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

The lifestyle provided by having regular lessons at the nearby school, which had its own community, while having the freetime to explore other areas of Yangshuo freely, suited me perfectly. The small town in rural south-east China was beautiful, with mountain formations and wildlife I would never be able to see in the West. Mutual language exchange, both with children and adults was also incredibly satisfying. I have never spent such an extended time in a foreign country, which I think can be much more beneficial than merely travelling for a few days or weeks for tourism. I think visiting a country so removed from the west as China is also such a rare opportunity when the organisation involved can be intense, so I appreciate Gotoco's role in taking care of so much of that. The trip also inspired me to continue with Mandarin language studies which I had largely stopped a few years ago. And although I will still not be pursuing education as a degree, it has opened up my attitude to it as an occasional side-job. The introduction to China has also been incredibly interesting, particularly the social environment and their attitude to the government, which is less reported on globally, when only their economical stance or attitude towards citizens is focused on by the west.

Over summer I spent 5 weeks teaching in Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and had an amazing time. The gotoco team were very helpful and made the whole experience enjoyable. The fact that everything is funded made it even better and much more accessible. I loved getting the chance to try out teaching and work to get a tesol qualification too. Plus the trip to Da Nang that they took us on at the end was brilliant - the perfect way to celebrate the end of the program and enjoy the last week with the friends we’d made over the course of the program.

Gotoco really is a life changing opportunity. It is so rare to gain the experience of teaching abroad without paying for TESOL.
You can spend a summer having transformational experiences that are different to at home, opening up your mind, gaining you both personal and professional skills, especially in confidence. You meet new people, you adventure, you experience culture, food, places that you'll be thankful for. Most of all you form a relationship with your school and hosts which you'll never forget. The language progression of the students was really impressive.

I had an incredibly enriching experience teaching at a primary school in Thailand. My time in Thailand allowed me to immerse myself in a vibrant culture while contributing to the education of young minds.
The warm and welcoming atmosphere of the school and community made me feel right at home. I was impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of my students, who were eager to learn and engage in various educational activities. The school's administration and fellow teachers were also supportive and collaborative, which greatly enhanced my teaching experience. I really loved the experience.

During my trip to Thailand to teach, the highlights were the warm and welcoming Thai people, the delicious street food, and the incredible cultural immersion but meeting fellow program participants was the main highlight. Rapidly forming strong bonds, many of us remain in touch to this day, forging lasting connections from our shared experience.
My experience with the program was nothing short of incredible. It was a meaningful journey filled with personal growth, cultural immersion, and the chance to make a positive impact through teaching in Thailand.

I particularly enjoyed having a week of acclimatisation in a foreign city (Hanoi) with other participants, experiencing the country as many tourists do before being transferred into a predominantly local, non-touristy setting. Living in a city I would never visit, in a solid community of Vietnamese teachers with the comfort of other interns, was impactful. I could experience the culture and people more than I would ever on my own, forming routines and relationships, insights and experiences so different to my day-to-day life at home. This for me, was the highlight of the trip; surprisingly, the 'travel' felt much less real and rewarding than this.

My placement was to a fantastic school which exceeded my expectations; the resources, food, teaching and accommodation were superior to anything I could have imagined. The friends I made with local teachers were smile-inducing, and the generosity, kindness and hospitality were surreal (like nothing I've experienced before). I could not have been treated better if I were to own all the money in the world; our interactions with the staff and students were real and genuine and really thought-provoking in making me question my way of life back at home.

My experience with the GoToCo program in Bali, where I taught English as a second language, was truly remarkable and left an indelible mark on my life. Bali's picturesque landscapes and vibrant culture provided an enchanting backdrop for this teaching adventure.

One of the most striking aspects of the program was the warmth and hospitality of the local community. Balinese people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, making it easy to connect with students and their families. This created a conducive learning environment where students felt comfortable and motivated to improve their English skills.

This was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I have made life-long friends, developed as a person, and travelled to a new part of the world. The teaching part of the program helped me become more patient and develop my communication skills, all while gaining a new qualification. I also had the opportunity to visit other parts of Thailand on long weekends - allowing me to experience the country as both a local and tourist. This is such a unique and incredible experience, I would recommend it to anyone.

I was with Gotoco this year on their Bali program which was from June till August!
The group comprised of around 70 of us and I was impressed by how well-organized the program was. We had 2 weeks of teaching introduction where we had classes and games about how to teach (how to lesson plan, methodologies for different age groups, etc.) plus 2 lessons a week of Balinese classes (Bahasa). In addition to that, we also had our TEFL online course for which we got plenty of support. It sounds hard but it really wasn't- there was plenty of time for all. Note that most of the people, including myself, were doing it for the first time so the program curriculum was taking that into account!
After those 2 weeks of introduction, we got our classes allocated (on a random basis) and I got to teach grade 3(8-9 year olds). In Bali, students start English at that age so I was their first Engish teacher (how adorable, right). We had 2 hours per day teaching classes (5 days a week) plus lesson planning that wouldn't take longer than an hour.. so 3 hours in total :)) So as you can see, there was plenty of free time to explore the island! We also got one week off without teaching to explore Bali.

Logistics: We stayed in a village close to Ubud that was lovely, and the cost of the stay was fully covered. Flights plus travel to and back from the school, and 3 meals per day were covered too! Everything is funded by the UK gov though, so you would need a British citizenship/ student visa/settlement or pre-settlement status!

I had a really good time, I found the experience to be very valuable, I felt communication and organisation of gotoco was good, and I'd love to do it again myself. I've massively gained confidence and ability to adapt to any situation. Also, now I have my TEFL I plan on teaching English in China or other asian countries in the future.
As well as that, I had a lot of fun and met some really great people. Both the cultural activities offered by gotoco and the travelling I got to do independent during/after the programme was amazing.