CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

I went to Cacabelos , Leon, Spain for three months to teach English to grades 7-12. I got the chance to stay with a host family who took the absolute best care of me. My host mom and dad were amazing cooks and fed me all I could eat. My host sisters and I got rather close as well, and even let me come hang out with their friends on several occasions. I met so many people at the school I worked at. So many of them went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and happy. I loved getting the chance to teach students of another language what it is like where I am from. you could tell they were baffled by anything I said because the USA is so interesting to them. I miss them and think about the experience I had every day. I wouldn't change it for anything and am so thankful that was what I decided to do once I graduated.

I am so happy I made the decision to participate in this program! As a full-time student, dealing with my regular courses was manageable. I have been wanting to get a TEFL certification for several year, but the timing was always off. Then I found this program. It is just like any online class I have ever taken, but better because there is no question as to whether the information and skills I am learning will ever be used. I know that I will be able to teach English to students of all levels at the end of this course. It helps me feel more confident in myself knowing that I will be able to travel and work at the same time, especially since I absolutely love to travel and visit new places! To anyone who loves travelling and wants an affordable way to do it, I highly recommend getting a TEFL certification! The CIEE course is definitely something you should strongly consider!

I really liked the TEFL online 150 certification course because 1) you learn the essentials of English grammar, as well as teaching methods, 2) it gives you framework to teach on your own out in the world, 3) by taking the course I was automatically eligible to teach in Spain (Murcia program). I was offered that teaching job and it was secured before I even finished the course! Additionally, the course presents all material in an easily digestible way. The certification is internationally recognized and never expires. It's a win-win for CIEE and the student.

Going into the TEFL certification course, I was unsure of what to expect. I was taking the course because I had already been accepted to teach abroad and needed the TEFL certification to be eligible .

I felt that the course itself was an amazing preparation for someone who would be going overseas to teach English. It prepared you in multiple ways; from teaching English itself, to planning and preparation, to classroom management. Each section had a variety of way of getting information across and it checked for your understanding through discussion boards and quizzes, which in turn prepared you for the graded coursework at the end of each unit.

I felt that I always had my questions answered by my course instructor in a timely manner and all of my graded assignments had very constructive feedback attached with it. I also liked having a chance to get on a weekly webchat with other students of the course and the course instructor. It was a way to talk about what we learned (which really helped solidify all the information we took in) and we were able to ask questions!

I will say that I am already a licensed teacher (with a focus in TESL from college) so most of the concepts taught were more of a review for me. Sometimes it felt redundant because I deal with these things on a daily basis, but it was still good to think about how I would put it into practice teaching overseas. I know it may seem like the course is expensive, but what you get from it is worth it. Access to plenty of materials to use in the future and a readily available instructor on top of what you learn makes this course worthwhile for the certificate.

After graduating from college, I knew I wanted to move to Spain to teach abroad. There are a number of programs, but after doing my research, I found CIEE to be the best choice for me. I know the cost may make many participants hesitate, and it is a lot of money, but the support I got from CIEE was worth it. Especially as a first year Language and Culture Assistant, there are so many things to do and so many unknowns. From answering emails about the visa to making the process of getting our residency cards simple and streamlined, I was so happy to have CIEE there to help me with what would have otherwise been an overwhelming process. I knew I always had someone to turn to for accurate and timely information. For me, that was a weight off my shoulders! The other great thing that CIEE led me to were some of my very best friends in Spain. I made incredible friends during orientation! I'm so happy I chose CIEE for my teach abroad experience. It made moving abroad a much easier transition, and I couldn't have asked for a better year in Madrid.

Despite the fact that I've been a teacher for more thaan four decades, there's always more to learn. While the class is primarily designed for ESL teachers, anyone who teaches a language can benefit. The online sessions focus on classroom instruction with some attention to theory. The weekly required graded assignments compel one to think about teaching practices. The workload is cumbersome, but the support is awesome.

I didn’t think about it twice or about what I would be missing back home. I thought about what I would gain and how after I have completed the year I could say that I said I wanted to teach abroad and I did. You can apply for the program on your own but since it was my first time living abroad I appreciated the support given by CIEE. The two week housing they provided along with the general information presentations were great and I’m glad CIEE took care of most of the paperwork.

CIEE is a great company to work with if you're looking to teach abroad. They take a lot of the guess work out of finding jobs, getting your visa, and feeling at home in a new country. They give you in-country resources who are willing to help you with any questions you may have. I would definitely recommend using CIEE if you're looking to teach abroad as a gap year or even for the rest of your career.

Pay is pretty low since it comes through the Community of Madrid, and I truly lived paycheck to paycheck but it was a great experience. I didn't love it so much for the work aspect as I did from the perspective of living in Madrid. It's the kind of program where you go to your job and tolerate it (at least that's how I felt), but in my opinion most people enroll as a means of living in Madrid. I did this program the year after graduating college as a break of sorts, but by the end of the year my long commute, high cost of living relative to salary, and feeling kind of useless and bored at work made me decide not to renew.

Choosing a program can be daunting because future teachers wonder what program they should go through or if they should go through any recruiter program. I went through CIEE because I wanted to feel more secure in getting my documents to South Korea.
My friend actually told me about CIEE abroad and I found it quickly after a search on the Internet.
I picked Korea because the Asian countries seemed to be the best paying and I had student loans to pay off. Korea seemed to be the least culturally different from what I read online/ watched on YouTube.
I'm in the EPIK program now. CIS was just my recruiter that I payed extra money for to help me apply. I also did my class through them. It took 3 months to do the class and 6 months to get accepted into the EPIK program.

Do they require teaching experience?
Only the class and and a bachelor's degree are required

Did they cover the class?
No, I had to pay for the class!! But they do reimburse you for your plane ticket after one month of working here plus they give you a nice entrance bonus
I'm still here and I might be staying for a while. It's not for everyone but I really like it.