CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

I really enjoyed the TEFL certification course through CIEE. I thought there was a good balance between practical skills and theoretical learning. Also, the content was delivered in variety of ways, which supported all students and our various learning styles. It certainly was a time commitment, however well worth the time and money. I feel prepared and confident to teach abroad thanks to CIEE and their online TEFL certification course!

I really enjoy the CIEE TEFL 150-hour program. It is a 10 week (11 including the intro) well structured program, having roughly 5 course modules to learn and be assessed on each week as well as a weekly Graded assignment for each of the modules. These modules have accompanying discussions in order to provide your opinion and receive feedback from your peers and a weekly online meeting with your class and the tutor. This program requires lot of work which end up being an additional 10-15 hours per week, if you are able to properly use your time wisely and plan ahead you should be able to complete the program easily with a good grade. I highly recommend taking this TEFL class if you plan to teach abroad whether it is required or not. It covers teaching styles, teaching history, and much more that will aid in your teaching experience.

It is a big adjustment moving to a big city like Madrid. I had never had the experience before even though I am quite well traveled and had visited the city before, I still didn't really know what to expect. CIEE offered a lot of support before the program started and after arrival to the city. I am very grateful that even after orientation was completed we continued receiving emails from CIEE that included information about different events and things to see in Madrid. I have learned so much in my time here and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in having a really different and unique experience, even if teaching isn't the long-term goal. I have always wanted to be in education and so this year teaching English has definitely given me a lot of really practical professional experience but I've also learned so much on a personal level as well. I have gotten used to being a lot more independent, navagating a new city on my own, and to making new friends in a really different context. One of the best things I've done with my time here is to take dance classes, where I met a lot of locals and have tapped into my passion of dance in a whole new place.

I would absolutely recommend taking the chance to teach abroad in a foreign country. It's such a different way to travel and experience the day to day life and culture of a country. I would not recommend paying the money to have a provider coordinate your position in Madrid. You will want to save your money for the other necessities that come with moving to a new place, especially a country capital. They add up fast! If you take the time to look for them, there are plenty of free options for information and help via Facebook pages, traveler blogs, and organizations for example City Life Madrid. The company CIEE provided a comfortable orientation weekend, a host family for the first month, and a basic level Spanish class. As well, throughout the year they provided resources and an occasional social event. However, there are other resources provided by the company that are also provided in other places for free upon arrival. Regardless of what you feel financially comfortable putting your money towards, it would not be a waste to make the investment of traveling to teach abroad. I will be returning to teach for a second year, possibly a third, and I think that speaks miles for how much I have genuinely enjoyed from this experience.

Overall, I am glad that I decided to contract with CIEE to find a teaching job in Korea.

My situation: I was in my senior year of college, extremely unsure of what to do after graduation. All I knew is that I had never gotten to travel, and that I really wanted to.

Solution: Teach abroad!

In my situation, I really needed a TEFL certification, and a helping hand in finding a job that would hire someone so inexperienced. In this regard, CIEE definitely provided everything it promised.

Throughout the process, everyone involved with the organization was really communicative and helpful. The instructions for applying were clear, and they handled everything in a really timely and professional manner. They made the intimidating process of searching for a job overseas much less intimidating.

If you're a newbie in need of certification and/or help finding a job overseas, CIEE will provide exactly that, assuming that you're willing to pay. It is of course possible to get a job in Korea without paying for a service like CIEE, but if you're willing to eat the extra cost, CIEE does what they say they will.

Packing up and leaving my air-conditioned home, with heated water, a queen bed with multiple fluffy pillows, the easily accessible grocery store around the corner, 24/7 food delivery service, and my loving family and friends to living in Rayong, Thailand where I have a shared bathroom, a shower with freezing cold water, one 7 eleven, and a variety of spiders, insects, and geckos to keep me company was a difficult transition that also included teaching english to high schoolers for the first time. There were times I felt it was too much, particularly when I first arrived in Bangkok and was informed that my luggage was being held at the airport due to complications resulting in the airport holding all of my belongings for two weeks or when all of the money in my wallet was stollen while I was running on the school track. It's funny though because if I could rewind and undue all of the difficult things that happened to me I wouldn't change a thing, none of it, because I have come so far and I have learned so much from all of my mistakes. This experience has made me less afraid. Less afraid to ask questions, to try, to fail and to learn. The relationships I've built here have been so genuine and humbling. My tutoring sessions with my students quickly became hang out sessions where we would not only learn but go out to dinner, water parks, or make sandwiches and watch a movie. I became not only a teacher but a friend. I even attended a thai wedding for one of my co-workers and wore a traditional thai dress. As my year abroad is coming to an end I can't help but plan for my next trip hopefully teaching english at another school in another part of the world where I can use the skills I have gained here in Thailand and continue to better myself and make a difference in someone else's life.

This is my first year truly living abroad. CIEE has made a truly wonderful experience with teaching seminars and email blasts offered every so often to update us, keep us informed, and offer programs to help us improve our experience here in Madrid as well as our teaching skills! CIEE made the daunting VISA process simple with step-by-step instructions and instructors and group leaders available with any questions along the way. The accommodations during the orientation program were phenomenal--offering breakfast daily, a safe place to stay, and helpful group activities during orientation. My group leader, Sandra Kinkaid, was super fun and insightful. Her awesome walking tours and friendly advice were invaluable during what could´ve been a very stressful first week here. I loved my year here so much, I´m renewing for a second! I highly recommend this program for first-timers
living abroad.

I have loved teaching in Thailand so far! I have been here for a semester, and the experience has been great. CIEE was very helpful with orientation and I have been fully supported. I definitely would recommend! I think the best part about CIEE is that they have put us in good locations with people. I applied with my friend from home, and they placed us together. They have been very amenable with all my requests, and if anything bad were to ever happen, I feel confident that I would be supported

After being born and raised in Los Angeles, going to university there, and spending my first year as a graduate working in LA, I found myself yearning for a dramatic change of pace. I then learned about CIEE and eventually made the decision to leave everything to move to teach English in Spain. I had little to no experience as a teacher nor as a world traveler, but CIEE really provided us with the resources and community to begin thriving from the moment we arrived. And along with everything CIEE provided, Madrid is just an incredible place to live, work, learn Spanish, make tons of international friends, and much more.

This was hands down the best experience of my life! I met people that became my life long friends! I got to emerge myself in the thai culture and it was amazing! I not only learned so much about their culture I also learned a lot about myself. This experience is something that I will remember forever! I would highly recommend teaching abroad. Seeing the how happy the students are to see you and get to know you is pretty amazing.