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

I would recommend this programme with Gotoco because it is a great opportunity to give teaching a go and see if it is for you, as well as a wonderful way of making new friends and getting to explore a new country during your summer holidays. Some of the highlights for me include getting to make new friends on the programme who I am confident that I will stay in touch with long after this summer! The teaching felt very rewarding and it was amazing getting to explore Thailand and Thai culture as well!

Teaching in China was one of the biggest highlights of my time on the programme and was an experience completely different from anything I had done before. Going into it, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the classroom or how the students would respond to being taught by us. However, the school was extremely welcoming from the beginning, and the teachers and staff made us feel comfortable and supported throughout our time there.

One of the things that made the experience unique was having the freedom to plan and deliver lots of different types of lessons. Rather than following the exact same structure every day, I was able to experiment with different teaching methods and find out what worked best for my class. I planned lessons covering different topics, including creative writing, as well as more interactive sessions involving games and activities. This gave me a lot more experience with lesson planning and helped me understand how much thought goes into making a lesson both educational and engaging.

One of the biggest challenges was adapting my original lesson plans to the English ability of my students. Their level of English was lower than I had initially expected, so some of the lessons I had prepared were too complicated. I quickly realised that I needed to simplify my explanations, activities and vocabulary to make sure everyone could participate. Although this was challenging initially, it became one of the most valuable parts of the experience because it taught me how important it is to adapt the way you communicate depending on who you are working with.

Classroom behaviour could also be challenging at the beginning. Some of the students would become distracted and mess around, particularly when they struggled to understand what was being taught. However, this improved significantly as I spent more time with them. Once I got to know the students better and built a relationship with the class, they became easier to manage and I became much more confident teaching them. The students themselves were really nice, and getting to know their different personalities made the experience much more enjoyable.

I also learned that some of the simplest activities could be the most successful. The students particularly enjoyed games that they were not used to playing, such as Hangman and Splat. These quickly became some of the most engaging parts of our lessons because everyone wanted to get involved. One of my favourite lessons was also the creative writing lesson, as the students responded really well to having the opportunity to use their imagination and be creative. Seeing them genuinely enjoy something I had planned was one of the most rewarding parts of teaching.

Another important part of the experience was having the support of my teaching assistant. My TA was extremely helpful throughout my time at the school, particularly when there was a language barrier or when I was struggling to communicate an instruction to the class. Having someone there who understood both us and the students made adapting to the classroom much easier. The wider school was also very welcoming, and I never felt as though I was expected to work everything out by myself.

For anyone considering applying to the programme, I would say that you do not need to worry if you have limited teaching experience beforehand. The teacher training helps prepare you, but you also learn a huge amount simply by being in the classroom. My biggest advice would be to remain flexible. A lesson might not always go exactly as you planned, and sometimes an activity you think will work may need to be simplified or completely changed. Equally, something as simple as a classroom game might end up being the activity the students enjoy most.

Most importantly, I would encourage future participants to make an effort to get to know their students and enjoy the experience rather than worrying about making every lesson perfect. Building a relationship with my class made teaching easier and much more rewarding. By the end of my time at the school, I felt far more confident in my ability to plan lessons, manage a classroom and communicate with students of different abilities. Teaching in China challenged me in ways I had not expected, but that is also what made it such a memorable and valuable part of my time there.

Gotoco were very supportive throughout the entire programme, and made the trip incredibly stress-free.
Living in rural Thailand and becoming a local resident and integrating into their community with the friends I made abroad was an incredible experience. The community, teachers and kids are all extremely welcoming and caring, and going to teach at school with my friends and working with the students who I became very close with was something that I'll miss immensely. I don't think that anything will measure up to the work experience that I have had in Thailand.

Honestly, I had the best time with Gotoco. Before I went, I was slightly suspicious because a cheap programme where you get to travel, teach English, meet loads of people and experience another country properly sounded a little too good to be true. I can confirm: it is not a definitely not a scam I promise. Nobody stole my passport, sold my organs or left me stranded in an airport.

The programme was a really good mix of teaching, exploring and getting to know people. Teaching English was genuinely rewarding and the students were great.
I met some lovely people, made proper friends and got to experience the culture in a way that felt much more personal than doing a typical tourist trip. The organisers were so helpful and fun, the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, and there was enough structure to feel supported without it feeling overly formal.

I came back with great memories, more confidence and a few funny stories. I’d definitely recommend Gotoco to anyone who wants to travel affordably, do something meaningful and have a genuinely enjoyable experience along the way. Please please do it !!

The teachers at the school I worked at were absolutely lovely and treated us so nicely from the very beginning. Receiving such a warm welcome from them and being shown so much love throughout the entire trip made the whole experience so much better. Going camping with the teachers was one of the highlights of my overall experience, and of course teaching the children was also amazing. It was quite a low cost trip with the benefits you receive from the trip making it so worth it. Along with this, being pushed out of your comfort zone is an experience that everyone should go through to improve their independence, a skill necessary when becoming an adult and thus this experience is one way you can achieve this.

Did the 2 week funded trip in Thailand and it was fantastic! Teaching, travelling, meet new people from Thailand and from the Uk too!

The biggest highlight for me was the combination of teaching, travelling and meeting people from completely different backgrounds. I really enjoyed being able to experience Thailand beyond the usual tourist destinations, particularly staying in smaller towns and getting a feel for everyday life there.

The teaching itself was also a great experience. Even though it could be challenging at times, having to adapt lessons to students with very different levels of English really helped me develop my communication, creativity and confidence. Seeing the students become more engaged as the programme went on was particularly rewarding.
Teaching was fun and came naturally to me. Not as hard as i thought the students are well behaved and are genuinely happy to have a natuve English speaker as a teacher.
The social side was another major highlight. Having a group of other participants to travel, explore and spend time with made the whole experience much more enjoyable, and I think the programme does a good job of creating that sense of community.
Met plenty of people from uk too so the social side was great too!

I was originally in two minds about going ahead with this programme but I'm so glad I did!
It was one of the best things I've done, I have learn so much, made many new friends, experienced different cultures, and built upon my confidence. Gotoco were very supportive in pre-depature checks and throughout the programme as a whole. I can't recommend them enough!
I had a 3 week long teaching programme, where I taught at 3 different schools across Da Nang, Central Vietnam; the children were the sweetest and really enjoyed learning. It was a joy to go into the schools.

I had a really lovely experience with Gotoco and Further Afield in Thailand.

I was a little unsure what to expect before going, but once the programme started, I was very happy that I decided to take part. It was a great opportunity to travel, meet people from different backgrounds and experience Thailand in a completely different way.

I particularly enjoyed the teaching activities. Working with the students was sometimes challenging, but also very rewarding, and it was lovely to see how enthusiastic and friendly they were.

The fact that the programme covered the main costs such as flights, accommodation, meals and transport made a huge difference for me. It gave me the opportunity to have an experience that I probably wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford.

There were a few things that could always be improved with any programme, but overall I had a very positive experience and I’m really glad I went. I came home with some great memories and met some genuinely lovely people along the way.

I would definitely recommend giving Gotoco a try if you are open to travelling, teaching and having a different kind of experience abroad.

This experience was amazing for so many reasons: the people, whether that be our teaching group, coordinators, hosts or other teaching staff, were incredibly kind; the kids I taught were lovely and eager to learn; the country I taught in (Vietnam) was so beautiful with such interesting, friendly culture and overall I just loved learning to teach!! This program has really improved my confidence, public speaking, adaptability and resilience, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone wanting to learn something new and improve themselves professionally and personally.

My four weeks in Vietnam with GotoCo has been an experience I’ll never forget. Teaching preschool children in Da Nang pushed me outside my comfort zone and gave me the chance to communicate and connect with a group of people I had never really come across before. Being able to navigate a completely different culture, environment and way of life has definitely added to my skill set and, I feel, made me more employable.

One of the biggest highlights for me was learning about Vietnamese culture and getting to know the children. Seeing their personalities come through in the classroom and building relationships with them made the teaching experience really rewarding.

Outside of teaching, exploring Da Nang was definitely a favourite part of the trip. From grabbing motorbike rides around the city to discovering new places, there was always something going on. And of course, I can’t forget my delicious bạc xỉu from my favourite little café near the C4C house — easily one of the highlights of my daily routine!

Overall, my four weeks in Da Nang gave me new skills, new experiences, great memories and a whole new perspective. I came away feeling more confident, adaptable and open-minded. I’d definitely recommend the GotoCo experience to anyone looking to challenge themselves, meet new people and experience Vietnam in a way you wouldn’t get from just being a tourist.