Teach Away

Program Reviews

Return to Provider Page

Japan is amazing! As much as people worry about the disaster of 2011, everyone is living life as normally, and happily as possible.

I had my worries too before coming here to Tokyo to teach with a private language school, but Teach Away staff really knew their stuff - especially about any concerns stemming from the disaster.

Now, I'm getting paid to teach English in one of the premier cities of the world! Nightlife is great, it's safe here, and the Japanese people are warm and welcoming.

I'm still in touch with Teach Away, and they continue to support me during my stay here, and are even helping me coordinate my next international move.

What would you improve about this program?

There's really nothing critical to say. I got all the answers I needed, and continue to get their support.

I'm teaching at a private school in Sharjah. Teach Away gave me all the information I needed to help make my transition here an easy and simple one. Of course, there is a language barrier, but that's something I was prepared for. I was even given resources prior to my departure to help bridge the language gap.

What would you improve about this program?

There's plenty of personalized support. Sometimes though, I felt as if I was getting support from too many sources - I guess that's not a bad thing, but maybe I just wanted sometimes for one person to walk me through the entire process.

I've taught overseas in the past without any real assistance. This time, I decided to go a different route and went through an agency - Teach Away. They walked me through the entire process and taught me things I didn't think of the first time I taught abroad. Now, I'm teaching kids in Abu Dhabi and love it! The school staff are great! The weather is nice and hot, and it's always sunny! Thanks, Teach Away! :)

What would you improve about this program?

The only thing I can really think of is having a rep at the airport from Teach Away. Of course, school representatives did meet me, but it would be great to meet my coordinator :)

Teaching in Abu Dhabi had been a dream of mine for years. From the moment I applied to Teach Away, I knew that I had someone on my side. My coordinator was informative, polite and helpful throughout the process. I was provided with extensive support and resources at every step of the way. Teach Away prepared me well for the entire application process and even for the move to Abu Dhabi.

From the moment I stepped off the airplane in Abu Dhabi, I was not alone. I was met at the airport, attended an orientation and quickly met other international teachers. My students were happy and excited to learn English, and I was able to exercise my creativity muscles in my lesson planning. This experience has helped me to grow not only as an educator, but as a citizen in a global community. I could not have done it without Teach Away.

What would you improve about this program?

I had to fly to my in-person interview, although it was well worth the trip.

Aspiring ESL teachers face many difficulties in pursuing their passion to teach the English language. The two most significant obstacles are finding suitable employment and properly adapting to the host country where they are teaching. Teach Away was extremely helpful in mitigating both of these difficulties and granting me the peace of mind to focus on teaching as opposed to logistics. The coordinators and staff were exceptionally helpful in preparing me adequately for the experience and were highly enthusiastic in addressing all of my concerns as a first time ESL teacher.

From the moment I landed in the UAE to the end of my placement, I had a fantastic time. I had the opportunity to teach English to eager students in Abu Dhabi and was aided throughout the process by the support and resources of the school staff. I received a lot of support from the Teach Away staff whenever I had an inquiry and having your housing covered allows you a lot of flexibility with how you use your income. Abu Dhabi offers a fantastically rich social experience as well which is made even more convenient by the lower price of living. By both experiencing the culture of the city as well as frequently benefitting from the expertise of the Teach Away staff, I was better able to connect with my students and provide for them a more beneficial experience as well.

I cannot adequately represent how beneficial this experience was to me as a new ESL teacher. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels strongly about teaching English as a second language but has yet to find the support of an agency who feels just as strongly. Thanks Teach Away for allowing me to pursue my passion.

What would you improve about this program?

Not as fun as Korea.

This it the best program out there. Loved the experience living abroad and was able to save some money as well.
Teach Away staff are the best! They helped me get the job and also were of assistance when I was abroad.

Thanks Teach Away.

What would you improve about this program?

No, this one is perfect!

Teaching overseas is a big commitment. Fortunately, I chose to apply through Teach Away. Although I had done my homework and knew what to expect from the process, my placement coordinator at Teach Away went above and beyond to make sure I knew what each step of the process involved and to ensure I was well-informed and comfortable along the way. The pre-departure seminars were awesome.

The program itself is great. I am teaching in a public school in Abu Dhabi and I love it! While everyone's experience will vary due to luck of the draw, I am fortunate to be at a school with plenty of resources and a great staff. Because my housing is provided, I am able to save 60-70% of my salary each month. The cost of living is relatively low compared to my home country, and the initial furniture allowance I received covered all of the things I needed to settle in comfortably.

Teaching in Abu Dhabi isn't for everyone, but if you've done your homework and you are excited to give it a go, I highly recommend applying to Teach Away. They will make everything as seamless as they possibly can. Teach Away get a gold star!

What would you improve about this program?

I can't think of anything I would change. I've had a great experience!

Read my full story

I am working for ADVETI at STS Ajman. I am really enjoying the UAE. I work with a wonderful team of teachers at a brand new school. We are an e-learning school and have spent a lot of time in professional development classes to make sure that we all can be the best teachers we can be. I feel from that training any own on-going experience that if I were to go back to the States to teach, I would be exceptionally well trained and qualified to handle anything.
My principals are also very supportive in the classrooms as far as classroom management goes. That's always a huge plus.
I live about 35 minutes from Dubai so I can go see the sights any time I choose. Renting a car is cheap and easy.
Teach Away was able to help me navigate getting here, which was great.

What would you improve about this program?

The bureaucracy and red tape to get my family's visa situation has been a HUGE pain. If you're bringing family, be aware that it can take a bit of effort to get those visas taken care of.

Read my full story

Overall I love my experience here in Abu Dhabi. I have been here since the start of the program four years ago and I have recommended working with ADEC to about 10 people who have gotten hired with ADEC. If it weren't for this program, I would probably be still on a wait list to be on the waitlist back in Canada. I am very fortunate for this opportunity and I am happy that I hopped on the bandwagon. I love the culture but there are some things that can get under my skin at times. This being customer service with Adec. It seems sometimes it is hard to get to the simplest task done and I feel as though I have to go to many different hoops that are pointless. I love the school and the staff that I am at and I can see myself signing for more years.

What would you improve about this program?

Customer service at ADEC. I don't have to go to hQ often, but when I do it is a headache.

Like the earlier reviewer I have nothing positive to say about my experience with Teach Away so far. I applied in January, interviewed in March, received a letter of intent in April, and submitted all completed paper work in May for an August departure. It is November and I have not left North America. I am homeless, jobless, and powerless to reach anyone in the UAE who might be able to do something about my situation. I do not believe that Teach Away is doing a good job of representing my situation or my interests- and while they are very polite in emails and on the phone- they have not helped rectify the situation in one single meaningful way. Furthermore- reports on the actual working situation in Abu Dhabi vary enormously- there is no support, no consistency, and no protection for teachers in ADEC schools and while some teachers are having positive experiences, many more are not- it is a 'luck of the draw' scenario that has nothing to do with one's preparation,patience, or attitude, it is strictly 100% luck if you end up in a reasonably good school with a good principal in a good area. There is absolutely nothing a teach away ADEC candidate can do to influence the situation for themselves in any way. I do not believe that Teach Away has any influence over these things either. If you are excited about international teaching opportunities, go anywhere else with any other agency and you'll almost be guaranteed a better experience than going to the UAE with Teach Away.

Response from Teach Away

Hi bostonjoe,

We appreciate your candid review. I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with your experience so far with Teach Away. As former international teachers, all of the staff at Teach Away understand the challenges with overseas employment and endeavour to assist each Teach Away candidate through the entire process.

As your review points out, there are some inherent challenges with teaching overseas, and in some case getting there. Teach Away works closely with each of its partner organizations to create as smooth a process as possible for candidates going abroad.

However, there are many things that are beyond the control of Teach Away, and even our partner organizations. These challenges would have been highlighted on at least 3 separate occasions: once in your initial pre-screen call, once at the in person interview, and a third time during the pre-departure presentation.

In most cases, delays are due to incomplete or incorrectly authenticated document packages submitted by candidates. Teach Away prides itself on providing far and away the most complete support to candidates to ensure that documents are authenticated appropriately and submitted in a timely manner. However, it is inevitable that some candidates do not complete this properly and are therefore delayed.

You are correct in pointing out that we do not control the immigration department in the UAE, the Ministry of Education, or the document authentication bodies in the USA. All of these things take time, and function as separate (very) bureaucratic government organizations. The UAE has several pre-employment checks before they grant a residency visa for any given candidate, and there is a potential stumbling block at each one. Unfortunately, Teach Away does not have the ability to speed up the immigration department in any of the countries that it works with, no more than anyone in the USA would be able to put pressure on the Department of Homeland Security.

As such, Teach Away reinforces that start dates are never set in stone, and that candidates should, to the extent possible, understand that employment can be delayed. We encourage candidates to have plans for a delayed departure date.

In your review, you reference a lot of second-hand reports. We encourage all of our prospective and current teachers to communicate, because it provides a great atmosphere of support and alerts new teachers to potential challenges. However, it's important to remember that often the information you get in online forums is skewed: unhappy teachers are quick to voice their discontent, while happy teachers don't feel the need to post so many reviews and messages. They're too busy out enjoying themselves! The fact is that Teach Away has placed thousands of teachers in the UAE, and the majority of these teachers have signed up for subsequent contracts. We try very hard to make sure all of our teachers are aware of the possibilities awaiting them. Conditions vary, and many placements are tougher than others. In general, though, the most successful teachers are the ones who are most flexible and open-minded. We would be happy to connect you directly to teachers over there who can provide you a first hand opinion.

In summary, while your situation is very uncommon, I am sympathetic to the stress you are feeling. I am glad to hear that you felt Teach Away staff were polite in their correspondence. Our goal is to assist every candidate and facilitate the daunting task of securing international employment.

Sincerely,

Dave Frey
Director

By michelle@teachaway.com on December 18, 2012