CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

Thanks to CIEE, I arrived in Thailand safely and with ease. Before leaving, they provided everything from the necessary information for obtaining the documents you need to informative pre-departure videos and links. Any question or concern I had was quickly answered. Both CIEE and OEG are easy to contact.

Once arriving in Thailand, both CIEE and OEG create a wonderful experience through their one week orientation, giving you the tools and resources to guide you into teaching and living in abroad. The dedication does not stop once you are at your school. I was easily able to contact them with an issue and they had even followed up making sure everything was okay!

I would absolutely highly recommend them as they made what seems like a different process incredibly smooth. You can honestly tell they care!

There are several reasons why I selected to teach through CIEE over the field and I continue to be pleasantly surprised by their service and support. CIEE has exceeded all of my expectations. They truly care about your well-being through the application process, predeparture, placement, and school semester.

The primary reason I applied through CIEE was the numerous benefits and accommodations their programs provide. The teach in Thailand program offered the opportunity to teach other subjects, 24/7 program support and assistance for the duration of your stay, orientation/training, and a social network of other participants all in the same circumstance. CIEE honestly cares about your placement preferences too, I know that it is difficult to satisfy everyone's requests but they did a great job with mine and I know fellow participants that were also extremely pleased.

CIEE also does their absolute best effort to prepare you for departure. From learning about cultural and classroom norms to visa assistance and online webinars. CIEE provided all the materials you could possibly need and the availability for specific concerns/questions is unmatched. I went into orientation with absolutely zero training or teaching experience. CIEE and OEG do a phenomenal job at making you feel comfortable in a classroom and give you the tools to be a successful teacher. I cannot stress enough how important orientation was, I would have been absolutely lost walking into a class on the first day without it.

Needless to say, Thailand is an absolutely gorgeous country with some of the kindest people on the globe. I have been easily able to balance my work/travel time and have had a couple hundred “once in a lifetime” experiences. CIEE teach in Thailand is unrivaled.

It’s a challenge but worth it. The teaching position, if you’re able to land with EPIK, the public schools, is quite breezy. There’s a lot of time to prepare and desk warming though. Learning Korean is a must if you’re not in a city.
The CIEE staff is really nice. They do their best to help you if you ask. Shout out to Brad.

It’s a very exciting new way to see the world, especially if you are able to integrate a bit. It’s really hard to do so without Korean, so please learn Korean. You’ll get the most out of it that way.

It’s a really exciting thing to live in this country. There’s so much to eat and so much to do. Seoul is a blast. The teaching program won’t take your life so you’ll have to spend as you please.

Overall a very good experience. I liked the support from Ciee when first arriving. The orientation was helpful, but I feel like it could have been a little more specific about certain Duoc expectations (maybe show us what the textbook looks like, and an example class).

I think a big take away from this experience was a type of independance. I graduated university last year, and this was the next step to really being on my own, from finding an apartment to live in or buying groceries for the week. It was a lot of responsibility but I think I learned a lot about myself in the process. I (hopefully) learned about some Chilean culture too, made a few friends and had lots of BBQ. I ended up getting a motorcycle too which was an absolute blast! It was a great year, and a good introduction to teaching, and made me really reflect on my personality and possible career paths. The other Tips in the program were very nice, but I didn't see much of them once I went down to Conce, just because they are so far away.

I was relatively ambivalent as to my time in a new country. I wasn't sure what to expect, nor was I particularly expecting a lot of support from CIEE. I was lead to believe that most recruiters don't care once they've dropped you off at your job, but Brad was a fantastic resource, and the community of CIEE teachers has been great too.

CIEE has done a great job of answering any questions I've had, as well as the concerns of a few friends I made through the program.
The primary concern I have is that the TEFL course was kind of lacking, but once I settled into the school I'm working at, I wasn't experiencing too much difficulty other that what might be normally expected from one's first time teaching.

I can't necessarily recommend this program more than any other, since I've only been through the one, but it has certainly been a good experience for me, in part because of CIEE's work.

Teaching abroad in korea has been a life-changing experience. The support of the CIEE staff while on the ground also made it helpful to navigate the first few months living in Korea. During orientation, there was an emphasis on making sure we felt welcomed, prepared to take on this new challenge and adventure, as well as safety and tactics to better adjust to the new living environment. Both Brad, Yumi, and Megan made it a smooth transition from getting my paperwork completed to arriving onsite. Also, my Luke, before even arriving to Korea was super helpful, answering any questions and making me feel better about the move. During any major country event, the staff in country would send out information on how to remain safe, and I always felt well-informed. Thanks for an amazing two years in korea! Well worth it :)

CIEE has a great network community where you can get advice and learn from other CIEE teachers. They also have an amazing "in state" and "in country" team. Not to mention, the awesome orientation and end of year events (we're talking FREE lessons, FREE site seeing and FREE food). For the pass six months, I had the privilege to experience the culture, eat delicious food, meet locals, and travel. Despite all of the wonderful things that I have experience, my most memorable moments was meeting my team (totally amazing people ) and when I got lost in my neighborhood the first day I arrived in Korea. I wasn't sure where I was going, but then I stumble upon the neighborhood's walking trail that has a river flowing along side. It may seem ordinary, but somehow I felt like everything was going to be okay because of the peaceful vibe. It was "my heaven" and I still walk on that path during my down times. To be honest, my first few months were pretty tough because I couldn't speak or read Korean, so my advice is, to be open minded, adapt to the culture and engage in groups of your interest . The rest is really up to how you would like to remember your experiences. I've learned so much about teaching, communicating and most importantly I've gain a sense of who I am. I highly recommend taking this opportunity to grow as an individual and make memories that will last a life time.

My experience in Granada has been incredible so far! I enjoy working at my school as an auxiliar and getting to know my students and colleagues. I have formed friendships with my colleagues outside of work, and it has been wonderful. It helps that I have teaching experience and am a licensed teacher, but if you are passionate about helping kids learn, are open-minded and patient with yourself, you will definitely enjoy the experience.

I wake up every day feeling so blessed to be living in the beautiful city of Granada. I finished my masters thesis just last week and have much more time now to fully enjoy the experience, immerse myself in language learning and pick up dance classes. Spain, and particularly, Andalucia, is full of warm, friendly people and a rich, fabulous culture. I cannot imagine living anywhere else at this point in time and cannot thank CIEE enough for placing me here!

If you are considering taking the plunge but are unsure, go for it! You will not regret it and will grow from each and every experience and challenge you meet along the way. I have never been so happy or grateful to be in a foreign country and truly feel blessed each day!

Teaching abroad through CIEE was an exciting, rewarding, and moving experience. I felt supported through the entire process. CIEE prepares you for job interviews, job duties, cultural awareness, pre-departure information, and all the little things in between. I felt safe my entire time abroad and always had someone to ask for help when I needed it. Among all the amazing things CIEE provides, I think the orientation and in country support exceeded my expectations the most. I never felt alone and was introduced to Santiago, Chile so that I quickly felt comfortable abroad. The in country support staff is fantastic, accesible, and a priceless resource. I was living happily on my own after just one week and I couldn’t have had that kind of success without CIEE. I appreciated follow ups, check ins, and fast responses. Mid year gatherings were fun and helpful. I owe so much of the comfort I felt in Santiago to CIEE.

I was able to meet some of my best friends while teaching here in Korea. I also was able to gain so much more than just teaching experience. I feel like I was put in situations that will help me grow as a professional in other jobs and has set me up with experience to succeed in other parts of the world. I absolutely fell in love with the students I have and didnt expect to have as much fun being a teacher.
The best advice that I have and that I would want to hear upon moving here to teach is to keep an open mind about everything! Nothing can be expected and everything can change. Staying positive and using my peers as support as well as believing in myself has gotten me far while doing this. It isnt easy, to do what we adventures love to do. Many people cant do it. But its worth it for sure! CIEE helped in that aspect as well.