"A TEFL certificate is internationally recognised as a basic qualification. The brand name of the organization providing it is not."

Great point.

Because everyone is wondering "will it be recognized" and is this cert better than another?

Most of the time it doesn't matter.

On paper they all look the same and employers in foreign countries don't keep track of brands in other countries.

When does it matter?

If it's online or in a classroom 'could' matter but that depends on the school and in my experience teaching/living in Asia: China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan - 'most' schools do accept online.

So what really matters?

What you learn. That's what matters.

Because getting a job is just the beginning. Doing your job is a different story and if the courses you take are anything like the ones I've taken then you won't learn much which means teaching abroad won't be very fun.

As John V said.

There's TONS of TEFL course BS out there.

Most courses for TEFL are totally anonymous meaning you have no idea who runs these sites. Many all look the same talking the same talk and making the same appearance that they're "internationally recognized", accredited, well-known, yadda, yadda, yadda.

The TEFL course industry is rife with lies, half-lies and deception. It's very easy to fake people out online and make all kinds of claims. There are loads of fake reviews, astroturfing, affiliate relationships, etc.