Greenheart Reviews

My name is Tiffany and I am currently a teacher in Shenyang China. I began my process to teach by contacting GreenHeart because I knew they would be fast and reliable. My recruiter was Kara Menini, and she was awesome. She was super informative, and answered all of my questions accurately and in a timely matter. Being that she was a teacher in Thailand, I trusted her judgement and opinion as I was preparing to head overseas. Since I've been here, Kara has even come to visit us and witness the experience herself. It shows a lot about a company to send their employees out to witness the experience in person, and I really appreciated all of her input from her experiences. Now that I am well settled in, I am very happy with the job, my life here, and her role she played in helping me get here today.

Greenheart Travel is a great program for getting TESOL certified and teaching English in Thailand. Sarah, the program manager, is very responsive, helpful, and supportive. She enthusiastically answered all of my questions and concerns, despite the fact that she probably gets asked the same things all the time. She is also super friendly, approachable and knows what it's like to be in your shoes since she did a year teaching in South Korea with Greenheart. Greenheart's pre-departure support is extremely thorough. They provide everything from packing lists and webinars, to alumni interviews and informative blog posts from current teachers. Once you're in Thailand, you get passed off to another organization called Xplore Asia, which coordinates the orientation, TESOL course, and placements. Greenheart did a great job of explaining this pass-off and it seems like the two companies have solid communication with one another.
Overall, Greenheart is a solid program and it is very beneficial to spend a month in Thailand before diving into teaching. It is nice to have a network of people spread all over the country once you go off to your placement. I'm really glad I came here through Greenheart and my year in Thailand was probably the best year of my life!

I moved to Yangon, Myanmar in January 2017 to take my Teaching English to Speakers of a Other Languages (TESOL) course, and then to work for three months for George English Training Centres (GETC - Yes, there were a lot of acronyms...). I was 21, just graduated from university, and had absolutely no prior teaching experience, so I was quite nervous!

From the moment I arrived at the airport, everyone made me feel at home in a very foreign country and provided me with all the help that I asked for. The TESOL course was excellent and even though I had never taught before, by the time I graduated I felt prepared and confident to begin teaching for real!

Before I left the UK, Greenheart and their partner companies in Myanmar had organised my work contract and provided me with all the documents I needed to get started in my new life. The process in Myanmar was a seamless experience and I never felt let down by the companies that Greenheart partnered with in Myanmar.

Life itself in Myanmar was exciting, challenging, rewarding and never boring. The teaching experience was incredibly rewarding and the salary provided me with everything I needed to live in the country. I taught and lived in Yangon, the commercial capital, and quickly made a whole group of great friends, both Myanmar and foreign.

Living and working in Myanmar threw up its own range of challenges, to live in a country undergoing so much change so quickly would never have been any different! However the Myanmar people were so friendly and welcoming that the challenges never became overwhelming.

My time in Myanmar was a truly wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone with an adventuring spirit. While not perhaps for the fainthearted, the program has helped me grow as a person and I think I grew more as a person in those four months than I had in the previous four years. I had so much fun, so many great moments, and made such great friends that I don't spend a day without thinking how good it would be to be back!

It was an experience full of fun and learning. Our employers and recruiters (Greenheart Travel) were very organized and supportive.

Apart from not choosing your own city, definitely you will meet smart and enthusiastic kids who are eager to learn.
You will teach and you will learn more from them. Regional Coordinators are always around to help and support. The orientation sessions in Bogota is essential and necessary.

Greenheart Travel is an amazing partner in facilitating the process.
Expect though a lot of paperwork, before, during, and after the program.

Happy teaching!

Overall, I had an amazing experience teaching in Thailand through Greenheart Travel! Greenheart Travel did an excellent throughout the pre-departure process and during my time in Thailand to communicate all the necessary information and ensure that everything went smoothly! With the help of this program, I felt very prepared every step of the way and was able to have an incredible experience and meet so many wonderful friends along the way! I would definitely recommend this program to anyone hoping to teach English abroad!

As in all experiences learning and growth goes hand in hand. It is in learning about the unknown, and fortifying yourself with the knowledge obtained, that true growth is awarded. Teaching abroad in Colombia through the Volunteers Colombia program has granted me the opportunities I desired three fold: (1) To teach ESL on a global level receiving and conferring a cultural exchange of knowlege; (2) To immerse myself in a Spanish speaking community to strengthen my language skills; and (3) To become a valid part of the World Community and help uplift/enrich the lives of our children.

Teaching abroad in Barranquilla Colombia has truly enriched my life. To have the opportunity to be a part of an amazing program geared towards the health and welfare of children is fortifying. It is an opportunity to make a difference by helping to build a better world through educating its new leaders -- the children.

On the other hand, I have learned so much from my students and the people of Colombian. The outreach of support you receive in learning about Colombian Culture is truly wonderful. Everyday my students would bring in books, toys, picutres, stories, letters, etc helping me to learn about life in Colombia. In addition, my students are incredible Spanish teachers; from quizing me on my vocabulary, to showing the proper way to position my tongue to roll the letter R. And, for every word or phrase they want to teach me, I eqaully share its translation into English. What a great exchange!

Living in Colombia has been wonderful. I live in Salamanca, in Soledad which surprisingly many people in Colombia, outside of Soledad, have said that it is not a good place to live; however, I beg to differ! I love the closeknit family atmosphere, and the flavor of their Costal way of life. No matter where you go in Soledad, you are greeted with, ¨Buenas¨! In the begining, I thought that missing my family was going to be my hardest challenge, but everyone in Soledad welcomed me with open arms, embraced me as one of their own, and became apart of my family.

And do not get me started on the food! I originally thought it was going to be a difficult task to find good things to eat, since I am vegetarian; however, it was not. There is nearly a tienda with vegetables and fruits on every corner, and my favorite guilty pleasure -- the Panandaria. This is where I purchase the most delicious sweet bread at the end of every week!

In any new place, the element of different is present. Yet, the most amazing part of the adventure is to immerse yourself in the experience! Stay active, volunteer at community events, learn new things, and get to know your city by engaging in all its cultural activities! While in Barranquilla, I joined a local gym in my neighborhood where I workout 3x a week, I practice Muay Thai at Barranko, and take Zumba lessons at Fusion! I´ve read extensively, visited many museums, art shows, and cultural events within the city. In addition, I´ve had the honor of volunteering in Charitable Community events.

Being part of this teaching programme has literally made my dreams come true! Right from the beginning it has been a positive and enriching experience. I applied for the programme in January but was told it was full. However I was contacted a couple of months later and offered an opportunity to join the programme in July. From that point the correspondence and support I received was excellent. Sara has been really helpful the whole time, always checking in, and the rest of the greenheart team have been amazing.
It has given me an opportunity to get my first insight into teaching whilst still feeling supported the whole time and my plan is to return to Colombia next year to be part of the programme again. If you like a challenge, making a difference, happy people and dancing apply now! It will change your life!

This program is an excellent way to immerse yourself and gain appreciation for another culture, I definitely fell in love with my school and the country as a whole.

My experience teaching in my school was incredibly challenging to say the least, my co-teachers wear microphones to school just to cut through all the noise. The behavioral problem was so broad and so deep it just couldn't be solved, merely worked around. I'm sure this isn't true for all schools, but its not rare either. As long as you're willing to work in trying circumstances with limited resources you can still be successful. For me it actually made the work more fulfilling because it didn't come easy. Anyone wanting to teach in this country should be aware that this situation is a possibility.

The Colombia program has several different agencies who all recruit for the same program, but Greenheart is definitely the most helpful and supportive recruiter to use. There is a Facebook page full of information from current and past Fellows, and Sara is excellent at giving specific information on what you need to do. Her help with the visa process and general program changes really has made the program as stress-free as possible. There will always be some last minute changes and information doesn’t always come as soon as you would hope, but the Greenheart team really does their best to help keep Fellows and applicants in the loop as much as possible. In general, the program is a really amazing opportunity. As other reviewers have said, everything will vary greatly based on your city placement, attitude, and your school environment. I’m currently placed in a medium-sized city in the coffee triangle and it is definitely possible to live on the stipend. My students and co-teacher have been amazing and I have learned a lot about teaching from this position. This program is a great experience for people who are really excited about getting to live abroad and teach English, as long as you are prepared for last minute information and some uncertainty that comes with the government-based program!

I've loved doing this program. It's a fantastic opportunity to immerse oneself in Colombian culture. The program is well organized and there's a good network of support within the program. Special shout out to Sara from Greenheart Travel. There is a fair amount of paperwork to do and she was always organized and very responsive to any questions or concerns I had. I couldn't have done the process of applying for the Visa without her help.