CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

CIEE is amazing and worked hard to help me find the perfect job. I went through 4 interviews before I decided on a school and I am so happy that I did not settle. There are some scary reviews about hagwons online but I can now say with confidence that there are many good ones out there. Be patient and ask as many questions as possible before accepting any offers!
Once you move to Korea, the in-country supporters are fabulous and always willing to help! They get you in contact with people your age who have experience living in Korea which I loved. I feel supported and very happy with my life in Korea. I can't recommend this program enough!

CIEE is incredibly organized and supportive. The staff is quick to respond and works efficiently and effectively to assure your placement is the best fit for you. (Thank you Luke Beland, Sagan Pope, and Brad and Yumi!) They take care of the tedious paperwork and very assistive of any hiccups that may occur along the application and hiring process. The entire program is very organized and efficient. I really felt that I had an entire team working for me the whole way.

I really enjoyed meeting the rest of the CIEE staff and team members here in Korea (especially Brad!!!). They are a great support system and even made great friendships and connections through our orientation and meet ups.

Personally from my experience in South Korea, a TEFL is not necessary at most hagwons (private schools) nor do they even ask. However, if you plan on applying for EPIK (public schools), it is necessary. This is important to keep in mind when paying for the course. The TEFL certification opens up a lot of opportunities for me to expand my teaching career, however, if you plan on teaching in Korea for a year at a hagwon, I would not recommend taking the course. It is not necessary.

Overall, I had a great experience with CIEE.

CIEE really helped me with the application process. Of course, with EPIK you can apply directly to the program, however, it can be a bit overwhelming at first. CIEE helped throughout the whole process of applying and sending all of my materials necessary for applying. They really do all of the hard parts for you. Sagan was able to help me through the whole process of finding a job and predeparture logistics. Having the TEFL class in addition to the program made it a lot easier because all of your materials were through the same program and they were there for you throughout the whole process. Especially in application of public schools and if this is your first time teaching abroad, I would highly recommend CIEE as your recruiter. The in country orientation weekend was also amazing and you get to meet some other CIEE teachers as well as hear and swap stories from teaching abroad in Korea. Thank you to CIEE!

After a very positive experience teaching English in China with CIEE from 2015 to 2016, I decided to use CIEE again to help me secure a teaching position in Thailand from 2016 to 2017. I am so glad that I used CIEE to help me find my last teaching job in Thailand! My school, supervisor, and students were wonderful, and I loved having the opportunity to learn about Thai culture and to travel in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Before leaving for Thailand, CIEE was there to help every step of the way. The current Teach in Thailand Program Coordinator, Kerry Plath, is always prompt, thorough, and honest when responding to emails and answering questions. CIEE helped me a lot with the work visa process for Thailand, and their pre-departure courses about living in Thailand and Thai culture helped me feel prepared before leaving the United States. CIEE's partner organization in Thailand, OEG, is also extremely helpful when you're in the country. OEG and CIEE give all teachers on the program a week-long orientation in Thailand, which is a great opportunity for participants to network and meet other teachers who will be placed in the same school/province/town as well as in other parts of Thailand. The orientation also provides seminars on the Thai language, Thai culture and history, and teaching English in the Thai classroom to help prepare teachers for starting their teaching jobs in Thailand. Anytime I ever had a question or concern in Thailand, all I had to do was email CIEE or OEG, and I always knew that they would respond helpfully and promptly. I had an amazing time teaching English in Thailand, and I really think that CIEE and their partner OEG played a huge part in making my teach in Thailand experience smooth and successful. I would definitely recommend CIEE's Teach in Thailand program to anyone who is interested in teaching English in Thailand. Especially if this is your first time teaching abroad, you can be sure that CIEE will help you to complete all of the documentation needed to legally work in Thailand and place you in a reputable school that will guarantee you accommodation and a steady salary each month. You can also be sure that if you have any issues with your school or contract, CIEE will mediate and advocate on your behalf. Thank you so much again CIEE for all of your support! Once again, you made my teaching abroad experience stress-free, fun, and fulfilling. :)

I'm really enjoying my experience in Prague/Czech Republic so far. The staff at CIEE Prague has been extremely helpful in helping me adjust to the living here. I especially appreciate all the work Tereza has done in helping me find an apartment (upscale unit in the perfect neighborhood, great Czech flatmate, and cheap) as well as organizing all these cool events for the participants. The ballet and Charles Castle trips were awesome, and we're looking forward to the Thanksgiving dinner she's hosting, since not many people celebrate it here. She really deserves the credit for making the program what it is today. The rest of the CIEE staff have also been very helpful, from giving us a great orientation experience to being available whenever we have questions about how things are done in Prague.

How much you enjoy Teach Abroad in the Czech Republic is really up to you. You have a fair amount of autonomy, as working adults, to explore and engage with your new world as much or as little as you want. The CIEE staff is here to lend a helping hand when you need help, not to hold your hand 24/7 like you're still in college. That being said, if you're a responsible adult who wants to see central Europe, is willing to adapt to a new culture/lifestyle, and is not afraid to go out of your comfort zone, this program is for you!

Having no clue what to expect from living and teaching in Thailand, I have been so overwhelmingly happy with what the experience has been like so far! CIEE was great in helping place me at a school that I feel welcomed and at home in. I have been able to get to know some of my Thai community, have taken Thai boxing classes at the local college, celebrated Thai festivals with other foreigners in my town, motorbiked to the biggest Buddha in Thailand less than 50 km away, and have indulged in more delicious Thai foods than I knew existed. Teaching through CIEE, I was able to meet tons of other English teachers excited about traveling. I was able to explore the most beautiful beaches, temples, caves, waterfalls, mountain villages, animal sanctuaries (Thailand literally has everything) almost every weekend with people that share the same passion and desire for travel and cultural immersion. Teaching has been a fun and sometimes hectic learning curve -- I've learned to lesson plan, control a classroom of 50 wild Thai high schoolers, and get used to the different structure and pace of a Thai school, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've grown to love my students and have met some of the best people in my life while teaching and traveling in Thailand. I have 5 more months here, but already can't imagine leaving the Land of Smiles.

This course was extensive, challenging and surpassed my expectations. I appreciated how the material was presented to benefit all learning styles and how assignments were dynamic and lively. Each module also came with a slew of outside resources to take advantage of -- a major time saver for those of us who hate scouring the internet for resources! Excellent course for all learners. You won't be disappointed!

CIEE is a great program to teach abroad through! They provide a placement for you to teach, housing, pre-departure support, a training in Thailand to meet the other teachers and create a network of support/travel buddies and you get paid a salary to do it! The staff are very friendly and always available to answer your questions big or small. Their counterpart in Thailand is also a wonderful group of staff (OEG) who are willing to help you with anything and they have an incredible knowledge of Thailand, most are Thai or are ex-pats who have been living there for years. The one thing that was a bit shocking was how expensive CIEE was, but with everything that they provide you with, the cost is worth it. My experience with CIEE is one I still think about everyday, I have made great friends, excellent connections and feel like I have a deeper connection with Thailand than most tourists or even teachers do. They are the best company to go through if you have never taught abroad and/or you are looking for excellent support through every step of the process. If you have any doubt about moving abroad or changing your life, they are the ones to get you through it.

CIEE-TEFL was recommended to me by the teacher of ESL I was assisting as a volunteer. I was attracted to it because it is relatively inexpensive and it’s fast, just 10½ weeks. As it is online, I could do the work on my schedule and around other commitments. This doesn’t mean the course is easy, though. There are five weekly lessons, each of which requires careful attention (I made outlines as I went along). Each week also includes a graded assignment, a “Let’s Discuss” session, and a tutorial. This was my first online experience.
CIEE does a great job presenting the material and drawing the students together to create a true classroom atmosphere. Classes are small. The tutor (teacher) was experienced, helpful, encouraging, and supportive. Between the discussion sessions, the online tutorial conferences, and the peer reviews we did of each other’s work, I felt as if I knew my classmates personally. I know I will be keeping in touch with some of them.
The course is thorough. It covers language-teaching theory and history, English vocabulary and grammar, classroom mechanics, online research, and so much more. Most of my classmates had never taught before, but nothing could prepare them better for their first teaching jobs than the CIEE-TEFL course.

I really enjoyed the CIEE 150-hour Certification Course; the instruction was excellent and highly personal. There were ten tutorials over "video chat" (each 45-60 minutes) and for each major assignment, the tutor provided individual written and video-recorded feedback. At times, I felt that the software was overly advanced; several minutes of each tutorial were spent navigating technological difficulties and I had a few problems submitting assignments (however, for the latter part, the tutor was very responsive and understanding of these technological problems). The course is fairly expensive but I think it is highly useful for those pursuing jobs as EFL teachers.