Thank you for posting this detailed warning about a prominent chain of English language schools in Portugal.

This entire thread illuminates why I have passed on several offers to teach English overseas. I don't really know - outside of working in an elite university and/or visiting the campus/school first- how one would verify the information in ads. Consider me more cautious than curious.

On the other hand, I know that thousands and thousands of English teachers have found wonderful work teaching in Portugal, Spain, Italy, China, Korea and Thailand. As so often in these matters, my default is consult with various rankings and/or personal experiences of friends. If someone wants to learn engineering, there are many rankings that they can look at published by experts. Teaching English has become such a huge field that somebody and I have no idea who must evaluate school or chain claims. Right?

Your point about the Ministry of Education not certifying Lancaster College speaks volumes. This sort of clear information ought to be widely available.

So, does anybody know of an organization that ranks English language schools - by quality or location? Does TESOL have some list of approved or sanctioned schools? Does somebody else perhaps even local governments track the effectiveness of schools? Further, what is their criteria? Where can individuals students, teachers, parents get that simple, yet vital bit of information?

I would suspect, especially for international students of considerable income, that there would have to be somebody who attempts to grade, evaluate, and rank ESL schools. If I was going to travel to the United States, Australia, or the United Kingdom, I would certainly want to know the quality of the program and teachers. Even I was just going to a local English school or attending a public adult education center, I would still check on the school's reputation. Given the potential investment in money and time, is it really possible that nobody has done this yet?

Finally, your post demonstrates the need for a place like this ESL teacher's forum where individual teachers, students, and tutors can exchange insights and experiences.

I would suspect, especially for international students of considerable income, that there would have to be somebody who attempts to grade, evaluate, and rank ESL schools. If I was going to travel to the United States, Australia, or the United Kingdom, I would certainly want to know the quality of the program and teachers. Even I was just going to a local English school, I would check on the school's reputation. Is it really possible that nobody has done this yet?