Program Reviews

In one week we became a family; our curiosities, secrets, motives, and desires were served as catalysts to bonds typically reserved for months of interaction. With this family, I have experienced a blessing by a Buddhist monk at the Khao Tao temple and received a fortune reading. I have fed, hugged, and played with elephants. I have bagged food for over 2,000 rescued dogs. I have cooked Pad Thai and spring rolls. I have eaten deep fried frog. I have had wordless conversations. I have been waved at by school children. I have been clapped at for taking my shoes off as I enter a building. I have been smiled at as I bowed for the King passing by. I have trekked the beach at night. I have divulged my life to strangers.

I have a travel blog about this experience on this program, and have written somewhat extensively about everything on the Teach in Thailand program in the last 4 posts.

The link is: http://chrisgering.blogspot.com/

It's a fair amount of reading. I go into fairly detailed descriptions of my situation. I have also been taking pictures since I arrived in Bangkok and am constantly adding to it on facebook.

Check it: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200925109383169…

As I had never lived abroad, or even travelled for longer than 3 weeks, the idea of moving not just to another country, but another continent was incredibly overwhelming yet intriguing at the same time. I researched various companies in locations all over the world and finally settled on this GeoVisions programme. Jodi was very helpful and thorough in answering all of my questions and I never felt hesitant to inquire about anything (no matter how trivial!)

Upon arrival in Bangkok, I was greeted with a name card and a warm welcome and transported immediately to my hotel where many of my fellow TESOL course participants were staying. This served as a great way to meet other like-minded people from all over the world, and chatting about our upcoming course and adventure melted away any remaining apprehension. XploreAsia's Managing Director, Mike, along with our TESOL instructors, placement team, and several other members of staff even travelled to Bangkok from Hua Hin to meet us and escort us back to the town that would be our home for the next month.

Week no. 1 was orientation week and was hands down one of the best weeks of my life! There was a fantastic mix of excursions from serene temples to pineapple farms to having cuddles with an elephant, coupled with interesting courses in Thai language, history and culture. All of the XploreAsia staff were unexpectedly personable and down to earth. The TESOL course itself was a very intense, rewarding 3 weeks. Both Sandra and Jaco are incredibly inspiring instructors, their passion for teaching and the change that they know it can make in SE Asia is very infectious! From having absolutely no experience in teaching prior to this course, instead of feeling terrified to leave for my teaching placement, I felt excited and confident to get to know my new colleagues, students and surroundings.

Any problems or questions I had were answered straight away and the staff were very easy to get in contact with. This level of support has continued long after I have settled into my placement and XploreAsia are still the people I know that I can turn to with any inquires from Visa runs to contracts; Tyler and Paang have never failed to promptly respond to my emails or phone calls!

Finally, one of the best things that I have left Hua Hin with is a huge network of fellow teachers and friends placed all across Thailand. Any worries, or bad days in the classroom and they are all just a message away to share their own experiences and reassure me (and it also means that I have lots of people and places to visit on the weekends!) Regardless of where you are placed, you leave Hua Hin and XploreAsia with a very big extended family!

My experience with GeoVisions and XploreAsia really could not have been better. I researched a number of different companies prior to making the jump with GeoVisions and I found their staff to be extremely professional from the get go. I was well prepared with documentation prior to arriving to the country and hit the ground running upon arrival. Jodi is a very thorough and organized person.

Mike and the staff at XploreAsia took very good care of us from the beginning. The cultural orientation was extremely interesting and really prepared me for what it was going to be like to teach in Thailand. From there, Jaco took over with the TESOL course and was an extremely inspirational teacher, who gave us some excellent techniques for teaching second language learners.

The whole staff in general was welcoming and warm and made my transition to a new country where I knew no one at all, a very smooth and easy one. Mike is a professional through and through and is generally interested in seeing people succeed in Thailand, because not only is it good for the individual teacher, but it's good for the country and it's people as well.

If you put your faith in these companies, you will not be disappointed. I was looking for a life changing experience and I certainly found one.

The TESOL course was absolutely amazing! In the beginning I felt nervous and very apprehensive about what I have gotten myself into. Looking back now, I can truly see how much I have grown in only a short space of time (1 month). I would definitely recommend this course to people with a fun-loving attitude, a desire to help others and grow and for those wanting to experience a completely different culture and way of living. I feel as though I am almost 100% prepared for any culture shock that will come my way.

The only thing that I would have liked to have seem more of is training specifically on teaching to younger children. Also it would have been good to have more time spent on adopting to change and conflict in a classroom.

Overall though I was very happy with the experience I had and an really enjoying my placement.

I came to Thailand in October 2013. Upon arrival, XploreAsia facilitated everything and made it so easy once I got here. Not only was there a driver waiting for me at the airport with my name on a sign, but I had a fallback-plan in my back pocket that they provided should anything go wrong. The first week is the cultural orientation that includes awesome stuff like a lesson at a muay thai gym, a visit to an elephant sanctuary (the elephant even plays the harmonica), receiving a blessing from a monk, as well as Thai language lessons that give you the basic words you need to get around, order food, etc. The president of the company Mike also gives multiple fascinating speeches about Thai culture and the history of the country. The week culminates with a sweet beach BBQ where you can swim and play with photo luminescent plankton in the sea when the sun goes down.

The next 3 weeks of the TESOL course were challenging but extremely helpful. The course instructors are extremely passionate and give you all of the tools you need to succeed when you arrive at your placement school. I myself have grown up with a crippling fear of public speaking, but this course really helps bring the teacher out of you. Finally, in the last week, you get a chance to put your newfound teaching skills to the test at a nonprofit english camp that XploreAsia arranges every month. It is soo helpful to get a chance to teach actual students before arriving at your job so you can get a realistic expectation of what you are going into.

XA was very upfront about their job placement process. While they do ask for everyone's personal preferences about where you would like to teach and what age range, they emphasize that securing a job at a reputable school that treats their teachers well is the main priority.

When it comes down to it, my incredible experience was a result of keeping a good attitude. No, I did not love the area I was placed in at first, but I was determined to keep an open mind and get the most out of this adventure. Plus XA continued to provide support for any problems I had even after I had completed my course and sent me off to my school. Out of the 100+ people that were on my course with me, the only ones who seemed unhappy with their experience were the ones who came to Thailand expecting the country to adapt to them, not the other way around.

Overall I couldn't be happier with my recruiting process. XploreAsia has an incredible staff that is like a little family and they truly seem to care about all of the new teachers that come through their program. This is truly a culture experience that is amazing, challenging, rewarding, and most of all, really really fun. If you want to expand your horizons and have a life changing adventure, I couldn't recommend this program more.

Let me start by saying, I would NOT recommend this program to anyone. To make a very long and bitter story short, here are a list of complications:

- Much like other entries seen here, their communication with me was good when they were trying to get me interested in the program, then became ridiculously painful to get a response from them afterwards.

- I contacted GeoVisions 10 months before I wanted to begin working in Korea. It wasn't until the end of the 8th month and after I quit my then-job (with the encouragement of GeoVisions) that they put me in contact with actual recruiters (Xplore Asia) who informed me at that point, that my start date was unrealistic due to the time crunch. They did not understand why Jodi had waited so long either.

- The first position the recruiters tried to set me up with was in an English Village, even though I said I did not want to teach in one. They made me do the interview anyway, it was very awkward.
*I later found out this is because recruiters work on commission.

- I happened upon information that indicated that my FBI Background Check would have to be 6 months recent in order to receive my VISA in Korea (at this point it was 9 months old, since I got it when GeoVisions told me to, back in January). I pointed this out to my recruiters who confirmed. GeoVisions acknowledged their error by agreeing to pay for the new Background Check and Apostille (at my recommendation), but never apologized or refunded any portion of my paid fees. This error on their part set me back an additional 3 months. This alone was simply unforgivable and unprofessional.

- After paying my $1,515 to GeoVisions, my Xplore Asia recruiters started heavily pressuring me to get a TESOL certification. I repeatedly told them I was not interested, but after telling me that I would not get a good position without it I agreed. I wanted to do my own research and find a program I was interested in, but the recruiters insisted that I use their program, even threatening that if I didn't use them it could delay my placement even longer (something about them having to validate the certificate). This cost me an additional $569. The course was online and was completely useless:
(1) The course was designed for people attending in person in Thailand, for the online version they simply took the powerpoint presentation from the class and uploaded it online. The slides were constantly geared towards Thailand (not where I was teaching), missing information, and confusing. I had to ask for the additional notes on the slides to be sent to me. Additionally, there was only one Skype conversation during the entire course.
(2) I was the only person signed up for this course, so instead of have me take the course alone, they had one of the employees at Xplore Asia pretend to be a student taking the class with me. I only realized this when I started receiving emails from him with an Xplore Asia email address. It was very bizarre.
(3) I learned nothing from this course. I have now been teaching in Korea for over 3 months and I can say with confidence that this course was completely useless. It was very obviously a throw-away idea, simply for making money, not for the good of the teacher. I repeat, a complete waste of money.

- After my 2nd FBI Check arrived, there were a number of other items I had to order in order to complete my paperwork in Korea. GeoVisions was COMPLETELY uninformed of what was needed and were resistant to do any research that may qualify them to help me. This delayed my process even longer.

- During the time I was waiting to go overseas, GeoVisions provided no answers on how long I would be waiting. I asked them constantly for updates emphasizing that I had quit my job and ended my lease at my apartment (at their encouragement) and had no money nor a place to live. They gave me nothing, but the occasional message about "being patient". It was frustrating, infuriating, and condescending.

I want to note that at the end of this debacle, I did receive a job offer and moved to Korea (over 1 year after my initial contact with GeoVisions and 5 months after I had originally wanted to leave). However, when I initially applied I was told I would find a job with 2-3 months paid vacation and ended up with a job with 2 weeks vacation.
*Note: Jobs with 2-3 months vacation do exist, just not at the school's that Xplore Asia was in contact with.
Additionally, my school operates under less than ideal circumstances, often replacing their entire foreign staff every year. This is not a very good sign for a school and something that GeoVisions should have been aware of, with their promise of finding credible schools with good working conditions.
I am currently working with GeoVisions to try and fill a dental insurance claim under the insurance provided for me. I will say that at this point, Lisa with GeoVisions has been helpful.

All in all, I paid over $2,000 and was extremely unsatisfied with the service. I hope that this review does not come off as an angry rant, but rather as a warning to anyone considering using this company. Please do not waste your time and money with GeoVisions!!!!!

What I recommend: Sign up for a credible TESOL course available in your area. After the course is over, the instructor will set you up with recruiters in your area of choice. If you are moving to Asia, I do not recommend using Xplore Asia as your recruiting source. This process will be much less expensive and infinitely more helpful. This is what most people do who plan to teach abroad.

Good luck!

I signed up for Geo Visions Conversation Partners in early 2012 and I was matched with a family in March. There were a few communication glitches in the pre-departure process, but everything worked out. Living in Italy has always been a dream of mine, and this seemed like the perfect way to be introduced to the culture and make some Italian friends. I have been here for two days and my host family (a couple my age with no children) have been wonderful. They are very flexible and easy-going, and their schedules will allow me lots of free time to explore the Florence/Tuscany region. So far, everything has been great and Geo Visions has followed through on everything they said they would.

Overall my experience with the Conversation Corp program from GeoVisions in Italy was very positive. My assignment was to spend 15-20 hours a week tutoring two lovely Italian teenagers [13 and 16] in English. To my surprise, both of them were already quite good so that was actually more of a challenge then I had imagined.Also, the parents inadvertently began learning some English as well which he kids had great fun mimicking and acting out, you'd be surprised how similar 'angry' and 'hungry' sound to an Italian.

I had traveled to Italy previously for a semester abroad and vacation. Once that travel bug hit me again, I was seeking a new way to explore a culture I already knew I loved. The home-stay program was wonderful for anyone seeking to really get involved with a family and their local network. I was told some families only want a tutor and some families want the whole experience, thankfully mine was the latter. [State that this kind of experience is what you are looking for on your app to avoid the first kind].

I suggest this program if you are a comfortable, independent traveler looking for a unique experience in a country. If you don't have prior Italian language experience, make sure you put that app as well. I was in an area where no one spoke English save one or two people and it was a challenge I loved [even though it was intimidating at times], but if that's not for you, tell them.

I have already been back to visit my Italian host family throughout my continued travels and the kids and I Facebook chat regularly. I don't keep up the blog I began during my time there anymore, allieinitaly.tumblr.com, but it's still up for anyone looking to learn more about the program or the beloved seaside town of Porto Sant'Elpidio.

I spent the summer of 2011 with a family in Civitanova Marche. I lived with a family who had one son. The family was absolutely amazing, and they took me into their home and treated me like family. I truly felt at home being with them. 5 days a week I would sit down with the son for an hour and teach him an English lesson. We worked on vocabulary through games. We worked on words that are used on a daily basis. I used the resources provided by GeoVisions, which were generally just ideas to spur a lesson. From the ideas, I would build on them. I used the internet a lot to find short movies, google translator (when we were really stuck), and images.

On the weekends, I would travel to nearby cities to site-see. I did have difficulty finding friends at first because of the location of the family home. We were not located in a town with easy walking as we were located in the countryside of beach area. I had to count on the family to drive me places. I did meet up with people, and we were able to travel together on the weekends or meet up on a week night. The good thing about it is that once we did get to hanging out, we continued our friendships back in the States. I actually just got back from Denver from meeting up with them.

I absolutely loved my time abroad in Civitanova and chalk it up to getting placed with a family that was a perfect fit for me.

Moving to a new country is for the traveler that seeks to challenge themselves on a daily basis, right? Well, for those that have decided to pack up and call Holland their new home, it couldn't be more true. It's not to say that there aren't good times to be had in this small European country, but from my experience it is one of the most difficult places in the world to obtain great food, an affordable lifestyle, and most importantly a friendly social group!! There are many pieces to the expat puzzle that are often only revealed when you are in your new host country trying to establish a "normal" life. For an aupair in Holland, these pieces tend to be realizations that constantly being broke is inevitable (due to the high prices for food, bars, clothes...etc.) and that the Dutch are not the easiest to befriend. Despite their open-mindedness towards drugs, sexuality, and religion, their everyday social gatherings do not allow for expats to try and find their niche within their new surroundings. This is not to say that there aren't great Dutch people out there, but I must say it is one of the hardest challenges I have faced during my time here. On the plus side, most people speak English and are willing to help an American in need of some directions or suggestions!! I have also come to find that there are TONS of ways to travel in Holland (via bus, tram, metro, train...etc.) which makes things easier at times. Overall, I would let future aupairs know that life in Holland is not a walk in the park and to think if this would be the right fit for them, because this culture is not for the timid!