Accreditation, test centers, and membership bodies

Accreditation bodies

Most countries have an official accreditation body for English schools, or an accreditation body for all education institutions. Accreditation always involves a school inspection and quality control measures. There is almost always an official channel to report problems with an accredited school for followup by the accreditation agency. Schools without official accreditation cannot sponsor student visas. Edufind only lists English schools that are accredited by at least one of these official accreditation bodies. Choosing an unaccredited language school is risky. Some language schools may be accredited by official bodies that are not listed here, for example university accreditors or continuing education accreditors.

NEAS (Australia)
NZQA (New Zealand)
Languages Canada
British Council (UK)
BAC (UK)
CEA (USA)
ACCET (USA)
ACELS (Ireland)
CPE (Singapore)
EFL Malta
ABLS (international)
IALC (international)
EAQUALS (international)

Test centers

Many students are preparing for a standardized English test during their course. Preparing for your exam at a school which is also an official test center may reduce your anxiety on the day of the test because you can pass the test in a familiar environment. Many language schools offer exam preparation courses without being official exam centers. This does not mean their courses are of lower quality, but you will not be able to pass your exam at the same location where you have been preparing for it.

TOEFL test centers
TOEIC test centers
Cambridge exam centers
IELTS test centers
Trinity exam centers

Industry membership organizations

Industry membership organizations aspire to represent the English learning industry in their country or in many countries around the world. They are not accreditation bodies. All industry membership organizations organize conferences for member schools and keep schools informed of policy changes that affect them. Many industry membership organizations are also very involved in school promotion, sales, and marketing activities.

English UK
English Australia
English New Zealand
English USA
EDUSA (USA)
UCIEP (USA)
MEI (Ireland)
FELTOM (Malta)
EduSA (South Africa)
ALTO (international)
Quality English (international)