Transparency Report: Affiliate-Driven Claims About TEFL Online Pro
This TEFL Online Pro Transparency Report was last updated on November 1, 2026
TEFL Online Pro Transparency Report – Summary
TEFL Online Pro has provided international online TEFL/TESOL certification (Int. CertTEFL/TESOL) courses since 2019.
The TEFL Academy (TTA), a business competitor, operated under different ownership for years without incident; TTA was acquired by its current owners in 2021. Since that change of ownership, we have been the subject of two separate posts published by individuals who are official TTA Brand Ambassadors. Neither post disclosed that relationship at the time of publication.
This page sets out the facts, the evidence, and the timeline, so readers can make their own assessment.
We are publishing this page in the interest of transparency, not to attack anyone individually. We welcome fair, independent reviews of our program — our concern is specifically with undisclosed commercial relationships behind content that reads as independent commentary.
About TEFL Online Pro
We are fully accredited by ACTEFLC (Accreditation Council for Teaching English as a Foreign Language Courses) and, since 2019, have trained more than 50,000 graduates worldwide. In addition to this, we are an eight-time winner of the prestigious Teachers’ Choice Award.
We had no notable disputes with TTA prior to 2021, when TTA changed ownership. The claims addressed on this TEFL Online Pro transparency report began only after that change.
Background: TTA’s Brand Ambassador and Affiliate Programs
TTA runs promotional programs — including a “Brand Ambassador” program — in which individuals are featured promoting TTA’s courses. Whether structured as a flat ambassadorship or a commission-based affiliate link, this is a common and legitimate marketing model when disclosed properly.
Advertising standards bodies, including the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) and the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, require that such commercial relationships be clearly disclosed whenever someone publishes content that could be mistaken for independent opinion.
TTA is a registered business in Ireland and in the United Kingdom.
Separately, TTA also operates a formal, commission-based affiliate program through the ShareASale network (part of Awin), under which participants earn approximately 10–15% commission (typically $20–60) per course sale referred through their personal link, paid out via ShareASale. [Source: TTA’s ShareASale merchant listing and TTA’s own affiliate programme page, archived June 2024.]
In Caitriona McTiernan’s case, we have direct evidence of a personal, active TTA affiliate link with accompanying disclosure language (see Evidence #5 below) — confirming she holds both the Brand Ambassador title and a specific, commission-based affiliate relationship.
We have not found equivalent link-specific evidence for Megan Broccoli at this time; her relationship with TTA is documented via the Brand Ambassador graphic only. We note that this is the only such graphic we have located since Ms. McTiernan’s affiliate link and disclosure language became public through this dispute. If further evidence relating to Ms. Broccoli’s relationship with TTA becomes available, we will update this page accordingly.
The two incidents below involve content that, in our view, should have carried a disclosure of the author’s promotional relationship with TTA and did not.
Timeline of Events
2021–2022: Blog Post by Caitriona McTiernan (TPR Teaching)
Mar 30, 2021: Caitriona McTiernan, an official TTA Brand Ambassador with a personal, commission-based TTA affiliate link (see Evidence #5 below), published a review of TEFL Online Pro on her TPR Teaching blog titled “TEFL Online Pro Review Warning: Is it Legit?” — independently confirmed via the Wayback Machine’s archive of the post (see Evidence #14 below). The post states that there was no evidence the course was regulated or accredited. This claim was inaccurate: TEFL Online Pro was accredited by ACTEFLC at the time this post was published, the same accreditation we hold today (see “About TEFL Online Pro,” above). Neither the post nor this comment carried any affiliate or commercial disclosure. Notably, Ms. McTiernan does include affiliate disclosure language in other content promoting TTA, which makes its absence here more conspicuous.
Shortly after, Mar 2021: In direct response to her blog post, we published a rebuttal on our own site, including screenshots of the original post and of her Brand Ambassador status.
Jul 11, 2021, 7:20 PM: In a comment reply on the same post — after our rebuttal was already public — Ms. McTiernan (posted under “Caitriona Maria,” her first/middle name) went further, stating directly: “Yes, TEFL Online Pro is a scam.” (See Evidence #6 below.)
We hold documentation showing Ms. McTiernan’s direct commercial relationship with TTA at the time the post was published. [Screenshot available below.]
Apr 19, 2022: We contacted An Garda Síochána (Irish police) regarding the post.
Apr 19, 2022, same day: We notified Ms. McTiernan that we had contacted An Garda Síochána.
Around Jul 2022: The post was removed from the TPR Teaching blog.
As this is a civil rather than criminal matter, An Garda Síochána did not take further action — which is consistent with how most jurisdictions handle disputes of this kind.
Dec 2, 2022: In further written correspondence with TTA’s support team regarding this dispute, TTA initially stated that a related YouTube video was “from a creator we are unaware of.” When we identified Caitriona McTiernan by name as having left comments on the video, TTA’s support team replied in writing that “Caitriona McTiernan no longer works for company” — confirming, in writing, that she had in fact worked for TTA. (See Evidence #11–13 below.)
Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 12:51 PM: Ms. Broccoli’s course completion certificate was issued.
Ms. Broccoli filed a PayPal chargeback after claiming that her certificate was not accepted by a specific school she applied to. The chargeback was resolved in our favor; the disputed payment was never refunded. This is reflected in our own transaction and business records.
We did communicate with Ms. Broccoli regarding the chargeback dispute. We informed her that the course had been paid for, completed, and passed; that her course certificate had been issued; and that she had received 24/7 tutor support throughout. We asked why she was pursuing a chargeback in light of this. This is the entirety of our communication with Ms. Broccoli; we did not threaten her, and did not send her any of the emails she has since published as screenshots (see FAQ, below).
Our TEFL certification is accepted by employers worldwide, and we are fully accredited by ACTEFLC (see “About TEFL Online Pro,” above). We offer a job guarantee: free, ongoing international job placement support for all graduates, whether teaching English abroad or online. To date, we are not aware of any graduate of our program who was unable to find work after completing the course.
Sun, Oct 13, 2024: Ms. Broccoli published a lengthy Reddit post on r/TEFL, later added to by anonymous accounts, claiming that she had applied to a school in Italy and was told her certificate was not recognized, and alleging that she had been threatened and had received fabricated correspondence from us. Neither claim is accurate (see FAQ, below).
Ms. Broccoli also published related content on her personal blog.
We hold documentation showing Ms. Broccoli’s Brand Ambassador status with TTA. [Screenshot available below.]
Approx. Oct 14, 2024: We contacted Italian police regarding the matter.
Neither the Reddit post nor the blog post disclosed this relationship.
The Reddit thread continues to circulate and has been referenced in AI-generated search summaries, which is part of why we’re publishing this report.
Evidence
1. Official “TTA Brand Ambassador” graphic featuring Caitriona McTiernan, published as promotional content by/for The TEFL Academy.
2. Official “TTA Brand Ambassador” graphic featuring Megan Broccoli, published as promotional content by/for The TEFL Academy.
3. TTA’s ShareASale affiliate program listing, showing TTA’s commission-based affiliate structure (general program evidence; not specific to any individual named on this page).
4. TTA’s own affiliate programme page, detailing commission terms (10–15%, $20–60 per sale, paid via ShareASale).
5. A YouTube video published by Caitriona McTiernan (“The TEFL Academy Review (+ My Story),” TPR Teaching channel, published May 8, 2022), whose description includes a personal affiliate link to TTA’s courses along with an affiliate disclosure statement, confirming she holds an active, commission-based affiliate relationship with TTA specifically — not only the Brand Ambassador title.
(also viewable at youtube.com/watch?v=pYLfO-5pZvA)
6. A comment by Caitriona McTiernan (posted under “Caitriona Maria,” her first/middle name), dated July 11, 2021 at 7:20 PM, on tprteaching.com/tefl-online-pro-review/, in which she states: “Yes, TEFL Online Pro is a scam.”
7. Screenshot of a section within Caitriona McTiernan’s original TPR Teaching post (titled “TEFL Online Pro Review Warning: Is it Legit?”), showing the “Recommendation: Avoid” section, in which she claims there is no evidence the course is regulated or accredited. This section is preserved among our legal case files.
8. Screenshot of Megan Broccoli’s Reddit post, showing the title, summary, and confirmed submission date of October 13, 2024.
9. Internal record confirming Megan Broccoli’s course completion (7:38 AM) and certificate issuance (12:51 PM) on October 11, 2024. Retained on file but not published here, to protect her personal information; the timeline above states these facts as our documented business record.
10. A search result snippet showing the Reddit post’s title and preview text appearing when searching for TEFL Online Pro, demonstrating its ongoing visibility.
11. Email from TTA’s support team, Dec 2, 2022, 12:49 PM, stating a related YouTube video was “from a creator we are unaware of.”
12. Email exchange, Dec 2, 2022, 12:51–1:03 PM, in which we identified Caitriona McTiernan by name and TTA’s support team asked for evidence of her comments.
13. Email from TTA’s support team, Dec 2, 2022, 1:03 PM, confirming in writing that “Caitriona McTiernan no longer works for company.”
14. Wayback Machine archive of Caitriona McTiernan’s TPR Teaching blog, independently confirming the post “TEFL Online Pro Review Warning: Is it Legit?” was published March 30, 2021, and preserving the “Scam or Legit?” image used on it.
TEFL Online Pro Transparency Report – Claims & Clarifications
Did TEFL Online Pro threaten Megan Broccoli? No. We have never threatened Ms. Broccoli. Our only communication with her regarding the chargeback dispute is described above under the 2024 timeline. We stand by that record and are happy to provide it to any journalist, regulator, or platform reviewing this matter.
Did TEFL Online Pro send the emails Megan Broccoli has published as screenshots? No. We did not send those emails. We have reviewed our records and confirm no such correspondence originated from us. We are happy to make our actual email records available to any journalist, regulator, or platform seeking to verify this.
Is TEFL Online Pro legitimate? TEFL Online Pro has operated international online TEFL/TESOL certification courses since 2019. We are fully accredited by ACTEFLC and have trained more than 50,000 graduates worldwide.
Was Caitriona McTiernan’s claim about accreditation accurate? No. Her post stated there was no evidence our course was regulated or accredited. We were accredited by ACTEFLC at the time of publication — the same accreditation we hold today (see “About TEFL Online Pro,” above).
A note on accreditation terminology In the TEFL industry, “accredited” is often used loosely, and providers may describe themselves as “regulated” or “approved” by a body without that being equivalent to formal accreditation by a dedicated accrediting agency. Based on our 25+ years in this industry, we’d encourage anyone evaluating a TEFL provider to check exactly what a given credential means — regulation, approval, and accreditation aren’t interchangeable — rather than relying on the label alone.
Why were these claims published? We can’t speak to anyone’s motives. What we can document is that both authors held promotional relationships with a direct competitor at the time of publication, and in Caitriona McTiernan’s case, a specific commission-based affiliate link.
Did either author disclose their relationship with TTA elsewhere? Yes. Caitriona McTiernan includes affiliate disclosure language in other content promoting TTA (see Evidence #5). No such disclosure appeared in the post about TEFL Online Pro.
In our professional experience, is Megan’s timeline realistic? We don’t claim it’s impossible. Based on our experience operating in the TEFL and international teaching industry, a job application process — submission, resume review, scheduling an interview, the interview itself, and a hiring decision — typically takes longer than the roughly two days between Ms. Broccoli’s certificate issuance and her Reddit post. We think this is worth readers’ consideration.
Did either author retract their claims? Caitriona McTiernan’s post was removed from her blog following our contact with An Garda Síochána. Megan Broccoli has not retracted any of her claims.
What is TEFL Online Pro doing about this? We are in the process of raising the matter with the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI), the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) regarding undisclosed commercial marketing content, and we have reported the relevant posts to the platforms involved for policy violations. We are also maintaining this page as the authoritative, factual record.
What about TEFL Online Pro’s placement on r/TEFL’s “blacklist”? TEFL Online Pro has been added to r/TEFL’s community blacklist, a designation we were not given a clear or specific reason for. In our professional opinion — based on over 25 years of direct experience in the TEFL industry — we believe the subreddit’s treatment of providers is not always even-handed. It isn’t unheard of for niche subreddits to be run by individuals or companies with financial interests in their specific sector, which creates conditions for worrying conflicts of interest. This is our assessment, not a documented finding.
Has TEFL Online Pro taken legal action? Yes. A formal cease-and-desist letter was sent to Megan Broccoli on October 20, 2024, addressing statements we consider defamatory, and requesting that she remove the relevant content and cease further publication. The Italian police were contacted regarding the matter on approximately October 14, 2024, and An Garda Síochána (Irish police) regarding the Caitriona McTiernan matter on April 19, 2022.
We are also formally involved in two separate civil cases with The TEFL Academy. We are continuing to gather evidence with a view to filing a formal criminal complaint with Irish authorities, and are evaluating our options with UK authorities as well.
A Note on Affiliate Marketing and Disclosure
We have no issue with affiliate marketing as a business model, or with genuine, disclosed reviews — positive or negative. Our concern is narrow and specific: content that reads as independent commentary while the author has an undisclosed financial relationship with a competitor. We believe readers deserve to know when they’re looking at marketing rather than opinion.
TEFL Online Pro does not run an affiliate-marketing business model.
Competitor Commentary and “Free” TEFL Courses
ESLinsider
ESLinsider is a blog and online TEFL training business operated by Ian Patrick Leahy.
Ian has been banned from Facebook since 2017 for allegedly spreading disinformation and misinformation on the platform. He was also involved in a major scandal after recommending that graduates without a college degree purchase one online instead.
When reading material published about TEFL providers, it is worth checking whether the author also sells a competing course and whether that commercial relationship is clearly disclosed. This applies to all providers, including those discussed on this TEFL Online Pro transparency report.
In the case of ESLinsider, it appears that Leahy’s motivation for publishing online content about his competitors—we are not the only program he has targeted—is to generate views. Someone searching for “TEFL Online Pro Reviews” may come across one of his posts, click through to his blog, and ultimately purchase his unaccredited TEFL course.
Here is an image of Ian wearing a college degree fashioned into a hat:
Ian Patrick Leahy | ESLinsider
The rise of “free” TEFL courses
In recent years, offers for “free TEFL courses” have become increasingly visible online. While the prospect of obtaining a qualification without paying tuition may sound attractive, prospective teachers should carefully examine what is actually included and what, if anything, is expected in return.
A free online TEFL course’s website alone cannot establish whether the training genuinely delivers on its promises. To assess this, prospective students need to look beyond marketing claims and examine the actual course content, depth of training, assessment methods, and learning outcomes. It is also worth checking the credibility of any claimed accreditation, what the certificate represents, and whether a supposedly free course involves a job-placement arrangement or other conditions that could affect earnings or employment choices.
These types of programs commonly use free training as a pathway to recruitment for teaching positions, with the provider deriving financial benefits from the subsequent employment arrangement rather than from course fees.
TEFL Online Pro Transparency Report – Our Reviews
1. Trusted TEFL Reviews We are the top-rated online TEFL/TESOL certification program. View on Trusted TEFL Reviews
3. Google Reviews Read verified feedback directly on Google. View on Google
4. Video Testimonials from Graduates We currently feature 11 graduate video testimonials, including three alumni who recorded both a post-course review and a TEFL jobs follow-up video. View on YouTube
Independent Industry Recognition TEFL Online Pro has also been independently featured by Cambodia Bucket List, after a member of their team anonymously completed our 120-Hour Professional TEFL/TESOL course. Following their experience, they selected TEFL Online Pro as the best value-for-money online TEFL/TESOL certification program in Southeast Asia. Read the feature
Further information about TEFL Online Pro can be found on our Reviews page.
It is our company policy not to specifically ask our graduates to write reviews, and we do not incentivize our graduates in return for writing reviews.
A Note on Reading Online Reviews In our experience across the service industry, the vast majority of satisfied customers simply move on with their lives rather than spend time writing a review — this holds true for TEFL providers as much as any other business.
We’d encourage anyone researching a TEFL provider to read review patterns with a critical eye: four or more five-star reviews appearing within a single day is worth pausing on. It’s also worth understanding what review platforms actually verify.
On Trustpilot, for example, a “Verified” badge confirms only that the reviewer’s email address was validated — not that the review reflects a genuine experience with the company being reviewed.
TEFL Online Pro Transparency Report – A Final Note for Readers
Online, especially in forums and on Reddit, a lot of commentary about TEFL/TESOL providers comes from anonymous accounts with no way to verify who’s behind them. Separately, a number of TEFL blogs and “review” sites are themselves run by people who also operate their own TEFL program, without always making that clear.
If you come across a review or claim about us, or about any provider, that seems off, we’d encourage you to check the source: try to verify who’s actually behind it, and consider whether the person or site making the claim runs, or is linked to, a competing TEFL program of their own.
Contact
If you have questions about anything on this TEFL Online Pro transparency report, or if you are a journalist, regulator, or platform representative looking for source documentation, contact us at info@teflonlinepro.com.
This TEFL Online Pro Transparency Report will be updated if new information becomes available or if any party responds.
