Gotoco FUNDED TEFL Adventures (Bali, Thailand, Colombia, Europe, SE Asia!)

I recently completed the GotoCo TEFL teaching program in Vietnam. The overall highlight of my experience was being a teacher in Vietnam for three months. I was based in Thai Binh City, this was a very unique experience as it was off the tourist map and meant I experienced living and working as a local. The kindness of Vietnamese people and the children's willingness to learn cannot be unstated. Working with energetic kindergarten kids meant that the days were enjoyable and I was able to approach teaching from a fun perspective. Teaching is a very fulfilling role and seeing students progress made the days even more special. I taught a variety of ages, including older students which meant preparing them for their ILETS exams, which I recently found out one of my students passed! This was fantastic news for me and highlighted the positive impact teaching can have on student's lives. I would recommend Go to Co to people who are thinking about foregoing a career in teaching. The three month programme offers an authentic experience into what teaching as a foreign teacher is like day to day in rural Vietnam. Go to Co is a pathway opportunity to explore whether a teaching career is the right move, whilst also providing a chance to explore a new country and experience the rich culture South East Asia has to offer. One of my most enjoyable moments from the trip was completing the Ha Giang Loop with my Go to Co group. Travelling around the North of Vietnam on the back of a motorbike is an experience of a lifetime. Travelling on narrow mountain roads, villages in Ha Giang were beautifully unique and offered a window into life into rural Northern Vietnam.

I really enjoyed my time with Gotoco. I went away to Thailand last summer with them and it was an incredible experience. I got to meet so many people with similar interests as my own on the program who I made very strong friendship with and still see regularly in the UK. It was a wonderful opportunity to try lots of new food and put myself out of my comfort zone with new things. I also learnt lots and professionally developed from doing the TESOL course. I would really recommend Gotoco to everyone!

It has thrown me into the deep end of teaching and adapting to a new culture. I am more confident and capable of creating resources from scratch. I have learned a lot about teaching and how a school in India works. Learned so much here, can confidently walk into any classroom in the world to teach English. Shaped my cultural understanding of Kerala. Given me purpose and a direction in life.. lots of ups and downs but in the end, I made the most of it. The Onam festival at the start! Teaching the kids, and forming friendships with Gotoco peers. Cultural immersion was amazing with lots of dancing and singing. Made lots of friends and really enjoyed it. Taking ourselves out at weekends when to Alapuzha for my birthday and Munnar twice, varkala was great, sun bathed and swam in the sea. Explored Thrissur. Felt like home by the end.

I had a really good time on the Gotoco India programme - the culture, food, climate and lifestyle were amazing and I have never met friendlier people. Although teaching was hard at first, and sometimes tiring - especially juggling the TESOL at the same time - I found the learning curve enjoyable and the experience to be incredibly rewarding. The accomodation I was provided with was really good, and the stipend for food was a great help. I think that the programme represents a unique opportunity to experience 'real' Indian culture and give yourself a real challenge, making amazing memories along the way. Gotoco make the process from signing up to landing in India simple, and give useful pre-departure advice.

Overall, I would highly recommend Gotoco for any young person on a budget who wants to travel, doesn’t want to get off the career ladder, and wants to feel like part of the local community and less like a tourist! By doing my placement in Dali, China, I got to see a part of the world that I hadn’t expected, and also get experience in a new career path. I think it was such good experience to show future employers that I’m resilient, bold, and independent! I built my leadership skills by teaching classes, communication skills with the school team, and lots of organisation skills through planning pre-departure and in country logistics. I’m so glad to have teaching experience now, as I got to use my degree in a practical way and can really consider teaching English in my future. The TEFL course provided is also structured really well and was a pleasure to learn. I also really enjoyed the outdoor activities with the school I was placed with, as the adventurous spirit of the school really made it exciting to teach there. The highlights for me outside school were travelling on the weekends, trying new foods, and making lifelong friends with my fellow Gotoco volunteers. Experiencing China was amazing as it's somewhere I feel like people don't travel to as often as Thailand or Vietnam, but the people are really friendly, prices very affordable, and the landscape is stunning. One memorable moment of my trip was taking an evening to myself when the others were busy to explore Dali solo after work, and this really pushed my confidence forwards. I got moments of a solo travel experience, but am so glad I was placed with others to give each other that support and connection while trying something new. It was also very reassuring to know I could contact the programme leaders at any time if any issues, questions or emergencies arose. Gotoco were a great company to work with, thank you for the adventure of a lifetime!