International Open Academy review, written by Nathan.

Waste of money and time.

I should have known that a certificate from a course so cheap wouldn’t be worth the paper it is printed on, but I still went ahead and enrolled – taken in by the juicy $19 price tag and the many promises which came with it. Hardly any of the promises materialized. If you choose this course, you can expect:

Sub-par course content littered with spelling and grammar errors, absolutely no feedback on your progress, quiz questions at the end of each module which will leave your intelligence feeling offended, a course certificate looking like something a preschooler could have designed, absolutely no help finding work.

I’m not sure whether the certificate is even going to be accepted in China, as I’ve seen other IOA TEFL reviews where people have complained about having problems with getting the certificate notarized.

I’m trying to think of a way I can spin a positive on taking this 120-hour course, but I honestly can’t think of one. Even if you just wanted to take the course as a TEFL taster, I still don’t think it’s worth it. The only positive spin I can think of is if you need to deduct $19 from your taxes and your accountant will accept this course as a write-off. In this case, you can spend $19.

With so many other programs offering the TEFL certification course, with many charging only a few hundred bucks, I’d recommend taking one of those instead. It will save you a headache and you will actually have a certificate that will mean something.

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A Rip Off International Open Academy review, written by Abella.

It’s a Rip Off.

where do I begin? Well, the course is not as advertised. It is advertised as consisting of 120 hours of study. If this is so, why was it possible that I managed to complete the entire course in 4 hours? Oh, and the friend I took the course with completed it in 7 hours. So, I win! Kind of.

There is literally no substance of any real value in the course. It’s extremely vague and merely skims what you need to know to get started as a teacher of a foreign language. In this case, the course was teaching me how to teach English as a foreign language.

My friend and I came to the same conclusion that this course was quickly put together (possibly by a non-native speaker) and the only intention was to make it appear as though it is a credible 120 hours TEFL course. I mean, if I had a penny for every time we noticed a glaring spelling mistake in the course texts, we could have paid for another 10 courses!

They are clever though because they say it is usually a few hundred USD and that today is your lucky day when you can purchase it for less than $20. A bit like buying a couch or sofa in a furniture warehouse. And just like those heavily discounted couches, I bet nobody has ever paid the full price for this International Open Academy TEFL course.

You will not learn a thing.

I guess if you just need it because you have been working for years without the proper documentation and are required to have a TEFL certificate then why not? You can pay $19 and complete the course in under a day and then see if the school and the authorities accept it as a document for the work visa in the country you are teaching English in.

For me though, with no teaching experience, this course was a complete waste of my time and money. I tried to get a refund but never heard back from the Open Academy.

Shame on them! It is just a rip-off.

Essential TEFL Tip!

Are you worried about being scammed? TEFL course scams are becoming more sophisticated.

Protect yourself from TEFL scams.

We strongly recommend choosing from one of the 5 Best Online TEFL/TESOL certification course programs in 2026:

The 5 Best Online TEFL/TESOL Courses in 2026

By choosing from one of the 5 Best Online TEFL/TESOL Certification Course Programs, you are guaranteed not to be scammed.

Choose a fully accredited and internationally recognized online TEFL/TESOL certification course that you can use for all online and abroad teaching English jobs.

Mia Williams – Trusted TEFL Reviews

Read more International Open Academy reviews

New! Click here for the online TEFL/TESOL international certification course Teachers’ Choice Award winner. International Online TEFL/TESOL course certification at its best.

Verified Online TEFL/TESOL certification course program reviews, ranked in order of customer satisfaction: TEFL Course Directory

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Is International Open Academy legit International Open Academy review, written by Zoe.

Is International Open Academy Legit? This is a crazy cheap TEFL course with no graduate support.

I went for the cheapest TEFL on the market and I paid a high price.

If I remember correctly, it cost me $19 for the course. That’s $19 US. I chose the cheapest option I could find because I read somewhere that it doesn’t matter which course you take. Some people were writing that all employers want to see is a certificate and you’re good to go. It was therefore a no-brainer to go for the cheapest option.

I filled in the IOA TEFL online form, paid, and then began the course. I was still expecting a semi-decent course, despite the low price, but I should have known better. This course is a joke. A child could complete it. You read a short piece of text. You complete a quiz. You read another short piece of text. You complete another quiz. and so on through the course until you have the whole thing completed within (as was my case) one half of an afternoon. You can then download your certificate that looks like it was designed in the 80s and you are completely alone to begin your job hunting, with zero guidance.

I did manage to land a job with the certificate. It’s true that all schools want to see is that you have the TEFL. I started teaching and as soon as I did, I soon realized that I knew absolutely nothing about teaching English. The course hadn’t prepared me, in any way, for the classroom. Later, when I needed my certificate notarized (this has recently become a thing now for teaching in China) the certificate wasn’t accepted. So, I had to quickly scramble and re-apply to a different program which cost me $300 and which taught me about TEFL, and whose certificate was accepted for notarization and was therefore recognized.

I won’t be recommending International Open Academy to anyone.

Essential TEFL Tip!

Are you worried about being scammed? TEFL course scams are becoming more sophisticated.

Protect yourself from TEFL scams.

We strongly recommend choosing from one of the 5 Best Online TEFL/TESOL certification course programs in 2026:

The 5 Best Online TEFL/TESOL Courses in 2026

By choosing from one of the 5 Best Online TEFL/TESOL Certification Course Programs, you are guaranteed not to be scammed.

Choose a fully accredited and internationally recognized online TEFL/TESOL certification course that you can use for all online and abroad teaching English jobs.

Mia Williams – Trusted TEFL Reviews

Read more International Open Academy reviews

New! Click here for the online TEFL/TESOL international certification course Teachers’ Choice Award winner. International Online TEFL/TESOL course certification at its best.

Verified Online TEFL/TESOL certification course program reviews, ranked in order of customer satisfaction: TEFL Course Directory

TEFL Accreditation Guide | 6 TEFL Red Flags | TTR Home | TEFL Course Special Offers

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