Program Reviews

My instructor, Colby, was so helpful, approachable, and kind. I feel ready to teach abroad and know I always have this resource in case I have any questions or concerns. Make sure you allocate enough time to get your work done, but it really shouldn't take more than 5-7.5 hours per week, and not the 15 hours that they advertise. You still get the 150 hours regardless! Also, I wasn't aware that there's a required 20-hour teaching practicum, but as long as you find an ESL school to teach/volunteer at, you should be fine. I would recommend this course to anyone hoping to teach abroad!

I had a great time with my CIEE program. Signing up I selected a single city for my preferences, and thankfully I didn't get it - because, I ended up with an amazing host family and wouldn't have changed it for the world.

My hosts had something planned for us every weekend. If we weren't seeing a different city, we were out on the town - or, I was off on a solo adventure.

I went to school Mon-Thurs and was there for three hours a day. Sometimes I would stay all day if I felt like it.

If you are looking to escape the corporate world, or looking to change up your current situation and CIEE is an option for you - I highly suggest you do it! The program is 75 days, but your maximum stay is 90 via the Schengen Zone. I ended up staying for my full 90. My hosts gave me permission to stay with them the whole time. However, after my program concluded - I actually traveled to Portugal and some other big cities in Spain (During Semana Santa).

I could go on and on about how grand this experience was, but simply put - if you have the ability to make this adventure happen, then you absolutely should!

Monetarily, you'll pay for the program and the flight, then you'll want to have money when you are there for food, travel, and anything else you may care to spend money on. CIEE recommends you have $1,000 of "this kind" of money, and I would agree. Keep in mind, you can look to get private tutoring jobs for physical Euros as well.

This kind of adventure may seem daunting, but so is change - and this is simply a big change. But don't fret, its only three months (maximum)! Once again, this was a great experience and I plan on someday returning - and maybe even having my Spanish friends come over to the US. I recommend you make this adventure happen. The world is oh so big, and we only have so long to see as much as we can!

PS. The cost of this adventure (three months, by the way) is likely as expensive as a two-three week trip as a pedestrian. What a steal, and what an adventure!

If you are considering working abroad in South Korea, let this be your sign to do it! I was really nervous to come to Korea, as I had never been and didn't know too much about the country. But I think this is one of the best decisions I have ever made for a few reasons:
1. The program: there is tons of program support here and its well organized. EPIK orientation is a great way to meet people and familiarize yourself with the country and the job. Having the support of my co-teachers and other GETs has made my transition so much smoother. For me, having the housing provided was a really big plus as well.
2. The people: everyone I have met has been friendly and welcoming, and there are great opportunities to make friends.
3. the country: It has been such a fun and interesting experience to live here. It's a great mix of city and nature, traveling in Korea is super accessessable with the KTX. I am in Busan and I find the city to be very clean and safe. Theres tons of great food, clubs/activities to join, and life is generally affordable.
I didn't know what to expect when coming to Korea, and I was nervous about making friends, being a teacher, and navigating living in a new country. I have been surprised by how well all of these things have gone, and I think a lot of that is thanks to a well designed program in a great place. Korea has been more amazing than I could have imagined and I would recommend it to anyone!

I took the course with my tickets already booked for Thailand. The Academic Manager worked with me throughout the course to provide any administrative assistance I needed and the instructor was very knowledgeable and communicative. I enjoyed her video comments on my assignments (grading feedback) and the valuable time learning with my classmates every session I attended. I enjoyed the peer reviews as well, especially for our final assignment. I have already suggested the program to former colleagues, family and friends. On to my next adventure!

I took this course as a part of CIEE's Teach in South Korea program, and I'm so glad that I did! I went into the course with no experience or any idea of how to teach English, but now I feel well-equipped and ready to step into the classroom. The course content is well-structured and thorough, and I appreciate how they practiced what they preached to make the course engaging and effective. (However, like all other classes, how much you get out of it will depend on how much time and effort you're willing to put in. I was fortunate to have the time to dive into the material and engage with my classmates, so I enjoyed the course very much.)

I am also grateful for all the support CIEE provides to its students and alumni. For example, there is a practicum portion to the TEFL course. I was worried about how to complete the practicum when starting the course, but those worries were eased with CIEE's resources on how to find a teaching/volunteering opportunity, locations where past students have volunteered, how to reach out, etc. Students and alumni of this 150-hour course also have access to job placement assistance, which I'm excited to explore in the future.

I had no idea where to start when it came to applying to the EPIK program or Hagwons, so CIEE gave me very clear and helpful guidance during the application process.

I've been a teacher in South Korea for almost 5 years now, and I was so nervous leading up to my first year in the classroom, however I ended being more prepared than I thought, thanks to CIEE's TEFL program!

Although it does require a lot of time, it's definitely manageable, and I never felt overwhelmed by the amount of content. The online course was flexible, as I had a part-time job and was finishing undergrad leading up to Korea. The instructor and other students made it such a supportive and motivating environment! Especially during COVID when the world seemed so uncertain and disconnected at times. I felt the class size made it easier to collaborate, make connections, and our instructor Colby was so knowledgeable and engaging throughout the entire class. I felt comfortable enough to ask questions when I was confused or unsure during our weekly Zoom sessions.

Out of all of the TEFL programs out there, I honestly believe CIEE's program is the best. The valuable content and resources they provide make it enjoyable and easy to succeed!

I did not have prior teaching experience, so I tried to retain as much of the 150hr class as I could, and I actually felt confident once I made it to the classroom in Korea! Thank you for your help Lauren, Belen, Luke, and everyone on the CIEE team :)

I recently completed the CIEE TEFL 150- Hour Certification course. I very much enjoyed the course. It's quite the time commitment, but it was well worth it. The platform is very user friendly and the instructor and support team are very knowledgeable and approachable. I currently work with refugee students in an after school tutoring program. I'm looking forward to applying what I have learned. I'm a returning student and further along in my career. I wish I had chosen to pursue the certification years ago.

A TEFL program was always something that was on the back of my mind and I am so glad I went with CIEE! I don't know that any other experience could compare. The workload can feel a bit demanding at times (roughly 10-15hrs a week) but I truly felt supported the entire way. All of the coursework felt valuable and the instructor is very engaging, and provides very thoughtful and thorough feedback on your progress every week.

I was really nervous about the practicum portion but CIEE knew what they were doing with this one! It pushed me out of my comfort zone and quickly became something I was looking forward to. I was able to able key skills I learned in the course and now feel so much more comfortable and prepared to teach.

CIEE sets you up for success, I would recommend this program over and over again! Thank you for this experience!!

I have officially been certified today with my TEFL Diploma. As a full-time worker and recent college graduate, I found that the workload closely mirrored that of a college course. The program was well-structured and organized, making it easy to follow and fully understand expectations.

Attending the weekly online meetings allowed me to build connections with fellow cohort members and address any lingering questions I had. The most challenging aspect of the course was time management, as it requires a commitment of approximately 10–15 hours per week to be successful and to develop a strong understanding of teaching abroad.

Overall, I am truly satisfied with my experience. I have learned a great deal and feel more confident as I begin my journey teaching abroad through the CIEE Teach in Spain program.

I just finished my 30-hour Young Learners course with CIEE and really enjoyed it! I chose CIEE because I wanted a quality program to gain more knowledge on how to best reach young learners who are new to English. I feel like the program is very well paced and methodically planned out on how to best teach listening, speaking, reading and writing to children. My favorite parts of the course were the discussion posts, useful links, websites, and all of the feedback on assignments from my instructor, Annette. I hope to be working with elementary ESL students later this year and look forward to using my new toolkit as a resource as I plan future lessons.