CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

Getting into the classroom as a teacher can be a scary thing, but the CIEE TEFL course helped build my confidence pre-departure and help me learn the fundamentals of teaching. Of course, there is no learning experience that can compare to actually being on the job- but the course helped me walk in confidently and feel ready to teach. I'd recommend this course to anyone who has limited experience formally teaching and feels the need to really learn about the basics.

My experience has been very positive. I started about a month ago teaching in Seocheon. My apartment is descent a little dirty when I moved in. I teach at two schools with amazing teachers. The other teachers have been helpful. Sagan with CIEE was amazing. Sagan was was who I worked with back in USA. She assisted me throughout the processed and answered any questions that I had. She has been very helpful and is still there to help me out when needed. I met many new friends at CIEE orientation. The orientation was fun and very well organized. So far I am very happy with my experience in South Korea and with CIEE.

My overall experience with CIEE has been phenomenal. The recruiters were able to place me in South Korea just as I was about to finish my course. They were understanding of my situation to complete my hours for tefl so they allowed me to finish them after I arrived in South Korea. Once I got to Korea, CIEE and their wonderful people have provided me with so much aid to help me get situated not only in Korea but with my school. If you're ever considering applying anywhere in Korea. I would recommend CIEE to anyone.

I could not give a higher recommendation to Alexandra (Sagan) Pope and to Luke Beland at CIEE. They did an outstanding job in helping me navigate the difficult process involved with the EPIK application. Their consistently good advice saved me along the way and guided me to a successful application. The CIEE TEFL Certificate was outstanding and provided me with the necessary background to begin teaching English in South Korea.

My experience with CIEE has been great! They've been helpful since before I left on my trip abroad and continued to help me throughout my time here. They took the time to answer my very specific questions before I left for this adventure which made me feel more comfortable before leaving home. After arriving to Thailand they had a well organized orientation for the first week in Thailand, the orientation was very helpful and had a lot of good information which was the perfect way to start my experience. I've been nothing but happy with CIEE and would recommend them to anyone who is planning on teaching in Thailand.

*UPDATE 11/14/2017*
Before coming to Thailand I had zero travel experience. CIEE made me pre-departure easy and stress free so my experience was already off to a great start. They have been available to me for questions and concerns the entire time I've been in Thailand. I loved working with CIEE so much that I have now applied for another program through them. I trust them and the people working there :) I'm currently still here in Thailand but this experience has 100% changed my life, it's allowed me to travel and do something I love, working with kids, at the same time.

All the support staff and tutors were very helpful. My overseas coordinators were very helpful in helping me land a job in China and answer any questions I had during the application process. My tutor for the TEFL training course was very nice. His grading policies were fair and he answered my questions in a timely fashion. The deadline for all assignments was reasonable. Make sure to stay up to date on the discussion boards and don't wait to the last minute on assignments.

I studied abroad through CIEE in Seville, Spain in 2013 and had such a great experience. After studying in Sevilla, I knew I wanted to live abroad again and I am so glad I did!

The week long orientation was such a great way to make friends and it really eased any nerves I had about living and working in a foreign country.

I definitely recommend this program if you want total support and guidance on obtaining your visa, making friends, finding a school, and finding housing.

I honestly have zero complaints about my experience with CIEE thus far - all positives!!!

The best part of the CIEE TEFL course is the support from CIEE itself, the tutor, and fellow classmates. Because it's all online, it can be hard to stay engaged, but the powerpoints and virtual tutors are actually very helpful and keep your attention. I recommend tuning in to the weekly video conferences because it's a great way to get feedback and the tutor I had was really capable and great at explaining concepts.
As someone who does not have a teaching background, this course was a perfect way to prepare to teach in a classroom. I am definitely more confident now and have so many resources, activities, lesson plans, and tips for what I'll face as a teacher.
While it is a bit expensive, it's clear that a lot of effort goes into making the course valuable and worthwhile. Great preparation!

I am very thankful for my Google search of "teach English abroad" and CIEE was the first program that came up. It is very highly recognized and their reputation make it one of the best programs to pursue your teaching abroad experience! The staff was more than helpful and was there every step of the way to guide you through the process. Kerry Plath was an excellent coordinator for the Teach in Thailand program and always went out of her way in order to assist you in ANY way! She even brought me a separate Lonely Planet - Thailand book with her in her suitcase to give to me when we all arrived in Bangkok because mine got lost in the mail prior to leaving home. CIEE provided many webinars and Q&A's for participants interested in the program so that there were no unanswered questions during the preparation stage. I am very appreciative of the fact that CIEE simplified the entire visa process, as well as found a school for you to work at. This makes the program fee well worth the price. And as a foreign language teacher, you will be making a higher salary than most Thai teachers so you will earn that amount back in no time! Although my experience in my current town in Thailand has been an amazing one, I would say my favorite part of this journey was the start of it. Every participant met in Bangkok for orientation to prepare for the once-in-a-lifetime experience ahead. I am very thankful for this week in Bangkok because that is also where I met my close friends who I now travel with on the weekends! CIEE does an amazing job at organizing this orientation and it truly helped shake out all the nervousness we had when we first arrived in Thailand. Overall, I am forever thankful I did that Google search that one day back at home. Now I know what program I will use if I ever want to teach abroad again!

Hello everybody,

My name is Steve and I am teaching in Chumphon Thailand. It is a nice town located close to the sea. I work at a private school out in the jungle. I also live on campus which is nice as I am only about 25 yards from my classroom. The school staff and my co workers are awesome. I love it here! The food is delicious and I am starting to meet more English people. They are happy to see another westerner in this beautiful country and have been showing me around town. I love the Thai people but it is also nice to speak to English people as well.

Steve