office address in Tampa, Florida is nothing more than a mailing address operated by Regus. The USA 1800 number sometimes directs to an Indian gentleman in India or Thailand who has a very strong Indian accent. In most cases, it directs to an answering machine. As well as the website http://www.www.americantesol.com they also operate http://www.tesolcoursethailand.com
The company claims to be a reputable American Training Institute when in fact they are no more than a website running TESOL/TEFL courses in hotel meeting rooms. Their TEFL/TESOL certificates carry no international accreditation or moderation, but their cleverly chosen name fools students into thinking they are enrolling on some sort of 'American Body Certified Course'. They also claims to be an ISO certified company which cannot be verified by ISO.
Stay clear of this cleverly disguised company!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
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I did their course in Bangkok and would agree with a lot of what the original poster says. But more importantly, they connected me with a teaching agency in Thailand (based in Lopburi) which scammed me by putting a fake visa stamp in my passport which saw me locked in a Thai prison for three weeks (min. sentence for the "crime" was two years). Needless to say, it was the worst experience of my life. Everyone needs to know about this and be wary of the American TESOL Institute.
I’ve also got a terrible experience with them. I did one incorrect payment do them accidentally and wanted a refund. Called quite a few times and emailed them twice. Endless requirements of my name and email and phone number but never got a single word from them. Still dealing with them about my refund. Struggling and mad🤬
Thank you i almost fell for this scam .No wonder they didn't respond to emails.
I am about to enroll for a 120 hour in-class for TEFL/TESOL in American Tesol Institute, Kolkata.
I am still confused is americantesol.com/ americantesol.in the same. I called the Kolkata branch and they claim to be genuine and says that the certificate is directly sent from US.
Anyone who has taken training from Kolkata, India? Need clarification immediately.
Hello Calvin, Thank you for your interest in American TESOL Institute of Florida. The director in India is Poulomi Chatterjee who can be reached through americantesol.in
Hi,
While reading the text on this page about the American TESOL institute - I got worried because they have branches in the
Philippines too. Also, I was browsing all the TEFL courses offered in the Philippines and I feel like enrolling a TEFL course from this
company.
Did you finish your TEFL/TESOL course at ATI? Then, was the experience? HAve you received your certificate now? Is this really certified?
Your answers/comments will be highly appreciated.
Thank you very much.
I paid $600 for the TESOL Expert program. They said they would send an e-mail with instructions to login to the virtual learning center. They processed my payment immediately but never let me log in. They sent an e-mail that said "use this key to log in to the virtual learning center" but there is no link and nowhere to enter the key. The e-mail also said to contact the site administrator if I had any problems but there was no contact information for the "site administrator" and no link to find any way to contact said person. I tried calling the number on the website and it just kept sending me to a no name voicemail box. It took literally 5 seconds for this company to steal $600 from me. I have no way of using the account that I tried to set up when I paid. They took the money and sent me absolutely nothing--not even a legitimate way of contacting someone to ask questions. I would also like to point out that the threat from the person claiming to be a lawyer was clearly empty as the complaint was never removed from this site. Not to mention, it reads like it was written by a high school kid. I intend to fight for a refund. If I don't get it, these people are thieves. Do not let them scam you!
What this person wrote happened to be VERBATIM. They are a scam - June 2019
Thank you guys, you saved me, I was planning to joint Tesol in Thailand and now after reading these reviews, I will not even think of joining this institute.
Note regarding Michael Wascom:
I am a former California Bar member (no longer active so I have no present bar affiliation and therefore no need to use state bar number), and I can say that if Mr. Wascom is the "attorney" for American TESOL he should have listed which state his bar membership is in, listed his active bar number (for verification), and given an address and telephone number. Failure to do so should raise red flags.
Caveat Emptor.
I am not sure if its a scam. I had a terrible experience . Teacher was incompetent and a racist.(Anamika mukherjee) She obviously hasn't seen a white man before. She did not treat the students properly and she did not grade the students properly. The study environment was pathetic. These guys don't reveal where the course locations till you pay!. If i had known this i would have never joined. They think they can take 50000 rupees from us and treat students however they please. I have my entire batch. who would support and testify to this.
Tesol india (Kolkata/ bangalore) has incompetent and racist teacher. I am disgusted with their behaviour to students. I have entire batch to support and prove this to you. I had a terrible experience. If i had known about this earlier i would have never joined.
https://coraweb.sos.la.gov/CommercialSearch/CommercialSearchDetails.aspx?CharterID=657173_XYB42
The above website showing them being as legit. I did a search using the information the lawyer provided.
I also want to know the truth as i was planning to apply
for some courses . plz tell me guys
I want to know the truth. Is The American TESOL Institute real or not?
I'd stay clear of them. I was stupid and gave them the benefit of the doubt--I gave them my money, received an email that I had registered. Well, I never got the key code for the class. When I called in, the lady who gave it to me gave me a non-functioining one. So, then I did the Live Chat with Paul Jameson. When I told him the key code didn't work, he stopped responding. So, I waited 20 minutes, closed the chat, and tried to start a new one. Lo and behold, they were offline. So, I went to their FB page because they said that on June 27, 2019, they were going to hold a faceboook Live on their page. Oh, my lucky day, someone was perhpas going to pay attention via social media. No luck there also. I filed a complain with the BBB, I'm working through PayPal to get my money back, and I've initiated a complain through the Attorneys General for the state of Fl and NC --I'm hoping that since they sell to people over the internet in NC--our AG will also investigate. This is my experience, take from it what you will.
I am wondering how this worked out? I noticed that the BBB in tampa gave them an A... There was only one complaint and it seemed to be resolved. Are there any more complaints since the one listed from 6/11?
Michael, did file a law suite against Michelle ?
June 14, 2011
Dear Complaints Board,
I am Michael W. Wascom, attorney and registered agent for American Tesol Institute, Inc, an active Florida corporation, Charter # N07000011429.
We are writing to demand that Complaints Board remove the libelous and scurrilous posting by Michelle Ramos, to the effect that"...The American TESOL Institute is a scam organisation claiming to be an American Based company when in actual fact it is run by an Indian company in Kolkata, India who also sometimes operate from Thailand ...". The allegations are completely baseless and false.
We demand that Complaints Board remove this posting from your website by close of business today, 5 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Please confirm that you have done so by email to me at the address posted above.
If you fail to do so, we will pursue legal recourse against you that is available to us.
American Tesol Institute is a wholly-own subsidiary corporation of AMERICAN TESOL, INC., an active Louisiana Corporation, Charter # [protected] D.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely-Michael Wascom,
Attorney American Tesol Institute, Inc.
Michael Wacom, I had shot three to four emails about my problem and had also dropped numerous voice messages. Never ever heard anything from your institute.
Your Indian office lady communicated awesome until I completed my certification. Thereafter, offered a freelance English trainer job and after few days no communication. Tried to reach her no response. My last name has been wrongly printed on the certificates. No job placement assistants. Wasted my precious time and hard earned money.