TEFL Online Pro
reviews and complaints

I am writing to respond to the false accusations made toward me and my TEFL Reviews website.

The accusations made against me and trustedteflreviews.com are incorrect.

Trusted TEFL Reviews is an independent TEFL Reviews website.

It was established by myself and a few other teachers that live and work in Vienna, Austria (Europe).

We are all English teachers.

The motivation behind establishing Trusted TEFL Reviews was to provide people with a non-biased reviews website where they would be able to read verified customer reviews and then make up their own minds about which TEFL/TESOL certification course they felt suited them best.

I understand first-hand the frustrating and stressful process of choosing a TEFL company to take the certification with.

Trusted TEFL Reviews was birthed from this frustration and stress.

I would like to make note that the majority of TEFL companies do (mostly) follow and stick to better business practices.

This, for Trusted TEFL Reviews, means that they take negative customer reviews for the constructive criticism that they almost always are intended to be.

There are, though, a few notable TEFL companies that have tried to gain an unfair advantage by trying to have fake (positive) reviews of their company published on Trusted TEFL Reviews.

Three companies in particular spring to mind:

ESLinsider

MyTEFL

TTA The TEFL Academy

Some other TEFL companies are no angels either, but the poor business practices of ESLinsider, MyTEFL, and TTA The TEFL Academy really does stand out from the crowd. You could say that they are award-winning in this category.

All three of these companies have had multiple reviews of their TEFL program denied publication because of alarming red flags.

All three of these companies appeared to take this backlash as a personal affront to their company.

My understanding is that they were so used to having their reviews published automatically on other TEFL Reviews websites that our verification steps were a complete shock to them.

The fake reviews kept filling up my email Inbox and we had little choice other than to issue a public warning notice on the Trusted TEFL Reviews website- exposing these three companies for their continued pattern of fake-review behavior.

I only planned to have the warnings showing on the website for a few weeks because I thought that would have prevented any further abuse of the review submission process.

How wrong I was!

What followed was months, turning into years, of online abuse directed at Trusted TEFL Reviews and me.

ESLinsider was the first.

It is a one-man-show business that has been run to the ground by its owner, Ian Patrick Leahy.

MyTEFL was next, and TTA The TEFL Academy joined the defamation party from March 2021 onwards.

MyTEFL and TTA The TEFL Academy just regurgitate what ESLinsider wrote.

I wasn’t really up on the TEFL gossip at the time that Ian began writing false accusations about me and my reviews website, so at first, I did actually wonder if ESLinsider was an industry expert. The name sort of implies it.

Of course, I did my due diligence into ESLinsider and I discovered that he had/has a long history of attacking TEFL review websites, attacking TEFL accreditation websites, and attacking his TEFL company business competitors.

It appears that he does this to attract free advertising for his TEFL program.

I immediately understood that I wasn’t dealing with a TEFL expert at all.

Instead, I was dealing with a conman.

In fact, having read some of his articles and having watched some of his YouTube videos, I discovered that Ian is in no way qualified or experienced enough to even run a TEFL certification program. He didn’t finish college, he took a dirt-cheap TEFL course, he has very limited knowledge of TEFL, and (if the rumors are true) he is not exactly Bill Gates when it comes to managing his and his customers’ finances.

MyTEFL is also run by one individual- Ben Glickman.

TTA The TEFL Academy is (sigh) also run by one individual- Thomas Gibbons.

So out of all the TEFL companies listed on Trusted TEFL Reviews, I only have had major issues with three TEFL companies, and these three TEFL companies are each run by a head honcho that can’t take criticism.

It is, therefore, no wonder that ESLinsider, MyTEFL, and TTA The TEFL Academy have reacted in the way that they have- taking the rejection of the publication of a review of their company personal and then reacting in a very unprofessional and completely uncalled for way.

Instead of just ignoring the warnings that I had written about them, and instead of encouraging their TEFL graduates to submit real reviews for inclusion on Trusted TEFL Reviews, all three TEFL companies responded with a smear campaign- just as they have done in this thread on this public complaints website.

TTA The TEFL Academy has really gone the extra mile by having one of its employees (Caitriona Maria McTiernan) establish a website aimed specifically at promoting its TEFL courses and spreading false information about Trusted TEFL Reviews.

Now that is dedication!

Some of the false accusations written about me:

I am not Mia Williams.

Trusted TEFL Reviews is operated by a TEFL company.

I write all of the reviews on Trusted TEFL Reviews.

1. Just like any other individual, I am entitled to my personal privacy and I don’t expect to be harassed.

I do use my real first name, but I am not going to allow people like Ian, Ben, and Thomas to know my real full name.

I don’t know how they managed it, but Caitriona Maria found out where I live in Vienna and she wrote me a threatening email.

You can read all about this in the latest TTA The TEFL Academy post on Trusted TEFL Reviews.

2. I co-own and co-run Trusted TEFL Reviews.

None of us have any connections whatsoever with any of the TEFL programs that we have listed on the Trusted TEFL Reviews website.

The two TEFL companies that have been falsely accused of owning and running Trusted TEFL Reviews are TEFL Online Pro and OISE University of Toronto TEFL.

These are the 1st and 2nd top-rated TEFL programs on Trusted TEFL Reviews, so I assume that the false claims are just sour grapes on the part of TEFL programs positioned lower down in the TEFL course food chain.

3. To claim that I, or one of my colleagues, writes the reviews on Trusted TEFL Reviews is just so absurd and I highly doubt anyone believes such nonsense anyway.

If ESLinsider, MyTEFL, and The TEFL Academy would only have their graduates write a real review of their TEFL Course experience then all of this mess could be avoided.

The fact that they haven’t done this, that they have, instead, chosen to try and convince readers that Trusted TEFL Reviews is biased and not trustworthy, is a poor sign that they, instead, choose to try and cover up their bad customer reviews and is a possible indicator that the reviews they have on other TEFL Reviews websites are questionable in terms of their authenticity.

I see there is also a lot of hate directed at TEFL Online Pro, and that TEFL Online Pro is experiencing similar smear campaigns and fake accusation attacks.

TEFL Online Pro (teflonlinepro.com) has won the Teachers’ Choice Award three years in a row- 2019, 2020, and 2021.

It is the top-rated TEFL program on Trusted TEFL Reviews.

Is this because I have a preference for them over other TEFL companies? No, of course not.

TEFL Online Pro is a three-time winner and currently the top-rated TEFL program because its TEFL customers think so and vote for TEFL Online Pro and write positive feedback about their experience with this company.

TEFL Online Pro is not a scam, just as Trusted TEFL Reviews is not a scam.

Oh, and I have FaceTimed with the TEFL Online Pro team three times now (after each time an award was won) and I have seen their team and their school offices.

I also had the opportunity to have a few minutes of FaceTime with Paul Murphy, the Operations Manager at TEFL Online Pro.

I think that public complaints websites definitely have a purpose on the internet.

They are a valuable medium with which to expose dishonest people and dishonest companies.

But, they can also be abused and I see that this complaints thread has been completely abused.

The thread was begun by ESlinsider (it is his MO) and MyTEFL and TTA The TEFL Academy have chimed in also anonymously.

All three are unaccredited; meaning they are not obliged to adhere to strict accreditation codes of conduct.

TEFL Online Pro, btw, is fully accredited and has to adhere to strict accreditation codes of conduct.

I can only see one complaint that might be authentic, written by a TEFL Online Pro customer (perhaps) who it appears wasn’t satisfied with the course content, having just completed half of the course.

Does that warrant a claim of “scam!”? No, not at all.

I would wager that the person only wrote their complaint because they had read the other false complaints, written by ESLinsider, MyTEFL, and TTA The TEFL Academy, and believed their false narrative.

IMO the person should have left a review on Trusted TEFL Reviews.

That way, their complaint would have been a verified review.

Not everyone can be satisfied with literally every product or service.

That’s one of the reasons why Trusted TEFL Reviews is such a popular TEFL Reviews website.

Thank you for reading this response and thank you to everyone who takes the time out to write a TEFL Course review and submit it to Trusted TEFL Reviews

Mia Williams - trustedteflreviews.com

Which Online TEFL? Verified TEFL TESOL certification course reviews, written by real people.

I would like to chime in because this thread has been hijacked by ESLinsider and The TEFL Academy (TTA).

I ran ITTP for ten years and in that time ITTP graduated hundreds of TEFL students.

ITTP was not a scam.

Every on-site TEFL program has one or two really bad groups, and, unfortunately, ITTP had one or two really bad groups toward the end of its operating.

Yes, TEFL students were charged more than the going long-term rate for accommodation.

ITTP was a business and accommodation was an additional revenue stream for ITTP.

However, the accommodation was short-term and located bang in the centre of Prague.

Given its location and short-term aspect, it still represented good value for money.

Anyway, that was over ten years ago now so I'm not going to get into another dialogue about how many people shared a toilet in 2011.

What I would like to address is how this thread has been hijacked by ESLinsider and The TEFL Academy (TTA).

Both TEFL programs have dragged my name through the mud in a precise attempt at character assassination.

ESLinsider and The TEFL Academy have used ridiculous usernames in this thread to post defamatory content.

I have never run a TEFL reviews website.

ITTP was not a scam.

I would advise Rhyan O'Sullivan and Thomas Gibbons, the business owner and operations manager, to prepare for a Cease and Desist letter from my lawyer, followed by a Pre-Court Notice.

You can't character-assassinate someone and expect there to be no consequences.

Regarding Ian Patrick Leahy from ESLinsider, he lives in New Hampshire and is protected by aggressive free-speech laws.

As legal action against him would likely bear no fruit, please allow me to fill you in on his details:

Ian Patrick Leahy runs the ESLinsider TEFL program. It is an unaccredited TEFL program and Ian has been accused of defrauding his customers.

Trusted TEFL Reviews (which I do not own or run) exposed Ian for defrauding his customers and Ian gradually lost business because of it.

This resulted in Ian having to leave Japan, where he was living, and move back in with his mum in New Hampshire.

How has Ian earned a living since?

He still runs the ESLinsider TEFL program; hoping that once in a while he will have someone sign up and pay.

He spent a few years trying to carve a new identity online by reviewing snowboarding equipment, which was convenient because he has been working manual jobs on ski slopes for the past two years.

Currently, Ian is in Oregon where he is completing his summer work on the slopes.

I tracked down his unofficial Reddit profiles and noticed that he was asking about illegal job (visa-free) opportunities in Chile and New Zealand.

I took it upon myself to contact the authorities of both countries to let them know.

Thank you for your time.

Neville David Thomas

Thank you for providing us with the opportunity of explaining our side to the story. Our official response to Mr Kyle Joseph Britto's online comments can be viewed here:

https://medium.com/@ITTPTEFLOnline/is-ittp-tefl-online-a-scam-3bb5c826c253

Anyone with any questions or comments should please feel free to contact me directly, using the email address listed below.

Thank you for your time.

Neville David Thomas
Online Managing Director

ITTP: International Tefl Tesol Program
web: http://www.tefl-tesol-online.com
Email: web@tefl-tesol-online.com
Skype: ITTPrague

So many anonymous reviewers, all stating the same complaint and in the same writing style LOL.
ittp don't run residential courses anymore so i guess your poor attempt at trying to defame this school has backfired.
i completely agree with Casey's review, as a ittp tefl online graduate myself.
I'll be happy to set the record straight too if anyone is interested in learning the truth from a real graduate of the ittp program.
seeemilyplay1982@gmail.com
(also available on skype. email me for my skype id).
emily.

I try not to sign up for boards like this, but my experience at ITTP was so aggressively negative that I took the time for this. I did, at the time I looked into the course, check the review sites to confirm that ITTP was legitimate. I didn't find any negative reviews of the company anywhere, and only one positive review that, in hindsight, was probably Neville, considering what seems to be his style of writing ridiculously long response posts. As you can see him doing in the comment section above (and no doubt below) this post, under various aliases.

I should have known better, but you live and you learn.

As Burngirl stated above, the instructors in the courses are quite friendly and effective. They provided me with a very solid review of my English grammar skills, and even some insight on in-class teaching. I imagine there is no risk to taking the online course, for this reason. (although the person above who is still waiting for their certifications two months later may disagree)

However, it is the on site course with "accommodations" where you run the risk. To state it flatly, the accommodations are a scam. Flat out, no nuance, scam, run directly by Neville. You will be heavily overcharged for your room, and then when you leave, he will hit you with a "cleaning" charge that will blow you out of the water. If you do not pay this charge, he will keep the money you already paid him for the course and the housing, and hold your certification hostage until you give in. Being young, and a foreigner in the country, you will have very little legal recourse, and he knows it.

Avoid this company. Prague is a beautiful city with lots of other options for getting your certification. Find a better one than this. Companies prefer CELTA certifications these days anyway. I have yet to meet an employer who didn't ask me to explain what a TEFL Certification was, and when I did, they invariably said "Oh, it's like a CELTA." Just get the CELTA.

I won't be coming back to check on this review or responding to whatever comment Neville or his aliases post here, ITTP is far in the rear view in my life, and my career long ago left behind the need for a TEFL certificate, but for those of you just starting out, I hope you get a chance to read this and you heed the warnings you've been given here. Best of luck in your future pursuits, teachers!

I just completed the ITTP TEFL Online 100 hour Integrative Online course and I never experienced any of the issues outlined in the above thread. To be quite honest I laughed out loud to myself when I read them because they are obviously fabricated by someone who has it in for the company. Anyone considering ITTP for their online TEFL course can feel free to contact me via email if you want to hear from someone who actually paid and took their course:

Casey.Packwood@outlook.com
I will be happy to set the record straight.

For the record, here is my ITTP course review which I recently submitted:

I just completed the ITTP TEFL Online 100 hour Integrative Online course and here is my feedback.

I do just want to add that I took the course on the back of a friend who took the course previously, so ITTP for me wasn?t a complete blind experience.

Positives: The application procedure went very smoothly. I felt the application form questions were relevant and it only took a few days between submitting the application form online and being accepted to the course, with plenty of communication from the ITTP admin in between. There was a slight hiccup making my payment, but this was the fault of my bank and not ITTP (I didn?t know that my bank has in place an automatic block when I try and make an overseas payment). Very reassuring was that within 24 hours of my payment made I received my welcome email package from ITTP, together with my login password for the course. Communication was always prompt and professional. The course itself was very good and much more in depth than I had initially expected and made me realize all the complexities of teaching English to someone who had little or no English language skills. Logically thought out and very easy to follow (for someone like me especially who doesn?t have a lot of online study experience). My online tutor (Joe) was very attentive and helped me through any difficult sections of the course with helpful prompts. Received my certificate at the end of the course and this was a satisfactory certificate for my employer where I now teach English full-time. I thought it might be useful to ask ITTP for a reference letter in the case that I might change jobs in future and this wasn?t an issue for the ITTP admin.

Negatives: It transpires that I paid more for the course than my friend, because Matt applied and paid when they were running a course discount. I knew nothing of this and felt a little gutted that my course cost $100 more than his did (both receiving exactly the same course and services). Also, I felt that at times the course relied too much on intuitive knowledge and in particular in Module 5 I had to ask my tutor many times for his help and support to get through the module. Admittedly I did only come across this wall in the 5th module. I found this module very difficult and I breathed a huge lug of air when I completed it and progressed to Module 6. My tutor was a star, but communication at the weekends was a bit hit and miss.

Overall I can definitely recommend the ITTP TEFL Online course and the certificate has served me well. I know I can contact ITTP at any time for further support and this for me is worth its weight in gold. Just watch out for that 5th Module! :)

Casey P.

I have done an online TEFL course with ITTP based on the good reviews I read on http://tefl-reviews.com/, and the site doesn't even exist anymore.
I completed my short track course April 25th and transferred my certificate issue fee, and they got back to me saying they will issue my certificate with the next batch. However, as of right now, June 16th, it still hasn't arrived. The contact person keeps saying in reply to my emails "Yes, sometimes the certificates can take a bit of time. ", although it's hard to call almost two months a bit! It took me twice as little to do the course! And it's not even going to be a paper certificate, just an electronic copy. How can it possibly take 2 months to create a pdf document for 1 person?
If ITTP is so proud of their customer service, they could take a bit of an effort.
Anastasia K.

I’m wondering whether this is a joke because I paid and took my ITTP
Online course and very recently received my certificate and without any
of the issues described above.
I did take their combined online course, not their residential onsite course.
To be quite frank I am a very satisfied customer of ITTP.
Is it possible the above posters are somehow connected with a competitive school? Or maybe you have school names mixed up?
ITTP.
Not ITTT or ITTO.
ITTP are awesome.
Take care, Lukas

i couldn't help add my 2 cents worth because i read these posts when i was choosing my tesl course and i found that all this negative bombing of tesl schools helps absolutely nobody in the process. for what it is worth, i enjoyed my ittp tesl course experience. i wouldn't rate it a 10, but a 7 or 8 out of 10 would feel at about the right level for me, and i am not a walk-over type of person. for me it was just a course and an opportunity to experience Prague and meet a group of awesome classmates and it did this for me. i ended up teaching in Thailand on a cliche section of beach so i can attest that the certification offered by ittp is worth it's weight and i genuinely was impressed with their post course job assistance program. hey, it helped me get my slightly higher than moderately paid cliche English teaching job by the sea! overall i'd definitely recommend the investment in this course, but my advice is just don't travel to Prague and think ittp will do absolutely everything for you. They take care of you, but somethings you gotta do yourself [naturally].
i'm happy to answer any questions prospective students might have
cathy.brooke@home.in.th
Catherine.