Program Reviews

I came I to this program knowing some college friends would be around therefore I was furthermore excited for this opportunity. This program provides so many experiences inside and outside the classroom. I worked with Infantil and it's so rewarding. At first the kids would just stare at me in confusion, but after a couple weeks I am proud to say that they are learning the songs and repeating them. Songs such as the itsy bitsy spider, the wheels on the bus, head shoulders knees and toes etc. I would work with the age group again!

CIEE's 150-hour TEFL Certification has helped me build confidence as a future teacher very close to my departure to go teach in Chile. The staff is very hands-on and my instructor is very supportive. The course-load is rigorous but not too difficult, and keeps you on your toes and prepares you well to teach abroad. I could not have asked for anything more from this course and I look forward to our weekly tutorial, which adds a nice human element to the online course. 10/10 would recommend this program!

I think the TEFL course is very practical and relevant to possible situations an ESOL teacher can face. The grammatical side of the course covers all key topics and issues that are related to teaching them. Having a pedagogical education and some teaching experience from before, I find this course well structured and I think it is a good tool to refresh some pedagogical and methodological knowledge and skills. I firmly recommend to those who has no pedagogical education/experience and to those who has teaching knowledge from before, to consider TEFL course from CIEE as professional development or/and first step in teaching career.

It was a very helpful experience and the support was what I needed moving to a new country. CIEE was helpful in the starting process and leading me in the right direction. As the school year is moving forward, CIEE is still there to help and offer support, but they do so from the side. They really make it an experience for you and to only offer their support when you need it. It is very reassuring knowing that CIEE is there to help when it is needed. It has been a great experience overall and I am learning a lot as I move forward each day.

This is my second year teaching through CIEE (first Spain, now Thailand). and both times have been very positive experiences! They make the Visa process very easy and I received email responses extremely quickly for all my questions. Moving to Thailand can be very daunting but you are given extensive readings and cultural guides..not to mention a very intensive (but fun) orientation in Bangkok. The only down side is that you have no idea where you will be placed. You could be in the center of Bangkok, or 10 hours away from it. Every placement has its perks, and everyone's experiences are very different! Thailand is an incredible place and I can't wait to see what the rest of my time here brings.

I am so happy I decided to apply to teach overseas through ciee. They provided so much support and when I got to my country I was able to meet a lot of amazing people because of ciee. I think the TEFL program really prepared me for teaching. I’m thankful for my job placement and the coordinator for Korea is great. I had a wonderful time at the ciee orientation. I think it’s great that ciee offers orientation and other events for teachers as it can be hard moving to a foreign country on your own when you don’t speak the language or know anyone there.

My experience in Korea has been very good with the CIEE program. Before I even left from the US, CIEE was right there to help me with everything I needed. They helped me get my TEFL as well as my Visa. The TEFL program was amazing and the teachers work really closely with you if you have any questions or concerns. When I arrived to Korea, they arranged for me to have transportation from the airport to my city which was great because the guide made sure to help me get where I needed to be. The overall experience has been really good so I highly recommend CIEE as anyone’s program of choice for teaching abroad.

CIEE is easy to work with throughout the process. One big strength of CIEE is there connections throughout Korea. They seem to have access and work with contacts throughout Korea. When I was in America I found it easy to work with CIEE to get the necessary documents in order to teach here. They helped me throughout that process quite a lot. One note I would say about CIEE is having the orientation three weeks into Korea is to late, as by then much of the information is repetitive. If I have needed any help from CIEE these past few months I found it easily. I have enjoyed working with CIEE and would recommend them for similar teaching positions for people. As CIEE is important to provide the necessary contacts and help to get around. I enjoy CIEE and believe that they would be useful for those who are new into the international teaching field.

CIEE was a pretty good recruiting agency- they guided me along all of the critical steps in applying to be an EPIK teacher and their communication with the Korean government made things a lot easier than if I were to apply alone.
I would say that once I got here in Korea the assistance stops- I didn't know what to expect as far as further assistance but I think that something as simple as providing a welcoming packet listing all of the usefull Korean apps, useful Korean languge learning apps and websites, and just helpful tips from past EPIK teachers would have been really helpful.

I also wish they would have chosen a better TEFL certification class. I didn't find the course I took helpful or insightful. It was very bland and clinical.fddddddddddddddd

I’m glad I went with CIEE. The whole process was a bit confusing at first; I wish I had more communication from CIEE staff during the interview process, especially when it came to getting information about the school.

Regardless, I ended up at a great school about a half an hour from Gangnam. I’ve been having a great time! I have fabulous Korean and Foreign teachers, and I am so grateful for them. Several of them choose to renew their contracts after their year. Thanks CIEE!

The housing situation is not as fancy as some others. Our teachers have modest apartments in a nearby city, much older than some of the newer places around the school. Some of my coworkers have to deal with roaches on a regular basis, but I’ve only had a few.

I like the area, though! It’s an old city with a lot of history, and fun things to explore. All-in-all, a great experience thus far.