Program Reviews

CIEE was very helpful and responsive during the past year as my husband and I applied for the program, obtained Visas, and made the transition to Spain. I would highly recommend going with this program because of their help with all of the documentation to go abroad. I don’t think I could have done this without them. They made the process seamless and I was always able to talk to someone in the US for help. The orientation in Madrid was good, but I would have really appreciated more direction with housing. It was a very big task that was challenging and expensive for people who had to stay in an Airbnb/hotel between orientation and moving into an apartment. I know that they can’t help that much with this, but just having more housing workshops would have been helpful! Overall, this is a great program and I would choose it again.

I found CIEE by doing a bit of research on my own. I wanted to make sure I was going through a reliable organization, especially considering this is my first time living and working abroad. The people at CIEE have been so helpful, encouraging, and available to communicate with directly in the United States AND abroad. Most, if not all, people through CIEE have also experienced living and/or teaching abroad, so they are very helpful in real-world experience and application. CIEE has their own fees, but it gives you piece of mind to know you have a real person advocating for you, helping you through the visa process, and communicating with schools abroad during the application and interview process, as well. Even when I finally got to South Korea, my CIEE coordinator called me to help me find accomodations while in transition to my school location and followed up with me to ensure my safety and overall comfort. I truly recommend this to anyone thinking about teaching and living abroad as they really do care about where you end up and how you get there!

I thought that the program was a great opportunity to obtain my TEFL and also apply for a job teaching English abroad. I already have an education degree, so much of the content and information provided was a refresher course to me. However, the TEFL course added another perspective as to how to teach English as a foreign language, especially to elementary levels. The Canvas platform that was used is very user-friendly and easy to follow the modules for the weekly schedule. My tutor for the course was very enthusiastic and provided helpful feedback throughout the course, including individualized comments on assignments and detailed video comments on projects. The course was as interactive as it could be on an online platform with forums and discussions with other classmates.

Teaching in Spain comes with it's difficulties. It is worth the peace of mind that is brought by using this resource. You have a staff that is accommodating to any and all questions, concerns, or doubts you may have before or during your time in Spain. They provide step-by-step guides for basically any important meeting with in terms of residency, documentation, anything, in order to make sure you can fly through the process. The on-site group is an amazing group of individuals who are more than just a helping hand. Finding a job can be difficult but CIEE guarantees you a position at a school within your preferred city. There are usually many people who do this program, so you get the chance to meet the other auxiliaries at an orientation which is a great chance to meet people.

CIEE's online TERL certification course is great. Ten weeks plus an extra four week to complete practicum hours. On top of getting to choose a start date that works best for you, once in the course you have constant communication the entire time. I reached out to my TEFL advisor multiple times and she gave me great advice for the course and it's materials. Great constructive feedback on work that was turned in during the course. This course helped me understand how to teach English as a foreign language.

The course promotes a collaborative atmosphere with discussion boards and weekly online sessions to go over the module of the week. This gave great insight on how to teach english as a second language properly. Being able to have a resource was a huge help.

Many pros and cons to teaching in Spain, but Ciee did make some things easier. They set up visa appointments, helped set up bank appointments, provided travel insurance and the have hotlines. The orientation allowed me to meet many other teaching assistants and did provide some useful information. I do wish they cut some of it down though. There was little to no help with housing. It is important to keep in mind that ciee is not in control of everything, so they cannot ensure that everything goes smoothly. I do feel pretty on my own sometimes. Yet they did secure me a job, which was harder to do on my own. Most people are up in the air of where they will be placed. As for living in Madrid, it is s great city with lots to do. Ciee also provides a social network which is a comfort.

I entered this class not knowing what to expect. I was offered assistance right away. I could communicate any issues I had with my tutor or the ciee team. They were all very helpful and got back to me promptly, which was nice.
A lot was covered in my class. Old and new techniques of teaching English, different methods, and different situations we could be put in. We are required to make lesson plans, and that prepared me very well going into my future job. Nothing beats in person experience, but this will definitely set you miles ahead if you have never been in a classroom before as a teacher. The class did take 11 weeks, which was a pretty thorough chunk of time. Yet the online aspect made it a bit easier to get through and maintain my job at the time. My tutor also really seemed like he wanted to support us, which was super nice.

This TEFL course is a part of the CIEE program. Though I do think that the course itself was quite expensive comparing to other TEFL courses that I have found online. However, I do think that you are also paying for the support of the whole CIEE program throughout the whole course along with a high quality online education. So overall, I think the price that I paid was somewhat decent, still a little bit expensive but I liked the support that I got. However, if you do find a TEFL program that you like outside of CIEE, you can go for that and complete it and still apply for the Teach Abroad CIEE but with none TEFL course. Though I went with this TEFL course because I applied to EPIK, which is a english teach program through the Korean government and they are familiar with the CIEE program and figured that was the best way to go. Anyways, good luck you guys!

I took the CIEE online TEFL course to prepare to teach elementary and middle school in South Korea. My experience overall was very positive! While before I took the course I wasn't convinced that a TEFL certification was necessary, in my current position, I couldn't imagine not having the background with theory, lesson planning ideas and practice, classroom management tactics, and practical experience. Even though I did take the course online, the requirement to do 20 hours of practicum work really helped me put the material into practice, and it gave me confidence going into my first days. My tutor and classmates were all wonderful, as well. My tutor was very responsive and gave tons of personalized feedback. She was also understanding when I had to turn in homework late because of work and travel delays. I also felt confident in the instruction and commitments made by CIEE because they are a familiar, non profit study and teach abroad agency. I would definitely recommend this program if you are looking for an online TEFL course!

Thank you OEG for providing me with this incredible experience. I love my school, made incredible connections with my students/coworkers, and was able to enjoy the culture of my town. OEG set me up for success while providing support along the way. I never really needed it because I was so enveloped in falling in love with Thailand, but they clearly care for every participant of the program and are there if you need them. The orientation period fosters connections with like-minded people; people who I will probably stay in touch with for a long time. If you are open-minded and ready for an incredible cultural and personal experience, I highly suggest teaching in Thailand through OEG.
I spent a year in Thailand and am State-side now, but this program and Thailand itself made it very difficult to leave. I definitely left a part of my heart in Thailand!