CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

It was an opportunity that I’m grateful to have had, that I’ll never forget. I made lifelong friends and loved learning about the Thai culture. CIEE is a great company that has your back the entire duration of your trip :) I felt immediately welcomed in safe in my apartment and at the school I was teaching. Although there were a few bumps, they were always quickly resolved and overall it was a great experience!

This program is a bit pricey, BUT if you are willing to pay there is some peace of mind that you will be placed and that there are a team of people dedicated to getting you a job in korea. I didn't have a certificate and I was a fresh grad and they still assured me they would find me a placement and they did! They even do an orientation so you connect with other foreigners right away and are good qt pointing you in the right direction if you need it.

My experience with CIEE TEFL certification was truly exceptional! I wanted to find a reputable, thorough, and rewarding TEFL course and CIEE went above and beyond any expectations. I completed the 150-hour course and learned so much about the world of teaching English - everything from practical teaching methodology, cultural aspects of teaching/learning, historical and current policies and perspectives around TEFL and much more. The practicum requirement makes this certificate stand out as well. The course was challenging and insightful and the CIEE staff will assist you the entire way through.

I recommend CIEE to anyone hoping to teach English in their home country or abroad!

I thought this course was well laid out. The questions made me think, but were not too difficult that I couldn't find the answer. The teacher was available for questions almost any time. I never had to wait long to hear from her. She was very professional at all times. I felt that the time allowed to finish the modules was sufficient. I work with high school exchange students and this program really gave me an insight into what they have had to go through to be able to come to the United States. I'm so glad I took this course.

Honestly, I chose CIEE because I was half nervous/half lazy to try and figure out the paperwork process on my own. After having been in Spain for almost a year now, I know that I could've completed the paperwork on my own. However, having CIEE's help, training, and hotel accommodation at the beginning of my stay here in Madrid took a lot of stress off of me. I would 100% say it's worth it to go through CIEE if they didn't charge so much, but I'm not sure the help was the worth the amount I gave them to help me. Still, I'm grateful for the help and the extra classes they held for participants throughout the year.

In the CIEE Volunteer Teach in Spain program you are placed with a family, which has its pros and cons. It was definitely challenging living in a small apartment with four other people, but my family was so great! By living with them, I was able to practice Spanish each day, throughout the day, and experience things I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced (my host dad took me mountain biking!)!
One part of this program worth mentioning is that most of the schools don’t solicite for a host family until their school year begins in September. So probably won’t find out where you’ll be staying until right before you leave, or in my case after you’ve already left the States. (I left two weeks early to explore other parts of Europe.) So, with that said it’s important to just be flexible and know that everything will fall into place. The unknown can be scary, but CIEE has got your back.
Once I had a super frustrating morning at school. But, both the Spanish CIEE people and my English coordinator were super supportive and listened to my frustrations. It was nice to know that if I ever had any problem, there was someone to go to.

This trip was my first time in Europe, and I’m so happy I went through CIEE. I even went on a trip to Morocco with people I met in the program! With the program I felt way more supported and connected than I would’ve on my own. It I could turn back time I’d do it all over again.

Madrid was amazing. I taught 4th, 5th and 6th grade at a bilingual school in the suburbs and the students and teachers I worked with were great. Everyone spoke English pretty well and most of my teaching was in a small group setting. The pay was definitely liveable for the city and every month I was able to budget in some traveling too. I think the hardest part of going abroad was the language barrier. Even though I have a minor in Spanish it was difficult to communicate effectively at times but I tried to look at it as a learning opportunity. I was almost fluent by the end of the school year! I would highly recommend this program for anyone who likes teaching and wants to live abroad and travel!

The program is great in terms of answering questions about visas and paperwork. They’re very knowledgeable about housing and safety and things to do in Madrid. However, past that, I didn’t gain much and don’t think it’s worth the money. Orientation wasn’t super useful and the hotel is overpriced, although it is cool that you get to meet so many other teachers. I’d recommend applying through the ministry instead!

I felt this experience was well-structured, but fell short in certain aspects. For students that are looking for a very in-depth look as ESL teaching and have time in their schedule for a 20-hour/week studies, this would be a good route. That being said, I felt like the job-guidance was lacking, the time commitment was disproportionate to the title, and though the professor was great, the online platform was very boring.

Coming to teach in Spain through CIEE was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I had always wanted to live abroad but the logistics of applying to programs and all of the legal paperwork were extremely overwhelming. I felt very supported by CIEE, who constantly kept me in the loop on deadlines and important information via email. They got me through the visa-application process, and equipped me with incredibly useful information about how to find housing, a phone provider, etc. It was amazing to always have a reliable place to ask all my questions.