How to spot fake TEFL reviews

Reviews matter. They give consumers confidence that they’ll get what they pay for. Any company or service that puts its users at the heart of what they do will tell you that reviews are absolutely vital.

Much like we’ve tackled dodgy, discount TEFL courses and accreditation scams , it’s now time to turn our spotlight on another unethical practice within the industry: fake reviews.

Reviews ought to inform consumers about their choices and leave them with an honest view of how a company operates. Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous TEFL course providers out there who fake or manipulate this feedback in order to deceive consumers. This can leave excited prospective TEFL teachers disillusioned, ripped off and turned off teaching forever.

How can you identify a fake TEFL review from a real one? Let’s get into it.

Verified vs. unverified

With more unscrupulous companies than ever plying their wares online, the world of reviews can seem like the Wild West at times.

But reputable reviews sites will independently verify that reviews have come from real consumers. 

Sites like reviews.io and Trustpilot , for example, have processes for verifying reviews. Verified reviews on these platforms should clearly be tagged as such and you can trust that these come from genuine consumers. 

That doesn’t mean all unverified reviews are fake, but you should be cautious. The best way to find out if a TEFL course is worth doing is to read reviews from verified course graduates.  

What are the reviews about?

Pay attention to what a user is reviewing. Does it sound like they’ve actually completed a course? Do they mention the quality of the course content, the support their tutor gave them, and the overall learning experience?  

Or, is the review very vague? Does it read as if it could be written about a different product? 

Fake reviews are often non-specific and lack details you’d expect to find in a genuine review about a TEFL course. If a company has hundreds of 5-star reviews but very few of them seem to mention anything about the actual course, then that’s a major red flag. 

Similarly, if all of the reviews you come across talk about the experience a consumer has had with a salesperson then proceed with caution. This is a trick some companies use to inflate their reviews. The way it works is by funneling a large number of people who haven’t yet made a purchase to a reviews site, asking them to review their experience with the salesperson they talked to. 

A company can have a 5-star sales team and a 1-star product. So, make sure when you’re looking into a company’s reviews that you seek out reviews from verified customers who’ve actually done the course. That’s the insight that really matters. 

Bought reviews

If you Google “how to buy fake reviews” you’ll quickly realise that it’s a very easy thing to do. 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies out there selling fake reviews and the quality of their offerings can vary wildly. At the cheaper end of this market, the reviews aren’t very convincing and many consumers will be able to see through them. But, for those willing to spend more, fake reviews can be a lot harder to spot. 

It’s easier than ever to artificially inflate the reputation of a brand or product. Where these paid-for review services slip up, however, is in the breadcrumb trail they leave for eagle-eyed customers.

Here are a few signs that reviews have been bought:

• The content of the reviews is vague and not specific to a TEFL course
• The wording of the reviews are all unusually similar
• None of the reviews are verified
• Almost all of the reviews come from people from one single country. If the company is based in the USA, for example, but all of their reviews come from people in India or an African country, that is often a sign that they’ve paid a service for fake reviews. 
• Most of the reviews are from people who’ve only reviewed that company

Legitimacy is everything when it comes to reviews, so knowing how to spot the fake from the genuine is so important when choosing a TEFL course provider. It’s not just our industry; paid-for reviews are, sadly, everywhere.

How to spot a genuine TEFL course provider

So, now you know how to spot some of the red flags, what are the green ones? How can you tell if a TEFL course provider is reputable and genuine? 

Here are some things to look out for when it comes to TEFL course providers.

Accreditation

There is no overarching accrediting body for TEFL course providers. That’s partly the reason why there are so many dodgy practices out there! 

Good TEFL course providers are accredited by a variety of recognised bodies, such as Ofqual in the UK and the DEAC in the USA. For more about the differences between good and bad accreditation, read our article about why it matters . 

Verified reviews

As we’ve already covered, if a TEFL course provider is genuine, you’ll be able to find plenty of reviews from verified course graduates. 

Testimonials

Can you see that people used their TEFL qualification to teach abroad or online?

For example, you can read what our graduates have got up to on our blog and listen to interviews on our podcast . 

Tutors 

If you’re going to do a course, whether that’s in person or online, you want to be confident that you’re learning from industry experts. For the best learning experience, you should have a dedicated tutor with you from start to end. Someone you can reach out to with questions and get feedback from as you work through your course. 

Here at The TEFL Org we’re really proud of our great team of tutors - head on over to our tutor page to learn more about them. 

Social media

Is the company active on social media? And if so, how long have they been using it? If it hasn’t been very long then be wary. 

What does the future look like?

It’s not just us that have noticed the scourge of fake reviews. It’s a form of fraud, and as such, government agencies around the world are clamping down. The UK government announced in January 2024 they’d be introducing a range of measures against fake reviews, while the USA’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced their plans to curb fake reviews back in June 2023.

Hopefully, actions like these will root out bogus reviews and make it easier for consumers to make informed choices. In terms of TEFL course providers, there are obvious workarounds: companies can register in countries where laws against fake reviews don’t apply. Or they can find more sophisticated ways of hiding how fake the reviews are.

The hope is, though, that through raising awareness, consumers will be able to see through these shoddy, unethical business practices. Worldwide, we’ve seen consumers get wise to a range of scams over the decades ; fake reviews are one of the latest, and won’t be the last.

When it comes to looking at reviews, understand the warning signs and trust your gut. 

Start your TEFL journey right by signing up for a course with a company you can trust. One that focuses its time on delivering a great learning experience instead of faking reviews to fool you into thinking it does!

We talk the talk, and we walk the walk: read our verified reviews from real customers on our reviews.io .