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

Program Reviews

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Megan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Cultural Immersion and Teaching Experience

I had a great time on the Vietnam TEFL programme. I met a great group of people who I worked alongside with and have made friends for life.

GoToCo were great in providing local teaching experience in language centres with wonderful Vietnamese staff and I was able to experience local life.

We were also provided with a TESOL course and assistance where needed.

In particular the coordinators of the Vietnam programme were helpful and supportive throughout, Hayley in particular went above and beyond helping us.

Finally, the programme focused a lot on cultural immersion so it was great to experience teaching local children out in there incredibly rural areas, see how they live, and then experience the other side of Vietnam in trips to Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An which were insightful and fun.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Say yes to everything and do it without fear of judgement. It may mean singing wheels on the bus a capella to a group of 4 year olds who won’t stop laughing. But it’ll also be a lot of fun!
Pros
  • On hands experience
  • Amazing Vietnamese staff
  • Meeting new people
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Linus
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

gotoco Vietnam

The most enjoyable moments of the trip were in my opinion: lots of enjoyable moments on the trip - camping in the jungle, meet-ups in Hanoi and Tam Coc and Ninh Binh city. So, overall, in summary, there absolutely were lots of enjoyable moments on the trip overall!
The highlights of the overall experience were as follows in my opinion: there was great food, great in depth introduction to Vietnamese culture, teaching overall really fun - would recommend! it was a great experience on the whole, in summary!

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Yasha
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An amazing and unforgettable experience

The experience with my programme has been life-changing, it has been an unforgettable and inspiring experience that I would do it all over again. I have loved the whole experience in rural Thailand, from meeting people within the programme and making friends with them, to experiencing how people live in a small rural village, to being in a completely different school environment and a completely different structure, I loved every second of it. It has been a real eye-opener. I have really enjoyed my time experiencing and witnessing another culture completely different to mine. I have enjoyed where I stayed which was so different to what I am used to and really enjoyed my time teaching the students in my school. Overall, this experience has been amazing and I am so grateful that I had this opportunity that I can take with me for the rest of my life. This experience also helped me to grow as an individual, be resilient and step out of my comfort zone. Thank you Gotoco!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
During my time at my village, I went to some Hot Springs in one of the National Parks with my teachers, and I have never seen hot springs, this was such an amazing day out, the most popular thing to do there is boil eggs in the natural water...it was something I never done before, I loved it!
Pros
  • Having a cultural exchange with children in the school
  • Learning about a new culture, food, language, customs
  • Growing as an individual, independence, resilience, stepping out of my comfort zone
Cons
  • The language barrier is very difficult
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Keturah
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

6 weeks in Thailand!

Collaborating with Gotoco provided an exceptional and enriching experience. Engaging in a cultural exchange program while making an impact abroad is highly recommended for individuals from diverse backgrounds. The quality of professional development offered was excellent, and overall, it's an opportunity I'll always cherish. During the course, you'll need to complete TESOL, earning a valuable qualification upon completion. This aspect adds significant value to the program, opening doors to teaching English in foreign countries worldwide.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Speaking on stage in front of the whole school in Thai! I got my partner teacher to help me with writing the speech and pronunciation and I practised all night long! This was a very proud moment for me.
Pros
  • Learnt a new culture
  • Met people from different walks of life
  • Learnt various new skills
Cons
  • Lack of vegetarian food
  • Colourism within Thailand
  • Tesol hadn’t been finished writing so couldn’t complete before the end of the programme.
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Jamie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Highly recommend

This was an unforgettable experience which I will remember for the rest of my life! The highlights were making new friends with both the other Gotoco teachers and the local Thai people. I believe I now have a second family and I am planning on going back to see them. I loved teaching the Thai children and learning about their culture especially trying the different foods. My school was amazing and the whole community made us feel so welcome! I would describe my experience as very memorable and enjoyable with many more ups than downs. I loved being engrained in Thai culture and every day was exciting full of smiles and opportunity.

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Kate
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

cannot recommend enough!

I was a little apprehensive before starting this program as I didn't really know what to expect, but it's the best decision I've ever made! I did the 6 months program in Thailand and I got to see so much of Thailand, gained so much experience in teaching as well as life experience, and made so many friends! It's amazing that it's all paid for (except deposits) and when you're out here you have enough money on your stipend to travel on the weekends (and after if you're clever with your budgeting and save!) Lots of people from the program are teaching in Thailand now, around Asia and I'm off to Australia next so it opens up lots of possibilities. You will obviously have to work in your training and at your school, it's not a free holiday so do bear that in mind, but IMO it's worth it even if you don't want to go into teaching after due to all the skills and experience you gain anyway. I'm so glad I did this and can't recommend it enough!

Pros
  • It's all funded!
  • Meeting new friends
  • Gaining a TESOL qualification
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Kimberley
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

You have to do this program!

After graduating uni, I had never left Europe and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I decided to apply for Gotoco on a whim and it is the best thing I have ever done! You get to travel and enjoy new countries and cultures all for free! You have to pay a £200 deposit but get it back when you finish the program and other than that everything is paid for for you, flights, accommodations, meals etc! You also get a Trinity TESOL qualification for free too! You will not regret doing this and I cannot recommend enough!

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Jasmina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Highly recommend

I was skeptical with how my experience would play out at first with Gotoco, but my whole experience with Gotoco has been better than I could ever have thought. Not only have I now got a teaching qualification out of this experience but I have made lifelong friends and broadened my cultural awareness further through traveling in a new country and learning new cultures.
I feel like some friends are still stuck on what to do and I always recommend travel and gaining some experience to broaden your mind.
The experience I gained from this all has been invaluable to me and something I will never forget. I only have positive things to say about Gotoco.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
It was my first time going to Thailand and I was unsure about how the programme would work, as I accepted the offer very last minute - the week of flying.

However, the organisers handled it very efficiently and managed it so well throughout considering it was done very last minute for me.
Pros
  • Teaching qualifications
  • Exposure to new food and culture
  • Lifelong friends
Cons
  • Away from family
  • Qualification can be hard work
  • Home-sickness
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Harriet
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

What an experience!

I loved all of it. The food was out of this world, the trips were fantastic. It was nice not having to organise everything ourselves- our trip coordinator handled a lot of that for us. The experience as a whole was amazing, the fact that I wouldn't be able to afford to do these things on my own didn't matter because the trip and course was funded was amazing. I made some great friends for life and had some unforgettable experiences. I was able to prove to myself that I can teach and that's something I didn't know before

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Gabriel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Highly developing and enriching time!

During my over two months volunteering in Colombia with GOTOCO I made loads of memories, while traveling around this beautiful country, learned how to be a teacher and made new connections! As a team we were always helping each other out but also had a great time during weekends! Our leader was always there for us and was very professional and resourceful whenever we needed her. The accommodation and and hosting family made us feel like home throughout the whole stay. I can definitely recommend you joining one of their programs!