CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

I have never taken a course so applicable to my everyday live as a teacher. The material was engaging and interesting even on the web! Before even going to teach English specifically it helped me recognize trends in native speakers in my own classroom. You leave this course with a portfolio of lessons and helpful feedback on each one. Now teaching English to non-native speakers I refer to my material daily and utilize all of the skills we learned. I have had teachers who did not take the TEFL course ask for the notes I use, and got from these presentations. I have gotten so many good ideas from my colleagues by doing peer reviews in this class. And I have received many helpful tips on my ideas as well. This course doesn't just give you information and send you out into English teaching, it provides you a chance to practice it as well. Also if you are somewhere where you don't know the native language you have helpful tips for learning a second language of your own!

I have never been a good online student, I thrive on connections made by talking to people in person, I find it difficult to get those online. I get distracted by silly things on the internet and tech problems are beyond frustrating to me. I had grim hopes going into this online Tefl course, and I was totally wrong.

TEFL give you a community, something I never felt in other online courses. Being in a foreign place teaching a foreign language can feel isolating. Some days are incredibly hard this course gives you a community of people all over the world that are doing the same thing as you, you are not alone! And while different countries will have differences being able to get advice and help from your tutor and colleagues is so helpful.

My experience teaching and living in Spain was truly wonderful. I was lucky to be placed with such a sweet family. They treated me like I was part of their family. I ate so much delicious food, and they took me on a couple of day trips. I was thrilled to have met their cousins and extended family. The atmosphere at my school in Cuellar was welcoming, friendly, and fun. Some days I would play games with my students and other days I would give a presentation about my culture or something I thought might interest them. I particularly enjoyed working with my students when they had questions and insightful comments about what I was explaining to them. I also had the opportunity to go with my students on a few field trips around Cuellar, as well as to Segovia and La Granja. I'm also glad I had the chance to travel to some other parts of Spain such as Barcelona, Sevilla, Toledo, Madrid, and many smaller towns.

A year ago I was just about to leave for Spain with CIEE, and little did I know it would change my life. They eased me into everything, which I thought was going to be a joke because I had already studied abroad in Salamanca three years prior. Thankfully they were there to thoroughly explain and guide me through things, and thank goodness I went to those orientations. I ended up make a friend base as well from CIEE. I ended up meeting someone that I'm head over heels for and I'm currently living with them (empadronado which CIEE explained as well). I'm continuing a second year at the same elementary school, and I'm going to be an orientation leader this year for CIEE. They are always trying to improve year by year and I'm so excited that they are letting me become a part of their team!

I took this course as preparation for teaching English in Spain, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to teach English as a Foreign Language. Not only is the certification incredibly valuable in finding a job, but the class will help you develop as an instructor, as well. The course covers a diversity of topics, ranging from grammar lessons to lesson planning to adapting to culture difference to classroom management. This wide range makes the class apt for both anxious beginning teachers and also veterans looking to hone their skills. The instructor and support staff are all incredibly kind, responsive, and timely, and they always resolved issues as quickly as possible. The most valuable part of this course are the Module Graded Assignments, which give you the opportunity to put together lessons, practice teaching, and get feedback.

In short, I fully recommend both OEG and CIEE. CIEE staff were knowledgable and excellent answering my questions prior to departure; I even missed a few deadlines and they were able to help guide me through the process none-the-less. In particular, Kerry Plath is great.

The orientation itself is fantastic. I found the classes informative in regards to teaching and general practical tips about living in Thailand. It was also a lot of fun: there were some neat excursions, like the river cruise and sight-seeing at the temple, and the food and accommodations were top-notch. Most importantly, it's a great opportunity to meet other teachers, and there was plenty of time to go-out and socialize.

I'm having a great time at my placement without any issues, so I haven't been in a ton of contact with OEG since I started teaching. However, there have been some useful facebook groups and emails for organizing stuff and looking up fun events that I have found helpful: I feel as though OEG would be there to assist me if any issues were to arise.

CIEE is an incredible program, and I highly recommend it to anyone considering teaching in Thailand (or anywhere else in the world for that matter). They were so supportive and helpful during the whole daunting process of moving abroad, with everything from applying for a visa, preparing and packing, and even a week-long orientation upon arrival. They provided loads of information and webinars about every step, and answered all questions and emails right away. I chose to teach for a semester, starting in October 2016, and almost immediately extended my stay to a year (and counting) once I arrived because I loved it so much. My only complaint was that CIEE was a little expensive, but I can honestly say it's been totally worth it. Partially because of how simple they made the complicated and confusing process of finding a job and applying for a visa, but mostly because of the in-country orientation. My first week in Thailand was spent in Bangkok with the other 170+ participants, where we spent our days learning about Thai culture and language, classroom expectations, work visa requirements, and even some intro-TEFL classes. The information provided helped prepare me for my first-ever teaching experience as well as eased the culture shock, and spending that time making friends with the other participants who were going through the same thing was amazing. Teaching in Thailand has its challenges, and my experience would have been totally different (and much more difficult) without the support I received from CIEE and the friends I met at orientation. I've also met teachers here who've come to Thailand through other programs - or even on their own - and CIEE is hands down the most organized and supportive way to go and I can't speak highly enough about the incredible experience I've had through them.

This is my second time leaving the U.S.A., and it is the first time living in another country for an extended amount of time. For me, coming to Thailand was not something I had planned; honestly, it was quite the opposite. I stumbled upon the opportunity in mid February, applied by March 1, agreed to coming to Thailand in mid March, and left for Thailand during the first of May. I describe that period time as "excitedly nervous". The idea of living in a new culture with new opportunities, new places to see, new customs, new food, etc. all sounded so exciting! However, there was also the apprehension of what if I don't like it, what if I am not good at teaching English, what if I don't make friends, etc. Looking back on that time period, I can genuinely say making the decision to come to Thailand has been on of the best decisions I have ever made. Every day, I learn more about this new culture and what makes it so special. My school's location, while more remote, is filled with students and teachers that are happy that I am there and excited to interact with me, even if sometimes most of the conversation is through body movements. I live with a Thai family that makes it a priority of making me included in the community as well as showing me places that are authentic Thai. When I have questions or need help, I can count on my coordinator and OEG/CIEE to assist in any situation. I'd encourage anyone that is thinking about living abroad to check out this program and what it has to offer!

I really enjoyed being a part of this course and I have to say that it changed my whole perspective on my own learning style and how I viewed teaching in general.

The course is very comprehensive and looks at different aspects of teaching: language understanding, basic grammar, cultural awareness, classroom organization, lesson planning, etc. It was really nice that it combined theory with practical application and gave useful tips and tricks for the classroom. I especially appreciated the live tutorials, it was great to speak to the other students and our tutor in real time - it made me feel like I was a part of a real class to a point where it was sad to say goodbye to everyone at the end of the 11 weeks :)

I liked that I could go through each module at your own pace but you still have deadlines that keep you in check. I work full time and I was able to keep up with the material and assignments each week but when I did the additional readings and research I did end up staying up late at night some of the days, I was so fascinated with everything I was learning. Each module provides a very extensive library of links to articles, videos, blogs and other useful resources which I found very helpful – there is so much about EFL on the web that it’s hard to say which ones are the legit websites.

I did the course without a clear plan in mind and I did not use CIEE’s job placement services, I gave this category a 10 on my rating because they do offer a lifetime job assistance (not placement but guidance) which is amazing and it makes me feel like I am now a part of an exclusive club :) I always thought teaching English as a foreign language was a job I might want to do someday so this certificate course was a perfect fit. I am really happy I did it and I feel confident that now I have the skills and the mindset to be a successful EFL teacher.

The CIEE TEFL program has been especially beneficial to me because this is also the company that has arranged my travel to teach abroad in China in the upcoming year. The course itself is not especially difficult, but it does take a lot of time and energy. The most useful aspects of the course are the weekly assignments and weekly tutorials. Right now I have spent hours rearranging a lesson plan for our final assignment, but I feel like I'm really doing the thinking that will prepare me for real life situations. The power point presentations throughout the modules could use some work simply because they become very repetitive, but I would rather get some of that repetitive information than not get the information at all. My tutor is very willing to answer my questions, and typically responds within 24 hours which is nice. Overall, I would recommend this certification course.

You will never feel more welcomed and loved than you are as an English teacher in the primary schools of Thailand. The children will literally run up to you and want to hug you. Even though you are not their teacher and have never met them. There are three buildings at Bannakanluang School. I teach in back building called MEP or Mini English Program. The children will call to me from out of the windows in the building in front of MEP. " Teachaaaa Teachaaaa we love you and then they will blow me kisses and give me the I love you sign with their hands." Students here from Kindigarden to 6th grade are all so excited just to say hello and wave to you. They especially love group hugs. The younger students will call to you "Teachaaa.........hello" , when you say hello back to them they giggle and laugh with each other. It is do cute.......teachaaa and hello are probably the only two English words they know.

The Thai teachers and staff are no less than delightful and will do what ever it takes to help you with your needs. One of the things I really like about the Thai culture is that the Thai people know how to dress up everyday for school. Saving the blue jeans and tee shirts for leisure.
The whole community eating thing here is a bit much for me to take since I am very germ conscious. I love having company to eat with but I am not willing to eat out of the same bowl that others have dipped their spoons into. But the Thai people eat after each other and they never think anything of it. Truly a real since of FAMILY is felt among all.
I have been here for just over a month and I can tell you two things FOR SURE! 1. I want to live the remaining years of my life here. 2. In the beginning it is PARADOX !! It is so FABULOUS and at the same time there are several adjustments to make. The feeling of being frustrated and not being able to speak Thai makes it difficult.
On that note, I recommend learning to speak Thai as soon as possible before arriving. Everything came so fast and it took all of my time to work, purge and prepare for my arrival here I didn't get the time to do that. NO WORRIES!! It will not take me long to learn as I have brought books and CD's. AND EVERY Thai person here is willing to teach you. It makes for a lot of laughter for both parties involved.