Greenheart Reviews

I signed up for one semester in Georgia and ended up staying for three. I didn't know too much about the country before finding the TLG program, but spent a few months researching all about it before going.
Many people who consider applying have misconceptions about Georgia. While it is a developing country it is far from living in a mud hut. You will likely have somewhat comfortable accommodations with a family. Day to day life can be somewhat slow moving with school, going home and giving family lessons, but the weekends are usually filled with celebrations or traveling to other parts of the country. It's a beautiful country but the Georgian people are the best part of the experience. They will welcome you like a friend and find a place in your heart quick.
Yes the food can be a bit repetitive or lacking in certain spices or food groups, you will see things that might bother you like traditional gender roles, litter all over a beautiful field, or mistreatment of animals. But overall, it was a great experience and I just hope people who go there have an open mind and go knowing we can learn as much from Georgians as they can from us. Gaumarjos! (cheers)

This was a great experience to truly live outside ones comfort zone. Georgia is a great country full of rich history and beautiful landscapes. The Georgian people are friendly and kind in every way possible. The teachers, students, host family, and neighbors are all very welcoming to new people. They will invite you into their community and encourage you to learn their customs, eat their food, drink their wine, and learn their language.

The Greenheart Travel team did an excellent job in preparing me for this teaching experience. The paperwork was simple and there were no complications with anything. The staff was friendly and answered every single one of my questions to the fullest. They did an excellent job in describing the schools, the customs, the people, and the history of the country.

I went on this trip as my first "traveling alone" trip at age 16! I was so excited and the experience did not let me down. Being half Latina, it helped with understanding some of the cultural aspects but I definitely learned more spanish out of everything. Me being non-fluent, I was kind of scared how well I would be able to communicate but all-in-all I was able to communicate quite freely. The volunteer aspect was great being able to work with animals that I had never even seen before. I learned a lot about how important wildlife and natural habitats are. Although there is always a lot of work, it is fun work and I would definitely go again if I had the opportunity. Being only 16, I was told to be very careful on where I go but in the town that I was in and the local inner-cities, I felt very safe. My host family was very nice and generous as well. The mother cooked awesome food and has darling children who I got to hang out with. I kept an open mind going in and I came out with new experiences under my belt and a humble outlook on my busy american life. I definitely would recommend this for groups or for people traveling alone. It truly is an awesome experience to learn about the wildlife of Costa Rica.

When I knew that I wanted to teach abroad in South Korea, I didn’t know which program or organization to apply to. As I did my research, I stumbled across the Greenheart Travel website. At first, just the name itself, “Greenheart Travel” drew my attention because its name tells me that this organization cares for the whole environment of the world. I decided to read the Greenheart Travel website and learned that it is a non-profit international educational exchange program with a passion of helping others reach their full potential in teaching abroad and other experiences. By learning about their mission, I knew that this was the organization that I wanted to apply through.

I really liked how Greenheart Travel listed all the information for EPIK’s (English Program in Korea) benefits package, qualification requirements, teacher responsibilities, schedule, placements, and application process. I especially liked how Greenheart Travel offered a discount to take the TEFL Certificate Course.

While I was completing my EPIK application, I always emailed Greenheart Travel when I had questions about something. A representative from Greenheart Travel always replied back to my messages within the same day or the following day. I was very grateful for their quick responses. Moreover, Greenheart Travel sent an email with details about how to obtain required documents for the EPIK application. Their email really helped me understand where to go, what to do, and how to send/obtain all the documents I needed.

Within about two weeks after sending my initial application to Greenheart Travel to send to EPIK, I received an interview with EPIK. Several days before the interview, Greenheart Travel emailed me a list of sample questions to help me prepare for the interview. I went through these questions and read through the EPIK website to help prepare myself. When the interview came, I was so thankful that Greenheart Travel had prepared me so well. Throughout the whole application process and the time period before I left for South Korea, Greenheart Travel has always been so helpful.

Now, I’ve been teaching in South Korea with EPIK since August 2011. This has been such a worthwhile lifetime experience for me. I enjoy teaching and living here. My schools are great to me. I live in a nice, cozy apartment that has a view of Mt. Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea. I like learning about the culture, attending festivals and concerts, volunteering, trying different Korean foods, hiking the many trails, exploring the beauty around me, meeting both kind locals and other foreigners, and simply making the best of my time here. At the same time, I’m also capable of traveling and saving money.

Overall, I thank Greenheart Travel for helping me get here. Several friends have expressed interest in teaching abroad and asked for my opinion, and I always recommend Greenheart Travel to them.

I absolutely love volunteering and I wanted to make my mark across the pond, so I decided to go to Ibiza, Spain. At first I was extremely nervous because it was my first time to Europe alone and I had recently turned eighteen. The thought of going to a different country without my parents was very appealing but also very frightening. When I arrived I was greeted by two smiling faces. I was immediately calmed by their big hugs and comforting words, right then and there I knew it was going to be an amazing experience. Everyone at Casita was so open, kind, funny, smart, and talented. They accepted me into their close-knit family and I quickly considered them very close friends; I love them all greatly. I was in Spain for the last two weeks of the 2011 year and it was one of the best two weeks of my life. Everyday we had a group meeting to designate the activites and then we would go on about our jobs. At about 2 we had lunch, usually a family affair, and then we got on with our activities after. Saturdays we usually went to the market for some free time to shop and Mondays were free days where you could take a day excursion and explore the island. The only challenge I had was being less wasteful; a challenge that many Americans face everyday. I made so many new friends that I will stay in contact with for the rest of my life. I learned so much about the environment and how to take care of it. Everything I learned at Casita Verde I brought back to the States and have incorporated into my everyday life. My trip to Spain changed me and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Good things: plenty of turtles, nice hiking trails left by cows and sheep, if you are a man you will be invited to drink wine or cha cha at any time of the day (that is if you like to drink)

Some bad things: experiencing the Georgian family life means enduring screaming children who enjoy picking on their host (small children like to punch in the genital area, large children like to put things in my bed, such as saliva-covered candy) while waiting for things that never happen, Georgian teachers don't understand co-teaching even if you speak to them in Georgian, listening as parents scream at each other

First, Greenheart Travel is a great organization. I've always received replies to my emails within a day, or even a few hours. The staff is universally helpful and friendly.

Teaching in Georgia is a good introduction to the TESOL field because Georgia is a low-pressure environment for teaching. You're placed in classrooms with Georgian co-teachers, and depending on your comfort level, you can contribute as much (or as little) as you would like.

Classroom conditions are less than ideal, but they're tolerable, and they seem to improve with each passing year. The hardest part of teaching for me is classroom management because Georgian children are incredibly rowdy, and many of my classes have over 30 students. That being said, your Georgian co-teacher will usually be strict enough to scare the students into submission.

In terms of living conditions, your salary is more than enough to cover your living expenses. I'm usually able to save around half of my income each month. However, if you have substantial student loans to pay, you might struggle to cover those with your Georgian salary.

In summary, if you're planning on teaching English abroad for more than one year, Georgia is a good place to start. You can practice teaching, without any pressure to excel from the get-go. As long as you behave respectfully, and put in some effort, you'll be fine.

This is a pretty capable program in my estimation. The staff is pretty on-the-ball with the support and everything is put on front street with them. There's not even a semblance of underhandedness. They're pretty forthcoming with all the intricacies and less-than-palatable portions of volunteering. And for that, they're a neck above other programs.

Highlights would have to be the community you're working in. I've been placed in a fairly small village and everyone is congenial and cordial to one another. The students are genuinely interested in learning English which makes my job a pleasant stroll in the park.

Another highlight would be my host family. Maybe I just rolled the dice and came up with sevens in regards to my placement but they've been a dream. There's always a party or event to attend. They're also in the habit of whisking me off to cultural locales and such to take in the sights. I couldn't ask for better accommodations.

I suppose the facilities and the materials could be perceived as a minor setback. You're not drowning in resources here in Georgia unfortunately. I mostly just have chalk and a board at my disposal. But with a little creativity and tenacity, you should do just fine.

All in all, I highly recommend this program.

The food in Georgia is not really the best, although the wine is great.
The people are very friendly, but at the same time very nosy.
There is very little to do as far as night life outside the two major cities. But the country offers great natural landscapes.
The weather is a bit extreme; namely, cold and snowy in the winter and very hot in the summer.
The pay is more than sufficient.

I went to Georgia to figure out if teaching was what I really wanted to do and to finally experience life abroad. The program met my expectations, but like anything it's not perfect.

First, going through Greenheart was a good choice. They had access to a lot of resources from the members already in Georgia and could get a speedier response from TLG (Teach and Learn in Georgia) than an individual can, trust me. The most useful pre-trip event was a conference phone call with the Greenheart representative and everyone else going to Georgia at the same time.

Georgia is itself one of the most beautiful and welcoming countries you'll ever go to. You'll hear this over and over again from anyone who's been there and Georgians themselves. It isn't false praise by any means. You'll be invited to a number of Supras or feasts, a cultural highlight. There are plenty of historical and natural tourist spots to see. TLG even provides the opportunity to travel with other visiting teachers from your regions to some of these areas. I went to the Sataplia caves with many new teachers who had just gotten to the region towards the end of my contract. We exchanged teaching ideas, vented about classroom struggles, and reminded each other about all the things we missed from Western culture and life.

I taught in the port city of Poti. My school was pretty well off material wise. Everyone had desks, there was a computer lab and projector that were used semi-frequently, and my director was willing to work with me not against me. My co-teachers had very limited English skills. This was probably the biggest challenge. Co-teachers were supposed to be the bridge between TLG teachers and the Georgian school system. Most of the them can only carry on basic conversations. One of mine would even correct me on pronunciation of English words, like mountain, she just had been saying wrong for forty years. You have to be willing to be very patient when doing lesson plans or working with co-teachers.

Patience will also be needed when communicating with TLG. Getting plane tickets home took months of communication and they were still late when I left at the end of my contract. TLG is working very hard to coordinate with a growing number of native English speakers working in the country. It's not an easy job. They just still seem to be grappling with Westerners desire to have plans made quickly and efficiently.

If you are looking for a program that will challenge you and your willing to make sacrifices in your standard of living, this is a great choice. You need to be creative not necessarily the best teacher. You need to be willing to learn a new language (unless, you already know Russian or Georgian). You need to be willing to let go and enjoy life and friends and family.

I would go back in a heartbeat!