I have been shocked by the amount of negative posts concerning TEFL International that are now bouncing around the web. Posts that I believe have very little or no truth behind them. As a previous employee of TEFL International, I feel that I have had quite an insight into the organisation and those people involved in it. I must state that I no longer work for TI (I have moved into a different area of training) and I am writing this as an INDEPENDENT OBSERVER and on my own initiative (I state this as I have seen the pathetic way that many of these posters try to deal in conspiracy theories and could come to the wrong conclusions)

I worked for TEFL International for 4 years as Head Trainer and Course Coordinator for 4 years in Vietnam, with frequent trips to assist in training courses in Thailand and UK, as well as helping to open a centre in Italy. During that time I obviously had a lot of opportunities work very closely with ex CEO Bruce Veldhuisen, Director of Public Relations Mike Fitzgerald (2 people that seem to be getting most of the attention in current posts), and of course, Dave Hopkins the Academic Director.

Bruce was always a very demanding boss. He is after all the driving force behind TI's success and as such wants all he can get from his employees and colleagues (and who wouldn't?). However, he is also a very humanistic employer and I always found him to be approachable, caring and willing to listen to individual needs and wants. Of course it wasn't always a bed of roses and we did have our disagreements, all of which were resolved in a professional and pro-active manner. Bruce is a very trusting person and does allow great freedom for regional managers to run centres in their own way and as fits the region, obviously within the limits of TI's guidelines. This of course has its pros and cons and relies on the centre managers' integrity and professionalism, and in my opinion is what has led to some of the problems that TI has experienced in the past few years (with the worldwide coverage that TI has, 'policing' course centres in far reaching areas of the globe has been a challenging task and is what eventually led to the creation of the Board of Academic Advisers and local moderation for EVERY course. - I think it is important to bear in mind that TI is a relatively new organisation that is constantly developing new idea and projects and it is unfair to expect perfection at every step. There will always be teething problems with new projects and new employees). It is inevitable that there will be some complaints when providing a service to customers (you can't keep all of the people happy all of the time), but in my experience as a course trainer and coordinator the number of complaints is always very minimal (I would estimate about 5% of trainees were not satisfied with the courses I provided). Whenever complaints or issues were passed up the line to Bruce, he was always willing to hear them out and assess them on an individual basis. Most of the time these issues were resolved to the satisfaction of the customer, of course some people can never be satisfied and find it necessary to bear a grudge. These in my experience have generally been those people that have for some reason or another have been found unsuitable to recieve a certificate* and feel that in some way they have been cheated. Of course our mission is to to help people pass the course and continue to develop themselves and their students. This is a sentiment that comes from the top - i.e. Bruce Veldhuisen - we are not here to fail people. That said, of course there is a standard that must be upheld.

Myself and Mike have worked together on a number of projects in Thailand and Vietnam. I found working with him very enlightening as he has a great deal of experience of working with different course providers. It is true that some of the trainees didn't "take to' Mike on some of the courses, just the same as other trainees didn't 'take to' me. This is a very Humanistic profession. Working with people (sometimes as many as 200 over 3 months), it is inevitable that occasionally there will be clashes of personality. That's life I'm afraid! I always found Mike to be one of the most diplomatic and understanding people that i have ever met. In fact, I was amazed by his patience when dealing with some of the more 'eccentric' issues brought forward by trainees new to life in Asia and those that expect the world for free!

Overall, my time spent working with TEFL International is one that I look upon with fond memories. It was an honour to have Dave Hopkins as mentor and his guidance has been invaluable. The whole team works incredibly hard to provide not only great TESOL training and support, also to make the time spent studying memorable. Working with people from different cultures as trainees, staff, and school administrators is extremely challenging, the variables are immeasurable. There will always be obstacles to overcome, changes in schedules, and last minute disruptions to every course. That's just the way it is. Schools cancel, students don't turn up, vehicles break down, snakes invade classrooms, elephants block the road, floods, storms - all these (and more) happen and are out of anyone's control. All the staff can do is continue to do their best to deal with it, and I'm sure they will.

I have no hesitation in recommending TI as a great TESOL course provider and I hope that this 'positive rant' will get as much airtime as the very few people that are spending so much of their time continuing to regurgitate the same old rubbish they have been spouting for over a year now.

Phillip Nash
Former Chief Operations Officer, TI Viet Nam

*In 4 years of training TESOL certs, I have only had the displeasure of 'failing' 1 person which was due to his not being able to produce a satisfactory lesson and refusing all the extra help that was arranged for him at no extra cost. There have been many other people that have dropped out of courses at their own discretion. There have also been many that after 4 weeks of training have been not up to par. All have been offered further assistance (often at no extra cost) and with a little more effort have passed with flying colours (and usually with great satisfaction and appreciation of the increased confidence the extra training gave them). I guess what I am saying is that the course, although tough, is accessible for most people, but not suitable or desirable for all. Those that put a lot into it, get a lot out of it and pass. Those that don't, well...don't! And often they feel bitter about that. Who's fault is it? Should these people be recommended as teachers?