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

The most rewarding experience! Our group (4 girls) were placed in a private kindergarten school in Phuket for 1 month to teach English. Thanks to the funding sourced by Gotoco, I was able to experience living in Thailand on a very comfortable budget!

Accomodation: shared double room in a nearby condominium.
Food: we were given a stipend so mainly ate in restaurants (which works out pretty cheap & was a great way to try different Thai dishes)
Tips: bring a rain poncho/umbrella; pack some UK memorabilia to show in class
Favourite part: travelling on the weekends and meeting up with other teachers on the programme
Least favourite part: having to leave :(

I think that this program has benefitted me in providing me with independence and confidence in myself to be able to organise and travel, as well as improved my confidence.
Gotoco had good communication, very helpful and encouraging and offered a good amount of preparation and support to those attending which was very appreciated.Working with the children was so rewarding, as was building up relationships with people from different cultures. I also was extremely grateful for the opportunity to see so much of Italy.

It was overall a really beneficial experience where not only did I meet a vast range of people but I got the chance to experience different walks of life and cultures.
It has grown my confidence and independence. I feel more comfortable now travelling and exploring different places and cultures. It’s encouraged me to want to travel and see more places.
The highlights were experiencing a genuine Italian experience by living with the host families for the 2 weeks of camp, and seeing the local village - it was definitely an unforgettable experience

If you're wondering whether this opportunity is too good to be true, wonder no more, it's all LEGIT :) It's not an exaggeration to say that my time in Thailand, and during the Gotoco programme gave me memories that I will cherish for a long time. Gotoco met and even exceeded my expectations in many ways. I really enjoyed the cultural activities organised during the orientation (few days before the start of the teaching) and the cultural trip. For example, we visited an artist's village and a a mangrove forest in Hua Hin, went on a boat guided tour of Bangkok's canals, and a dinner cruise, all of these included in the programme funding! I also appreciated the educational aspect of the programme, which involved lectures about different aspects of Thai culture such as Buddhism and Thai history. Maybe more than anything else, I particularly appreciated the presence of the staff and year-long Gotocoers, with whom I really enjoyed talking and asking for advice.

My favourite part of the programme was teaching at Wat Chaisri one of the Gotoco partner schools in the Phichit region. Never had I imagined being welcomed with such generosity, and that I would enjoy teaching as much as I did. The teachers were there to help us translate during the classes or organise activities with the students, but also let us take the lead and decide the lesson plans. We also participated in English camps on the weekends, which were fun English workshops for kids of different ages.

Some things to bear in mind:
Gotoco is a social enterprise, and not a paid-for travel agency service therefore you need to demonstrate flexibility and be proactive. This is an adventure not a tanning-on-the-beach holiday ( although we did do that too!) so you have to be open-minded. While there is an introduction to English teaching during the induction, and we were encouraged to share teaching resources and advice, in the schools, you will be in charge of preparing the lessons (with the help of the school's English teachers of course). This is a really great opportunity to gain try out teaching, gain experience if you already have some, and to learn about yourself.

As a follow-up to some of the other reviews, communication can sometimes be a bit confusing and some elements are not stated clearly, but n my experience, the team has always been available to clarify things, or provide support if needed.

I would recommend Gotoco because the teaching experience has been invaluable and I would never have been able to afford such an experience myself. The experience has made me feel much more confident with teaching and communicating with people in general. My time at the school was amazing because of my wonderful host family and because the school was so welcoming and helpful. There was a great balance between free time and Gotoco activities. It was an amazing opportunity to grow both personally and professionally and gain incredible new skills while helping teach English in schools that greatly benefit from this teaching.

had a wonderful time teaching the children in Poland. Gotoco, though at points difficult with communication, did pretty well in funding the trip and also in facilitating the cultural tour at the end which meant I saw plenty of Warsaw and Krakow. I would recommend this for someone who has got a big hole in their summer that they are worried they will be bored with. An actual desire to participate in activities and to chat to younger children is obviously essential and it can be quite hard work at points but it was largely enjoyable.

Was great to be able to secure funding from my university with the help of Gotoco! Wouldn't have been able to have these opportunities without the financial assistance so I am very grateful.
Really enjoyed exploring Italy and teaching children! Was cool to push myself in new situations and gain confidence.
In fact am looking to now teach abroad for a year in my year out - wouldn't have thought of this without this opportunity.
Communication could be a bit better but overall would recommend this organisation.

I had the most wonderful time with Gotoco in Germany this summer. I was quite nervous before going as I had never done anything like this before, but my nerves quickly went away when I met all of the other gotocoers. Experiencing camp life was one of the most amazing things I have ever done, and would travel again with Gotoco in a heart beat. The students were amazing, the staff were amazing, and getting to know Germany was amazing. I would love to travel to different countries with Gotoco to get to know and understand more cultures.

I had a great time in Thailand with Gotoco. They provided a lot of info before I left to help me prepare for the trip and were extremely helpful throughout, always available to hear our concerns and provide quick and practical solutions. From our first week in Bangkok to our last in Southern Thailand Gotoco was always there to organise work, training or fun activities so we were always busy with something fun. When we wanted to visit parts of Thailand on our own Gotoco provided useful info on travel/what to do and often provided extra funding for us. Had a fantastic time.

My experience in Spain was amazing - I met so many incredible people, learnt a lot about myself and had the opportunity to learn more about Spanish people and culture. It was a wonderful time and I would go somewhere with Gotoco again in a heartbeat; they are a lovely team who supported us all the way through. The way it works is that you fill out various application forms and then Gotoco match you up with a program provider. I would say definitely do your research about the program providers and what kind of program you would like to be involved with, as there are lots of different ones (in different countries, with children or adults, and different companies with differing teaching styles). But I would 100% recommend going with Gotoco because it makes the experience a whole lot simpler and easier as you don't have to organise everything yourself, and you feel supported and a lot safer, which is important for young travellers!