Thread: WARNING! I-To-I.com & OnlineTEFL.com Scam History - Buyer Beware!

Someone at Scam.com confirmed that these two companies are run by the same people. I have also come to that same conclusion. But that person said the company has not done anything "illegal" and only has one complaint in 2010. I beg to differ and here is why...

What is legal in one country may not be legal in another and we are talking about a company that fishes for victims in one country to go work in another. Also there is a very fine line between what is "legal" and what is "ethical". I believe lying to people to buy something is a scam. Specifically these companies tell people that they can get guaranteed teaching jobs and internships in China, but ONLY IF they buy one of their TEFL courses and get a TEFL certificate. THIS IS A BLATANT LIE. You do not need a TEFL certificate to teach in China. And even if that was true, their certificate is not recognized nor accepted. Only the CELTA & TESOL certificates are internationally recognized. I taught as and ESL teacher in China for almost 3 years and know what I am talking about.

Lastly, it was suggested that this company only had one complaint. Not true. I found many complaints (over a dozen) like this one below that goes back to 2008. There are others from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Google "i-to-i scam for yourself or onlinetefl scam since there are two companies involved (maybe more that we do not know of yet?) Anyway, I am curious to know the names of the owners of these two companies that have been accumulating victms and complaints for the last 5 years. Here is the 2008 complaint found at this link:

Tefl Spin: Volunteer to be a Sucker

Monday, July 7, 2008


Volunteer to be a Sucker



Following on the heels of the discovery that the TEFL certificate course I completed six years ago is essentially worthless, I'm in a nasty mood regarding all things related to TEFL training.

***

If the ostensible motive for any action is to help out those in need, basically anything goes. Even if the end result is huge profit for those making the supposedly altrusitic effort.

Take a look at this ad dressed up as a "news story." An outfit called i-to-i, a self-proclaimed "volunteer travel operator," will hook you up with schools in Cambodia, where you can teach without receiving any remuneration and feel as if you're making a difference.

The catch, of course, is that you cough up $1425 U.S. dollars for the privilege of doing this for three weeks. Curiously, the dollar figure has an asterisk next to it but nowhere is there an indication what the qualifier is. The payout covers a 40 hour online TEFL course, accommodation, meals and miscellaneous things like "24/7 emergency support."

I've always found that such hand-holding set-ups always play on any newbie's sense of fear when making their sales pitch. It would be interesting to know what this emergency support consists of.

Much of what is stated in the ad strikes me as disingenuous, misleading or just plain out of line.

This kind of arrangement takes away jobs from those who are working as English teachers. Someone might respond by claiming that isn't the case since extremely under-funded schools wouldn't be able to afford foreign teachers anyway. There may be something to that logic but if so, then no one should be reaping a profit from such an undertaking.

For anyone really interested in working with poor children in third world countries, there are numerous NGOs that could help to organize a similar experience. Or, you could simply contact schools online and offer your time or show up in person. Either way, many would welcome volunteers with open arms.

i-to-i (what does that stand for anyway, "ignorance to insipidness"?) should also answer a simple question: are they double dipping? In other words, together with the fees from the volunteers, are they paid by the schools or given government grants for performing such an honourable and selfless service?

They continue on with their misuse of punctuation and other language conventions at the end of the ad when a quote is provided: "The beauty of these projects is that the rewards are mutual..."

The problem is, the words are attributed to no one (presumably they are from the mouth of the individual mentioned five paragraphs previously.) It simply stands alone as if the fact that someone somewhere made the statement lends it credence.

I have no problem with an organization offering such a service and trying to make a buck. But I also feel it is my duty to point out the spin and absurdity.



Posted byKenat12:20 PM

Labels:Tefl News




6 comments:

tuckyusaid...
Interesting insight into the TEFL industry. I imagined that i-to-i sounded a bit dodgy but never imagined the extent of the extent of the scam. Thanks for your warnings!

July 25, 2008 at 2:35 PMAnonymous said...
leaving aside the volunteer aspect of i-to-i, what do you think of the actual certification they offer? if you don't care for that one, is there an online course that you would recommend?

July 28, 2008 at 1:05 AMAnonymous said...
I was recently very interested in doing one of the classroom courses, especially seeing that the price was so competitive. I was emailed the dates and venue of the courses in my city. I phoned the alleged venue and the manager said she has no record of this company holding a course there on those specific dates??

November 26, 2011 at 10:17 AM Anonymous said...
Why is it that when I phone the RSA number they advertise on their website (in order to make enquiries), no one ever answers. There is only a recorded message to say that all the operators are on the phone. I phoned the UK number, and it doesn't exist. Eventually, so fed - up, I requested a call back and the same lady who was on the voice recording phoned me. Are there even any real operators and advisors?????
November 26, 2011 at 10:24 AM

If you google "onlinetefl scam" or "i-t0-i scam" you will see that is just one of very many complaints and problems this company has. My personal experience is limited to two phone calls with these shysters. That was enough for me to realize they would say anything to get my money. Here is one of the 12 complaint links I found about them. You can find more if you look: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3170222AA7AW44

Just found another complaint going back to 2008 at this link at this link The TEFL Blacklist: i-to-i TEFL - Up to their Old Tricks Without a doubt they have some experience screwing people over...

Sunday, January 27, 2008
i-to-i TEFL - Up to their Old Tricks


"Come Into My Parlour Said the Spider to the Fly......

This outfit are cowboys and dangerous to boot. Check out the tales of woe from the Chinese section on the TEFL Blacklist and compare it to the absolute idiocy they claim below. As with Cactus Tefl it's all about selling courses, in the case of i-to-i of less value than parrot droppings. Do NOT be conned by the bullsh*t below. The TEFL schools in China are in dire need of some form of accreditation not the teachers.

You may get lucky and find a decent school. But google the hell out of it first or you could have a very very nasty experience.

Why is it that such outfits as i-to-i who know that TEFL in China can be very dodgy print such rubbish just to make a cheap buck.

Shame on you i-to-i.

EFL teachers avoid them and their rubbish curses (what a freudian slip! I should of course have written courses but curses is more appropriate) like the plague. If you seriously think a weekend course will teach you how to become good teacher then dream on because they are taking you for mugs and making megabucks. They are a total disgrace.

As for the four week tefl course. These cowboys sell loads of weekend courses. Here's what they have to say....

Become a fully qualified TEFL teacher in just 2 days

We've been running Weekend TEFL courses for more than a decade and in the last year alone we have trained more than 4,000 new TEFL teachers. Our courses are accredited by two leading independent organisations and our TEFL certificates are recognised by thousands of language schools worldwide. You can do a Weekend TEFL Course in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Greece.

Spotlight Asia
Seeing as its Spotlight Asia month we thought we'd give our monthly update a bit of an oriental theme, so you'll find it's packed full of information about one of the world's most popular TEFL destinations - China!
China
If you're looking for the complete cross-cultural experience then you need to consider China. This incredible country boasts a unique and intriguing cultural heritage. It flows through every strand of modern Chinese society, from architecture and fashion to crafts and lifestyle. TEFL teachers will find themselves on a journey of discovery, as they live in the local community and work with the local people.
A few words from China…
I've always wanted to go to China so after spending three years studying history at Hull I decided to reward myself with a well-deserved holiday. I went away for two weeks and I loved every moment of it. When I got back I tried to settle back into life in England but all I could think about was going back - so here I am, three months later, teaching in X'ian!
The city is great, it's so filled with history that I never get bored. I've been to the Terracotta Warriors museum which was great and I even met some of the i-to-i volunteers there! I've done a bit of travelling on weekends too but I'm just as happy to go out walking in the hills. It's really beautiful here - nothing like living in Hull - and I can't get over how green everything is. I'm finally starting to get to grips with the language but I can't say I'm very good. It's given me a lot more respect for my students and I'm a lot more sympathetic now, but I don't think I'll ever be fluent!
The teaching is going really well too. It was a bit scary at first but I soon settled in. It doesn't feel like a job, more like an extended game, which is just what I wanted.
Dawn, 23, Cambridge, UK
Jobs in China
Immerse yourself in one of the world's most fascinating cultures by choosing a teaching opportunity in China! With such a rich cultural history, China offers one of the most incredible travel experiences available and teaching English will give you a unique perspective as you explore the land and work with its people.
Our Paid Teaching Placements have been specially designed to make finding work abroad as stress-free as possible. We'll train you, find you a job and even pick you up from the airport so you remember your first hours in China for all the right reasons. Click here to find out more.
TEFL Abroad courses in Beijing
China's sprawling capital, Beijing is everything you could expect from the world's fastest growing economy; a center of commerce, culture and community which throws up surprises at every street corner. In this incredible setting you could find yourself learning all the skills you need to teach English as a foreign language.

What you'll get:

4-week intensive 120 hour TEFL/TESOL course.
An internationally recognized certification.
At least 8 hours of practical teaching experience in a real TEFL classroom.
And much, much more…
Click here to find out more about our TEFL Abroad courses.


TEFL News
Increasing demand for TEFL certification in China

Demand for TEFL teachers in China is extremely high but with no laws covering the qualifications required to teach English problems have inevitably arisen. Prospective teachers without TEFL qualifications or a thorough grasp of the English language have invaded the market, lowering the standard of teaching and creating a bad reputation for foreign teachers. Demand remains high but employers are becoming increasingly suspicious and it is now vitally important that TEFL teachers searching for jobs in this area of the world make every effort to impress their prospective employers.

Taking a TEFL course with a respected TEFL provider is the first step toward proving your commitment to quality teaching but if you want to avoid the problems entirely you might want to consider one of our Paid Teaching Placements. We work hard to build strong relationships with language schools around the world, so that you can secure a TEFL position with as little stress as possible.

We've developed a four step guide "Your International Career in Four Easy Steps" to show you exactly how to do it. Click here to take a look"

Here's another from 6 months ago... ESLwatch - Information, News and School Reviews - Red Alert! OnlineTefl.com - Scam In Progress | ESLwatch - Information, News and School Reviews and one from just a week ago! Warning! China OnlineTEFL.com and i-to-i Scam Alert! - The Student Room Legal or illegal these folks need to be avoided!

UPDATE: Just found this comment going back to 2007! http://teflblacklist.blogspot.nl/200...to-1-tefl.html

You forgot to include a link.

I-To-I & OnlineTEFL.com - Legit or Scam? Same Company?


And don't forget this link;
http://www.realscam.com/f8/beware-cr...401/#post56546
After all, Meteor started the thread being discussed in that thread too.

The number of coincidences appearing here is rather uncanny.

I really don't trust much of anything out of China that recruits people for jobs and internships they can get for themselves. I have learned one thing from reading all the horror stories on the internet; It doesn't matter how long a company has been around or how beautiful their web site looks, and no matter how many glowing "testimonials" they buy and post, if they have to lie to people to make the sale, they should be ignored. It took me all of ten minutes to find no less than 21 complaints about them online so I think they have a problem with honesty. And I also wonder why they would need three different entities registered in different countries to promote the same scheme through different channels. It is almost like they are expecting the police to shut down one company so they already have back-ups in place. Here is another complaint from 2011 i-to-i travel/TEFL courses and placement Complaint 36661 | Scambook

I also did some checking at three TEFL sites and 4 ESL Forums and they ALL say NO TEFL CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED TO TEACH IN CHINA. Maybe I-to-I should tell people the truth and stop lying about this. But then again they would have less clients who would probably thinks it is stupid to buy training that is not really needed to teach in China. I am also turned off that this training does not include an instructor nor any personal attention - all online computerized training. For me it would be cheaper to just go to Amazon.com and buy some CDs!

I would not trust any online person or network where there are no trusted persons who are fluent in the language/s.

Perhaps we should do a stock check on RS members who have contacts who speak the languages.

I believe that RS member Kasey Chang is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and that he may be able understand or speak other dialects.

Eagle has s US Secret Service agent assigned to him to follow his posts. There must be people in US secret service who can speak most Chinese dialects.

Jake The Snake had a moderator known as "wanrou" who claimed to have lived in HongKong for (I think 10+ years) and claimed fluency in Mandarin Chinese plus two other dialects. Jake's old forum was closed down and rumour had it that he sang like a canary when questioned by the authorities. They could not have done this if "wanrou" was able to keep ahead of the law givers.

Originally Posted by Frankly My Dear...

I really don't trust much of anything out of China that recruits people for jobs and internships they can get for themselves.

China???
Please elaborate on what is being discussed in this thread this is "out of China".

Oh, and Frankly My Dear... long time no see.
You haven't posted here since 16JUN2013, over two months ago. The same day you made this post in this thread.

Still waiting for an answer to this;

Originally Posted by nomaxim

Originally Posted by Frankly My Dear...

but this CRCC group goes way out of its way to delete and hide all their complaints and the host 8 fake review sites that praise only themselves and find problems with all their competitors.

And the url's for these 8 review sites are?

Its been two and a half months.
Still no luck with the url's for those 8 fake review sites I take it?

Wow, if these coincidences keep building up like this I may just run out and but a lottery ticket.

This all seems like a lot of extra paperwork bullshit to conceal the links between all these identities and it seems to me the public company TUI wants to distance itself from the i-to-i and onlinetefl names. Maybe the complaints will affect share price. Anyway, thanks for all the hard work. Is it safe to say that Andree Eckhard is the owner of all these companies?

Originally Posted by Seattle

Is it safe to say that Andree Eckhard is the owner of all these companies?

Umm, no.
He could merely be someone in their IT department.

Besides, per the above Wiki article TUI AG only owns 68% of TUI Travel PLC.
No idea who owns the other 32%.
Since it is a publicly traded corporation anyone can own stock.
Even you.

Originally Posted by Seattle

Maybe the complaints will affect share price.

Actually, TUI TravelPLC's stock as been rising for a week or so. In fact, it has been climbing nicely all year.

londonstockexchange.com;

Originally Posted by London Stock Exchange

And while TUI AG's stock took somewhat of a dip beginning in early AUG. it appears to be recovering nicely.
boerse-frankfurt.de;

Originally Posted by Frankfurt Stock Exchange

Here are some little tidbits;
TUI AG (Wiki);

Originally Posted by Wiki

Originally Posted by Realscam.com

Figure that I alone account for about 40 (or 10%) of those 381 views.

Why would you even think that some anonymous claims on an internet forum would have any effect on a multinational corporations stock?

I have the i-to-i TEFL certificate and it has done well for me in Viet Nam. I am a native English speaker but really had trouble completing the online course. It took far longer than i thought and really gave me what i needed to start setting up full lesson plans. With 1.5 years teaching experience from this certificate, I doubt that it can be fake. The managing director on my certificate is Gordon Mathie, I am just telling you because I found quite a bit of information that i didnt see posted here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-mathie-a799aa1
Look forward to hearing more.
kr matt

Originally Posted by Seattle

Someone at Scam.com confirmed that these two companies are run by the same people. I have also come to that same conclusion. But that person said the company has not done anything "illegal" and only has one complaint in 2010. I beg to differ and here is why...

What is legal in one country may not be legal in another and we are talking about a company that fishes for victims in one country to go work in another. Also there is a very fine line between what is "legal" and what is "ethical". I believe lying to people to buy something is a scam. Specifically these companies tell people that they can get guaranteed teaching jobs and internships in China, but ONLY IF they buy one of their TEFL courses and get a TEFL certificate. THIS IS A BLATANT LIE. You do not need a TEFL certificate to teach in China. And even if that was true, their certificate is not recognized nor accepted. Only the CELTA & TESOL certificates are internationally recognized. I taught as and ESL teacher in China for almost 3 years and know what I am talking about.

Lastly, it was suggested that this company only had one complaint. Not true. I found many complaints (over a dozen) like this one below that goes back to 2008. There are others from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Google "i-to-i scam for yourself or onlinetefl scam since there are two companies involved (maybe more that we do not know of yet?) Anyway, I am curious to know the names of the owners of these two companies that have been accumulating victms and complaints for the last 5 years. Here is the 2008 complaint found at this link:

Tefl Spin: Volunteer to be a Sucker

Monday, July 7, 2008


Volunteer to be a Sucker



Following on the heels of the discovery that the TEFL certificate course I completed six years ago is essentially worthless, I'm in a nasty mood regarding all things related to TEFL training.

***

If the ostensible motive for any action is to help out those in need, basically anything goes. Even if the end result is huge profit for those making the supposedly altrusitic effort.

Take a look at this ad dressed up as a "news story." An outfit called i-to-i, a self-proclaimed "volunteer travel operator," will hook you up with schools in Cambodia, where you can teach without receiving any remuneration and feel as if you're making a difference.

The catch, of course, is that you cough up $1425 U.S. dollars for the privilege of doing this for three weeks. Curiously, the dollar figure has an asterisk next to it but nowhere is there an indication what the qualifier is. The payout covers a 40 hour online TEFL course, accommodation, meals and miscellaneous things like "24/7 emergency support."

I've always found that such hand-holding set-ups always play on any newbie's sense of fear when making their sales pitch. It would be interesting to know what this emergency support consists of.

Much of what is stated in the ad strikes me as disingenuous, misleading or just plain out of line.

This kind of arrangement takes away jobs from those who are working as English teachers. Someone might respond by claiming that isn't the case since extremely under-funded schools wouldn't be able to afford foreign teachers anyway. There may be something to that logic but if so, then no one should be reaping a profit from such an undertaking.

For anyone really interested in working with poor children in third world countries, there are numerous NGOs that could help to organize a similar experience. Or, you could simply contact schools online and offer your time or show up in person. Either way, many would welcome volunteers with open arms.

i-to-i (what does that stand for anyway, "ignorance to insipidness"?) should also answer a simple question: are they double dipping? In other words, together with the fees from the volunteers, are they paid by the schools or given government grants for performing such an honourable and selfless service?

They continue on with their misuse of punctuation and other language conventions at the end of the ad when a quote is provided: "The beauty of these projects is that the rewards are mutual..."

The problem is, the words are attributed to no one (presumably they are from the mouth of the individual mentioned five paragraphs previously.) It simply stands alone as if the fact that someone somewhere made the statement lends it credence.

I have no problem with an organization offering such a service and trying to make a buck. But I also feel it is my duty to point out the spin and absurdity.



Posted byKenat12:20 PM

Labels:Tefl News




6 comments:

tuckyusaid...
Interesting insight into the TEFL industry. I imagined that i-to-i sounded a bit dodgy but never imagined the extent of the extent of the scam. Thanks for your warnings!

July 25, 2008 at 2:35 PMAnonymous said...
leaving aside the volunteer aspect of i-to-i, what do you think of the actual certification they offer? if you don't care for that one, is there an online course that you would recommend?

July 28, 2008 at 1:05 AMAnonymous said...
I was recently very interested in doing one of the classroom courses, especially seeing that the price was so competitive. I was emailed the dates and venue of the courses in my city. I phoned the alleged venue and the manager said she has no record of this company holding a course there on those specific dates??

November 26, 2011 at 10:17 AM Anonymous said...
Why is it that when I phone the RSA number they advertise on their website (in order to make enquiries), no one ever answers. There is only a recorded message to say that all the operators are on the phone. I phoned the UK number, and it doesn't exist. Eventually, so fed - up, I requested a call back and the same lady who was on the voice recording phoned me. Are there even any real operators and advisors?????
November 26, 2011 at 10:24 AM

If you google "onlinetefl scam" or "i-t0-i scam" you will see that is just one of very many complaints and problems this company has. My personal experience is limited to two phone calls with these shysters. That was enough for me to realize they would say anything to get my money. Here is one of the 12 complaint links I found about them. You can find more if you look: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3170222AA7AW44

These two companies have quite a history of complaints on line and they are notorious for peddling ESL & TEFL "teacher internships" in China that are really full-time jobs. They use the "internship" label so they can get away with stealing 50% of the wages and then convincing the teacher intern, that "interns" in China work for half price! Truth be told, China internships for foreigners have been illegal since 2013 if they are not offered directly by the "Direct Employer" See these two links for a better explanation...

https://www.balglobal.com/News/NewsD...-Students.aspx

http://antifraudintl.org/threads/bew...a-scams.96692/

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...3170222AA7AW44

To the best of my recollection, every single ESL or TEFL China internship has turned out to be a fraud in the last 3-5 years. I-to-I just like Gi2c and Wiseway Global also uses other aliases - Teflonline.com and OnlineTEFL.com

These slime are still peddling their worthless TEFL certificates and finding new victims every day. The problem is that there is no international certification for TEFL training, so even YOU can open a TEFL training center tomorrow and start selling online courses or even software courses, send the student a test and then a "TEFL Certificate" from you own printer and you'd be completely legal. But go search these scammers on Reddit or check out http://reddit.com/r/tefl_tips_traps_scams and see what others say about this BS pair of companies.

ONLINE-SCAMS-580.jpg

People assume that because these two companies owned by the same man have been around for a decade they must be legit. Not so. In fact, when you search deep on these two companies you will find complaints like this one going back to 2018 (I think you mean 2008) - https://teflblacklist.blogspot.com/2...ld-tricks.html. But they spam so much sales propaganda and their own TEFL review site that only positive stuff appears on the first twopages of a google search.

Their sales people are super slick and well trained. I spoke with one on Skype yesterday that go me curious to know more because I remember commenting about them a year a couple of years ago. The guy I spoke with said his name is James. Maybe it is,maybe it's not. That foesn't matter but what he toldme was a pack oflies mixed in with the dingle truth that they have been selling online tefl training package for ten years. Whoop dee do! But he actually tried to convince me that they ar ethe one and only TEFL certificate endorsed by Columbia, Howard, Brown, Princeton, Yale,and Harvard universities and that the the China Ministry of Education requires all foreign teachers to have their certificate to teach in China. When I asked for a limlk to the ministry of education in China that says this, he said he would email it me but he never once asked me for my email address!

When I asked him who owned the company he told me it was not important but that it was a leading educational foundation in England. I asked him to send me the ownership info by email as well and at this point I gave him my email address. When he realized I was not swallow his BS, he started telling me about their guaranteed job promo which is exposed pretty much as a ssam here: https://eslwatch.info/en/eslwatch-fo...-teachers.html. Then when I said I had to go to work he tried to make another Skype appontment for today. When I said I wanted to shop around and I would get back to him if I was still interested, he immediately dropped his price from $999 to $499! Now I am curious to know what is the end game price victims eventually pay for their "award-winning TEFL training program"?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, he told me that Justin Trudeau was one of their first sustomers! I am so impressed. But I will give James an A+ for his creative scammery. Now I will go sit at my computer and wait for his email. NOT! More about these con artists are on page 2 and 3 at http://reddit.com/r/chinascamcentral.

Please see my comment above about 2008. If this is correct, then edit your post and change it from 2018 to 2008, and delete my comment.

Per
whois.domaintools.com/i-to-i.com that domain was registered in 18NOV1996.
whois.domaintools.com/onlinetefl.com that domain was registered in 17APR2000.


Also, companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07935847 has a incorporation date of 3FEB2012.
There is also a previous company name companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04539983 with a incorporation date of 19SEP2002.

Much of the older stuff has already been covered in another thread, realscam.com/f51/warning-i-i-com-onlinetefl-com-scam-history-buyer-beware-2586/

indeed. all this spam should be consolidated as it all says the same crap.

Originally Posted by Whip

indeed. all this spam should be consolidated as it all says the same crap.

http://www.realscam.com/f51/warning-...html#post94590 LOL.

Originally Posted by Whip

indeed. all this spam should be consolidated as it all says the same crap.

Word!!!

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