Program Reviews

This is a Great way to travel while learning a new skill and really integrating into a culture. Working in a community is so different from being a tourist there. I am very grateful for all I learned, the people I met and the new experiences I had. Some cons would be the bad communication, it took ages for them to respond to my emails. Another thing was that I had a bad experience with a coordinator, so don't rely on the support so much. It also takes a while for your money to be reimbursed! But other than that I overall am really glad I did this program.

As nervous as I was to start this program, I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching aspect. I feel as though I did well in handling a classroom as well as making the lessons fun and engaging for the kids. I also felt I brought a gentle yet energetic and approachable character to the classroom, which helped a lot with my confidence. I also enjoyed traveling to the different cities other gotoco-ers were and experiencing the different lifestyles there. The most enjoyable moments from the trip was the school sports day where all the kids had to do fun activities to race against each other to see which students retained the most English.

Good program, i like that its funded and all the support from gotoco. Only issues that came up were caused by their sub-contracted teaching agency. I am grateful for my opportunity but I also don't like that I felt pressured to write a review in order to receive my deposit back (but undoubtedly I still recommend this as I had a life changing time!). I got placed in a rural area and I am from a big UK city so wouldn't recommend if you are not used to rural life as it is way more difficult to adjust to in Thailand. I wish this was taken into consideration when I applied as I mentioned in my interview that I would prefer a city and got given the MOST rural placement they offered!

I had an amazing experience with the Gotoco! During my time on the Vietnam program I made incredible friends for life, immersed in a new culture which brought me out of my comfort zone and created some unforgettable memories. We went on trips as a group and with the school we were partnered with, this allowed us to get to know our peers and to fully embrace life in Vietnam.

The time with the children was remarkable and made me smile everyday. I developed beautiful connections with them which made me not want to leave.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!