Program Reviews

Doing this program was one of the best decisions of my life. Greenheart was incredibly supportive throughout all the pre-departure planning and the trip itself. Being a first time traveller, I was also able to apply for the Greenheart Travel First Time Traveller Scholarship which was a huge financial help to me!

Rescue P.A.W.S. became my second home and will forever have a special place in my heart. I was lucky to have an incredible boss and amazing coworkers who I know will be friends for life. My days were spent with puppies or cats in my lap, putting my skills to use in a way that I can confidently say I am proud of. This internship is very self-directed - I came in with project ideas in mind and was able to do all of them. I come from an art background and was even able to illustrate for, and design, a bunch of new merchandise, which isn't something I thought I'd be doing in a marketing internship at all! I loved Rescue P.A.W.S. so much that I even decided to stay a couple of months longer than I had planned. If you're on the fence about doing this program, don't be. What could be better than puppies in Thailand?

A few years ago I was searching the internet for a way to travel to another country but stay longer than a normal vacation. After weeks of searching I found Green Heart Travel's program to Colombia. I studied history and focused on Latin America so this was instantly my favorite program I'd seen. After applying and going through a few interviews, I was on my way to Colombia within 6 months. For the following 6 months I not only had an amazing time with my students and teachers at my school but also traveled the entire country which included snow and glaciers, beaches, mountains, ancient ruins, urban cities, colonial towns, and lots of beautiful hikes with waterfalls and mountains everywhere. Everywhere I went the people were so friendly and I never felt unsafe at anytime. I would highly recommend taking a chance and traveling to Colombia and would definitely recommend Green Heart Travel for all of their help and organization throughout my time there and even after returning.

I came to China via Greenheart having used them already in 2015 to complete a programme in Thailand. Once again, Greenheart were very well organised, pragmatic and supportive throughout the entire process. Greenheart had less involvement in the programme than when I went to the teaching placement in Thailand, as there was no introductory weeks of lessons, activities etc. I was regularly in contact with Greenheart staff however, who were especially supportive when I was having a tough time in my homestay struggling with cultural difference and homesickness. The lady I spoke to had suggestions, encouragement and liaised with my boss of the company that I was handed over to, in order to help me though my issues and feel more at home in China. By the end I didn't want to leave! I also had an alumni discount for this programme, which is also great as we all know that money can be an issue when you have itchy feet. I would definitely recommend the home-stay programmes as an immersive and humbling experience, however i might suggest going on a paid teaching programme first like I did in order to get to grips with culture shock and first-time working abroad with others in the same boat before going it alone.

Greenheart are fantastic at providing support from the moment you land in the country. I arrived and was picked up by a driver arranged by greenheart, and then driven to my hotel room (sharing with another teacher). We then spent the next week having all our important documents sorted, applications for teaching jobs filled out and phones sorted, as well as Thai lessons, culture lessons, teaching lessons and wonderful activities such as muai thai and visiting an elephant sanctuary. I felt 100% supported by greenheart staff to get a teaching job, although flexibility on this front was required on my part as this changed once or twice before it was finalised. as well as emotionally and psychically supported for the rest of my time in Thailand. I ended up working for a school and a learning centre in Ayutthaya, a beautiful historic town, the learning centre was fantastic, wonderfully organised and gave me a variety of students in terms of age and requirements. The school was far less organised and I had some trouble here trying to make my lessons a success, however, I felt i could call upon Greenheart should I encounter any problems. I found the culture and language lessons provided by Greenheart at the beginning very helpful, as well as technical support of getting a SIM card and bank account, all of which would have been very difficult to do alone. I had a wonderful placement and a perfect place to live, and still keep in touch now with some of the fellow teacher I met there. A fantastic experience, so much so that I decided to use Greenheart again in 2018 for a home stay programme in China.

Not a good program at all! Overpriced! Basic needs were not even covered. Greenheart does not follow through with what they tell you they will give you. Felt more like a workaway experience. Was not given 3 meals a day and hot water did not work properly in homestay. None of the money goes to the host families so the organization overcharges volunteers and pockets the money. Organization does not reply to emails in a timely manner and when complaints are brought up, nothing is done about it. Local support is very poor. Very bad experience overall. Felt ripped off.
I did not receive "Three home-cooked meals a day for duration of program" that I was supposed to receive for the whole duration of my stay.
I definitely did not get the support I needed from the local staff for the $500 they received from me. The least they could have done for me was tell me to book my train ticket earlier before I arrived because I had to pay 100 euro for a train ticket that would normally cost 15-30 euro if I had booked it at least a week in advance.
The hot water did not work in the washroom they had given me to use. It would only work for about 10 minutes and then would completely stop. Therefore, I was only able to shower once a week! This should have been checked for the $500 I paid for the "Host family search, screening, and placement process" and the "background check".
I also do not understand why I had to pay $100 for the "Comprehensive medical/accident insurance" when all that was done was the registration for this. Moreover, I had my own medical insurance so this should have been optional.
I also did not even receive the package that I was supposed to receive via mail form Greenheart.

What an amazing adventure. My Host Family could not be More than they are: Wonderful Wonderful Human Beings and Friends for Life. Liliana and Paolo showed me how to Luve as an Italian; they proudly took me to see and experience at least half of their beautiful country. I stayed in homes of family and friends across Italy and up and down Italy. I visited Amazing places tourists don’t generally know - BELLISSIMO. We sang laughed and argued our way up and down and back and forth across Italia. Liliana and Paolo I Love You Both and will be back as promised.
Your country is beautiful, you certainly have the right to be so proud of it - voted the most beautiful country in the world in 2018, Your people are amazingly welcoming friendly and helpful.
Milano Metro ur um - lost again, wrong train again - wow another adventure, another place seen and experienced.
I cannot thank Greenheart enough for the experience you introduced me to.

Overall my experience being a student of Greenheart travel was a good one. I originally chose them because people were so helpful and kind as I went through the many steps to start my journey. They were always there to answer emails, assure my parents and answer questions we had.
Although, there where some less than positive experiences as well. I was placed in a family where not all members of the family wanted a student in their house, and the family rules seemed to change and get stricter over time. In the end after months of disagreement and at least one meeting with a local coordinator trying to resolve things, I actually got moved to another family after being kicked out. It wasn’t entirely the family’s fault at all, there where situations I handled incorrectly. But in the end when I received a letter of probation for exploring farther than I was supposed they also included completely untrue statements not related to what I did wrong. I feel they greatly misrepresented me, which really hurt.
A solution was found and I was placed in a welcoming, wonderful family that completely changed my experience for the better.
I wouldn't go one way or the other to recommend or not recommend. I would say do your research on multiple programs. The best way being to look at a reviews. See what people say about the rules and the family they where placed with to make a decision.

When I first began researching teaching programs around Asia I never thought it was as complex and confusing as it is. I found Greenheart and they were encouraging and helpful. They don't hold your hand through every step, but they are supportive and make sure you feel informed and safe as you prepare for a huge leap into the unknown. As mentioned, the teaching world in Thailand/SE Asia can be complex. You'll work with partner organizations/agencies, since Greenheart doesn't actually serve or have access to every school in the country. Fortunately, I personally never had any major issues or emergencies while navigating some of the confusing transitions throughout the teaching process, but I always felt that Greenheart had my back and would have done their best to help had I needed it. I completed the TESOL course and initial placement, and fell in love with Thailand. I have since transitioned to other jobs, but I attribute a lot of my initial success to the fact that I came through Greenheart.

This was the best! I taught middle schoolers in Verbania, Italy for three months and four years later, I think about that time in my life every day. Greenheart transformed how I saw traveling by giving me a purpose in an amazing lakeside community with a terrific homestay family. My host teacher was lovely and spoke English very well. I did not choose where I would go, but was extremely happy with my placement in Verbania. Most of the program participants are placed in Torino, where there is a rich historical culture and nightlife. I was actually a bit closer to Milan, where I went for day trips on a couple of weekends.

I am still in touch with a couple of my fellow teachers in the Greenheart program and was so lucky to have made such great friends to travel with while I was in Europe and remain close to long after the program. The orientation before you go to your homestay town or city was very helpful in meeting folks to travel with or even to meet up and explore their temporary home for a bit!

I'm so glad that I chose to take the 4 week TESOL course while in Korea. It was the best option for me and for those teachers that are new to teaching in Korea or new to teaching, I would highly recommend. Can you take an online course and get by? Of course you can, however this TESOL course gets you in front of the classroom almost daily and helps build that pacing that new teachers/new teachers to Korea might not have. Further, even if you have been a teacher, teaching a language is very different from teaching other subjects in your own language. I found this course to be hugely valuable and when I arrived at my placement I found that most of the information and ways to teach were the same and so the adjustment was minimal in the field. The team is always there to help and the instructor that I had (Jon Harman) really took the time to highlight strengths and areas of improvement for any teacher that presented. Finally, the TESOL course allowed us to teach at a camp for two days which was a sneak peek into how real Korean kids would act/respond and taught us quickly how to adapt our lesson plans and tailor them in a way that best communicated the information to the children. For me, this course was the bridge between my travel abroad/teaching experience and the new country. It was a way to wade into the culture, language, and customs of Korea while being surrounded by a helpful team and other westerners . It's a safe way to gradually be introduced to a foreign way of life and make it digestible. I cannot thank the team enough for their support and assistance in this transition and I would highly recommend this class for anyone who is new to teaching, Korea, or teaching in Korea. Best of luck travelers!