Program Reviews

This is a great opportunity to teach and get to know the beautiful country of Colombia. The support is good and the pay is enough to live on without splashing out too much. Travelbud provide the support during your application and some support in Colombia with the very helpful Carolina, but once you arrive you will mostly be dealing with their in-country partners who run the programme. Be prepared for classrooms with very few resources and pupils who barely know the alphabet in English.

I've been teaching English to high school students in Bogota for the last 2 months. I won't lie, the first 3 weeks I was here, I was really suffering from a hard case of culture shock. Most of the schools are located about an hour bus ride out of the city centre and the conditions of transport are very different from where I am from in Australia.
So, it took me a while to settle, but now after getting my bearings, I am really enjoying the experience. The kids at school are really keen to learn English and although their conversational skills are not particularly high, I can already see most of students gaining in ability and confidence to speak English. TravelBud have been a fantastic company to work with. Carolina is very friendly, knowledgeable and at all times, super helpful.

Colombia offers a few volunteer teaching programs working with minors and adults. I participated in the program where you teach English to adults for tourism purposes. When I was searching for teaching opportunities to teach abroad in Colombia, I noticed a lot of repetitive job descriptions for volunteer english teaching programs. I finally figured out that if it is a volunteer program with a monthly stipend it is all one of the same few programs that Colombia offers through its government, but that there are many third party recruiting sites.
TravelBud was the recruiting site that I used and my process with them went pretty well. They were very good at sharing all the information and paperwork with me and I arrived to orientation being one of the only people who had already completed all the registration and required paperwork for the program.
Getting all the required documents in on time and feeling prepared can be a little overwhelming but TravelBud was able to answer any questions and doubts I had. The visa process was a little bit confusing, but that is not a problem specific to TravelBud and if you can not get it ready before you leave, the program you are doing will handle that whole process during orientation.
Overall, I recommend this teaching experience in Colombia. It is a really rewarding experience, and great for traveling around Colombia and experiencing a new culture. The only thing I would warn you about is that the stipend is enough in smaller cities like mine, but I am unsure if it will be sufficient in bigger cities. You will definitely need to budget and maybe have some savings.

Honestly, when I first came across the program, I was hesitant about its legitimacy, especially because they ask for a deposit, they’re relatively new to Colombia and I was getting emails from someone in South Africa. I didn’t know what to expect, but from my first email inquiring about the program to now being here, everything has been smooth sailing with TravelBud. They were quick to answer my questions and pass along my application to the Colombian volunteer teaching program. I actually got to meet the person I’d been emailing, Carolina, and she took us out for dinner during our first week here. TravelBud had arranged for us to have Spanish lessons, a nice walking tour around Bogota and some local coffee. It’s been great to have this addition point of contact while being here. The schools aren’t anything spectacular. If they were, there probably wouldn’t be a need for me. The teachers and students I work with are great. I always feel like the local celebrity walking around the school and having everyone say hi to me. I have definitely seen a change in some students’ attitudes toward English over the month and a half I’ve been here in Bogota. The city is amazing. There are, like any place, certain spots you shouldn’t be caught after dark, but overall, there is so much to do and see here. I have really enjoyed my time here so far and look forward to what the rest of my time has in store.

Deciding to move to Thailand is not the easiest of decisions to make, but Travelbud made sure the actual process was seamless, clear and pleasant.

They're always ready to answer questions, queries and concerns (anxiety may get the better of you, it's normal) and guide you patiently through the process.

So, my advice to anyone considering teaching abroad.... JUST GO! Obviously get Travelbud to assist you, it's absolutely worth it.

Special thank you to the entire Travelbud team, you guys are an awesome bunch of people!

After looking through a few different travel sites and doing a bit of research, I decided to sign up for a chat with Peter. Within minutes I trusted TravelBud with the whole process. Everything from signing up, to getting here went smoothly and comfortably for me. Once arriving, Liam and Saskia continued with their support and even took me and a few others out for a couple of delicious dinners. Moving across the world can be very scary, but with the help and support that TravelBud provides, it makes the whole process even more enjoyable.

When considering this big decision to move overseas it can be a bit overwhelming with all the information you need to know to get started. I researched through so many different organizations that help you through this process, but in the end everything kept coming back to TravelBud. From the initial contact, until I finally landed in Thailand they were there every step of the way. Its not so much the information they provided, which is all necessary and helpful, but its the way it was presented and with the care it was given. They are headquartered all the way in South Africa and I am in Chicago and was as comfortable as can be from such a far distance. They constantly help you with the process step by step, never overwhelming you with information. They made sure that I took care of the initial steps before informing me of the next move. They answered all my questions in a timely fashion and most importantly they genuinely care about my well being and constant concerns with the process. Life choices can sometimes be very stressful and full of anxiety that you can't control, but TravelBud makes sure that they won't give any of that on their end. Today I am living in Thailand with a smile on my face and experiencing an adventure I already know I will never forget. They are a huge reason for that, so thank you TravelBud! Also a special shout out to Peter and Saskia in this process! Hope to meet one day and thank you personally!

TravelBud needs to be congratulated by every person who arrived in the April intake. Of course I cannot speak for everyone, but not a single person on my team didnt have anything but great reviews on how we were treated during our first couple weeks in Thailand. This process has seamed to have no admin needed by us due to the fact that TravelBud took care of absolutely everything. The team at TravelBud are extremely supportive and kept a communication line open with us constantly as well as took us on a couple little adventures around Hua Hin. I cannot express enough how I would trust this company to assist me in teaching ANYWHERE in the world. I am 2 months in at an amazing school in Nonthaburi and loving life while TravelBud still checks in and have made it very clear they are always here to help. The team that is TravelBud and the people working for them will be buddies of mine for life!

I am here, sitting in Thailand, already placed at a school in the South, teaching the absolute cutest Primary school children - exactly as I wanted it, not necessarily as I imagined it though. I can't remember how I imagined it, but all I can remember is that TravelBud has made the whole rollercoster ride a smooth one! From the get go, they answered every single question I had, were available anytime for a Skype call and supported me mentally throughout the whole experience of getting adjusted to life in Thailand!
Best of all, the founder of TravelBud and one of his work colleagues decided to pop by and say Hi in Thailand while we were doing our well planned Orientation week and TESOL Course. This just proved how much they care for their participants!
Absolutely appreciate everything you guys have done for me!

What an incredible team of humans! You all have contributed to making my new start in Thailand nothing less than amazing. The level of communication and fluidity of it needs to be recommended. The team constantly kept me up to date with the latest information and lovingly checked in on me from time to time. Starting afresh in a new country is daunting but it feels so good knowing I have such great support. I'd like to extend a massive Thank You to the entire team!!! :)