CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

Teaching in Phu Sang, Phayao is a wonderful experience living in a small town with nice people. It is very rural, and so traveling two hours to Chiang Rai is required to get much western food or supplies. The people are very nice here, and the housing is average for the area: No AC but a decent living space that one can cook in. The students are riotous characters and it's a challenge but also a joy to deliver lessons to them.

Being able to teach in Thailand has been an amazing learning experience. I have been able to immerse myself in another culture and way of life and would not have had it any other way.
CIEE was incredibly helpful during both the training and the preparation process. I felt very informed and knew what to expect (as much as you can anyways). While they were able to place me with my boyfriend, CIEE did not place us in a primary school as we requested. This has really affected my teaching experience as I have had a lot of trouble adjusting to working with middle school students.

Pros:
They take care of everything for you on the front end and help prepare you for the Thai experience.
The pay is good compared to the cost of living so you have plenty of additional income to travel and see the country.
It is a very immersive cultural experience that is worth every hardship and rainy day.

Cons:
I did not have a ton of support after being placed in the program. I think it would have been there if I reached out, but they don't really check in on you at any point.
It is a different culture and a different style of living. There is a lot of adjusting to do and I have had to get used to having many bug-related problems among other things.

I taught English in Madrid through CIEE and was very pleased with the program. The most valuable aspect of the program for me was the level of support that I was given. There were some delays getting my visa and I was late getting abroad, but CIEE was in touch every step of the way and walked me through the whole process. They were very understanding and helpful and made a stressful process much easier. I would definitely recommend this program.

After college I decided to travel and wanted to stay abroad as long as possible so I figured I'd get a teaching certificate to travel around Asia for about 5 monthsa nd then teach for a semester or a year. Little did I know that I would still be living abroad working as a teacher over 2 years later! The course was simple, direct and allowed you to work at your own pace and only had to attend a once weekly meeting. The homework assignments were very useful and practicum was a big help for when the real teaching began! If you don't want to try one of the sessions abroad are are trying to complete the program while still in school then this is a perfect fit for you! I also got an extra 30 hour specification certificate for free!

I found CIEE to be very helpful in getting me established for my first year in Madrid. It is a tough process moving to another country and they were here to do some of the hard work for me and make sure that I had everything in order for the move. Once here, during the orientation, I found that they were quick to ensure help and make sure that simple things like setting up a bank account or getting your residency card was taken care of.

I loved the dynamic conversations with my class, my teacher inspirational stories and the overall process. I learned so much about cultural differences in the view of the English language that I never considered previously. I also love the possibilities of having a certification and being able to teach around the world. I would love to have a 2nd career where I can live, for a time, in different countries teaching and absorbing the culture. This certification is the start of that opportunity.

I worked in a bilingual secondary school in Alcobendas, which is a suburb just outside Madrid. My commute was not very long and easy to manage, and my school also had 6 other auxiliars whom I got to work alongside. I lucked out that my coworkers were good company and were dedicated to helping the students.

The school’s facilities were not bad. There wasn’t any WiFi, but each room had a functioning computer and projector. A few didn’t have adequate audio systems (makes videos unhelpful). My bilingual coordinator (my supervisor) was extremely qualified, consistent, and organized—and I’m sooo greatful. I have had a few problems with some of the teachers (lack of organization/experience), and my concerns have been heard and addressed.

If I had planned better, I would have renewed for a second year in the program. Unfortunately, I’ll be heading back to the States. It’s been a fun ride though. :)

My time volunteering as an English teacher in Portugal was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The "teaching" is quite minimal as it's a volunteer program for an assistant teacher. I assisted two different teachers with classes in grades 1-3. If you're looking for a lot of teaching experience, this might not be the program for you. BUT, if you're looking for a memorable and relatively short term experience in another country then this is definitely worth considering. The best parts of this experience were definitely the friends I made and the tiny little glimpse into Portuguese daily life that I was fortunate enough to receive. I didn't know much about Portugal before venturing there, but it is one of my favorite places now. Especially the city of Oporto!

Staying with a host family was amazing and the hospitality and general friendliness of everyone I met was very comforting. Since I ended up having a lot of free time, I traveled to many other parts of Portugal and really had a once in a lifetime opportunity to just explore. I've even considered moving to Portugal after this experience (though as an American it is not easy)!

Teaching English in Madrid is a great experience whether you want to be a teacher or not. It has been great to understand the Spanish culture and get to know the children and families that your teach. CIEE did an amazing job bridging us into the program. It was more expensive but worth it , in my opinion. They guided us through all the paperwork and made sure we had friends and connections in Madrid so we were very confortable when they set us free to teach. I would recommend CIEE to anyone who is trying to teach English in any country.

I took a gap year after I graduated from my undergrad. I wanted to use the time to learn new things, and I chose to get TEFL certified. I was familiar with CIEE from working with my college’s International Education Office. The price was reasonable and they included practicum hours into the program, which was a huge bonus for me. I put a lot of work into it, and as a result, learned a lot. I love tutoring my students and CIEE helped prepare me with a skill set that can meet their needs.