Program Reviews

This class went by super quick even though it was 10 weeks long. The teacher was amazing and always responded really fast and was always helpful and understanding when something went wrong. I feel a lot more prepared to teach English as a foreign/second language after taking this class. I was also able to make meaningful relationships with my classmates and will be able to stay connected with them even after this class is over. It helped that a lot of my classmates are planning on teaching at the same place as me.

I had never taught before, so I’m very glad I took the CIEE TEFL course! I learned a lot about how to react to different cultures and classroom situations that I will reflect back on during my teaching. I had an excellent teacher who helped me with any questions I had. I was also given the opportunity to create my own lesson plan and receive feedback on it. I also got to interact with other students who also plan to teach abroad! In addition, I’m thankful I was required to get real teaching experience. I would recommend this class to others!

This course was straightforward and easy to keep track of all assignments, due dates, and seminar hours. The course instructor provided great feedback on all written assignments and helped with providing ideas for completing the practicum hours. CIEE was flexible in providing an extension on the practicum hours when I needed more team for the 8 hours of active teaching I had to do, which was extremely helpful in completing. I was able to complete this course while also working full-time. Many others in my course were also using the placement assistance after completion of the course, even though I am not, they seemed like they were getting plenty of support in learning about their new classroom and we had assignments for students to practice on their lesson plans using their new class portfolios they recieved.

This was a great experience. I feel so much more prepared for going to teach abroad in Thailand now. I learned many ideas for activities to use in the classroom, how to engage with students from different cultures, and also tips on adjusting to living in a new country. The coursework had a lot of variety from multiple choice quizzes, to videos, to writing projects, to presentations and more. It was never boring and something I looked forward to working on each week. The team was also great help and quick to answer questions.

CIEE Teach Abroad was a great opportunity to see a new part of the world. It’s a nice break between graduating and finding a career. I enjoyed living in Madrid, Spain for the culture, the people, the food and seeing a bunch of brand new things. My job placement (secundaria) was an easy commute from where I lived and in a nice enough neighborhood (San Blas). I loved working with the students at my school but the faculty that I also worked with kinda sucked and made my time at the school a bit hard.

The overall experience was what I had anticipated. Definitely coming in with an open mind is important. The only thing that I would say is that if you go through any racist experiences or microaggressions (esp. if you're a POC coming into this program), you're school may not take it too seriously. The language immersion program was especially great because I was able to advance my Spanish skills a lot.

Long story short: do your research before you come to Spain. Be aware of any cultural differences and be mentally prepared to handle any situation (whether it is good or bad) that may arise. Also, save money before you come because you'll definitely need the extra funds, especially if you plan on traveling to other countries.

I was an English Language Assistant (aka Auxiliar de Conversación) through CIEE for the 22/23 school year in Madrid. Although CIEE was more expensive than other options, their support was definitely worth the price. They gave us real time updates on visa requirements for each consulate before leaving for Spain, and really helped us get our paperwork settled on arrival. Also, the CIEE orientation introduced me to many friends who I got to spend the whole year traveling with. I expect many of them will be my friends for life :)

The help with the tie process was great and the school environment as well. You are only working 4 days a week with very little stress and i was able to travel as much as i wanted. The housing situation was very stressful, it would have been helpful to have more support for the program. Schools are very grateful to have your help and the kids were amazing. The income is manageable if you find a cheap place and manage your money well. Traveling has gotten more expensive so I could have visited more places but it was just not in my budget.

Incredible experience. Absolutely recommend if you want to have an abroad experience while making a positive impact AND getting paid. Would recommend especially to ages 22-26. I did the 6th month program which is great if you need a break between jobs. I definitely could have stayed longer. Madrid is a great city to be in socially and you can learn a lot of Spanish. The orientation week was helpful for making friends, but there are other ways in the city to meet people (language classes or exchanges).

CIEE was an amazing experience, I would recommend to anyone! I had a great time, and was able to grow both personally and professionally. I was able to travel during the weekends, especially since I had fridays off. The school environment was amazing and made my stay here even more enjoyable. Everyone in CIEE is extremely welcoming and made the whole process amazing. I would do it again if I could! It is a great way to learn about a different country and embrace a new culture. Spain has become my favorite city.