Program Reviews

I thought this was a very enjoyable and impressive program. I completed the 150 hour certification. The course was engaging and it challenged me. I learned way more than I thought I would. The course moved at a good pace and prepared me for various classroom settings. The instructor gave great feedback and was invested. I also felt like there were good opportunities to connect with other people in the course, which can be difficult these days in the virtual world. I highly recommend CIEE for all their programs!!!

This was a good program. It was in-depth and had useful content with lots of ideas for activities, ways to structure classes, and basic principles that can be applied all the time. There are some things that seem obvious once you learn them but are easy to overlook if you are new to teaching. I felt much more ready to teach after finishing the program and would recommend it.

I am a first year teacher with a degree unrelated to education. The program provides you with plenty of useful information that will help you build teaching skills. I was very nervous about teaching at a foreign school without any serious teaching background. I will be honest, I was thrown to the wolves my first day teaching, but the program provided me with enough knowledge to succeed. My first week was a bit rough getting used to things and the responsibility of teaching these young students. It worked out great and I've enjoyed my time in Korea. My favorite thing about CIEE is the continuous in-country support. You can definitely find cheaper ways to teach abroad but I think the extra money is well worth it. I know that if there are any issues or concerns, I have contacts here, which is important if you're going to a new country alone.

This is a great resource for both aspiring and current educators. As a world language teacher, I know how difficult it can be to find satisfying professional development courses. This program exceeded my expectations. I feel this program both helps you to become reacquainted with concepts you've learned in the past as well as provides opportunities for you to gain exposure to new pedagogy approaches. I especially recommend this experience for World Language/ ESL teachers in search of engaging professional development opportunities.

I have really enjoyed using CIEE to travel to Thailand as a teacher! They have been so willingly helpful since I started my application process back in 2020, and they continue to provide full support for me during my time abroad. Everyone in the staff is very kind and attentive. They are always looking to do whatever they can to make this experience the best it can be for us. I would absolutely recommend using this program to travel abroad because they have made every moment easy, fun and worthwhile!

I recently graduated from Louisiana Tech University in March 2021 and began teaching science and English to secondary students (7th through 12th grade) in Thailand in October of 2021. I was lucky enough to be placed in Phuket. CIEE is a little pricey but totally worth every penny. They help with all of the paper work and over seas communication. They helped me feel safe and secure traveling alone to live in a new place. I always knew I had the correct documents when traveling and to work as a foreigner. I would have been lost if I'd tried to move to a new country alone for the first time. They also follow up with you and make sure your doing well once you are settled in to your new position. The transition is of course challenging but CIEE helps ease that. The work load you have a teacher varies greatly depending on the subject and age you are teaching, but that has nothing to do with CIEE.

I really loved my experience in the TEFL course provided by CIEE. The course was easy to navigate through, my peers and tutor were helpful and engaging, and I learned a lot from the course material. I also very much enjoyed gaining my practicum hours for my TEFL teaching certificate by gaining teaching experience through Project Boomerang. I would teach high school students in Puerto Rico via Zoom calls, which was extremely convenient and flexible. My tutor and director of the course were all great helpers.

I completed the 150 hour certification course. CIEE did an outstanding job of preparing me before the course, supporting me during and after the course. There’s a lot of excellent and interesting material but requires the students to move very quickly! They were always helpful and encouraging. As soon as I was ready, they set me up with a dream placement that was maybe the best experience of my life. I’m preparing to go to a different country soon which they also coordinated. I’m signed up to take a 30 hour specialized certification course and looking forward to it!!

After graduating from Temple with a degree in Chinese, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do. Add in the complications of a worldwide pandemic, and I was stuck at home with a degree I didn't know what to do with, and a part-time job at my university that could and probably would end soon.

Even in the before times, before the pandemic, I was interested in becoming a teacher. Possibly a Mandarin teacher in the United States, or maybe an English teacher in China. As I thought about what to do, I came to the idea that I should get a TEFL certificate. That way, I would have the certification to at least teach English, and I could potentially get a job being an online teacher, both to save up some money and gain experience so that when the world opened up again, I would be able to be a teacher.

The decision to pick CIEE was an easy one. I had already went through CIEE to study abroad in Beijing in 2018, and I had an amazing time. It also helped that as an alum, I got a discount on tuition. So, I signed up for CIEE.

The course itself was entirely online, with weekly video meetings, and assignments that were due on certain days. This is where I began to run into problems; I have ADHD, which makes it quite difficult for me to regulate my time and stay on task. I began to fall behind.

To my immense relief and eternal gratitude, CIEE was more than helpful. After emailing and discussing my situation with the professor, I got accommodations to assist me in my work. I know it's often said that places of learning "want you to succeed," but it's never been more obvious with CIEE. They truly went above and beyond to help me, and I will always recommend it!

Of course, I did have to put in the work. None of CIEE's accommodations would have helped me if I didn't put in the work myself to catch up. They will help you get to where you need to be, but they will not help you float by with minimal effort.

The professors were kind and always answered any questions we had about the material. The material itself was easy to understand, if a bit tedious to work through. The course is designed so that wherever you end up teaching, you will have the tools needed.

I feel that I learned many things that will help me in my journey to become a language teacher, and for anyone considering the same, whether it's a passion for language or a resume builder, I recommend getting certified through CIEE!

I came across CIEE through a simple Google search knowing little about it. After exploring the website I decided to apply for their Teach in Thailand program. I didn’t know much about traveling abroad or what that process would look like, but I decided to apply. After submitting my application I anxiously awaited to hear back about my acceptance. When I heard back from CIEE, they were quick to send me a timeline of steps I needed to take to begin my journey in Thailand. The process of traveling and teaching abroad is not an easy one, and it was much harder than expected. Everything is time sensitive and going through this process alone would've been very stressful. I am so thankful that CIEE was there every step of the way. My coordinator, Shanice, was available by phone and email whenever needed and was quick to respond back. With the amount of questions I was constantly asking I was so thankful I found such a supportive organization that was so willing to help. Even after I had arrived in Thailand and started my teaching, CIEE checked back in with me to make sure all was well. I couldn’t be more happy with my decision!