CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

Applying to CIEE’s Teach in Thailand program was quite possibly the best decision I ever made. Before coming to Thailand, I’d never been overseas, so I was very nervous and didn’t know what to expect. The program coordinator, Kerry, was amazingly helpful, and she walked me through the entire process. Every time I called Kerry, she answered and talked to me for as long as it took to resolve whatever issue/meltdown I was having. When I ran into trouble with my visa, she made sure my school understood that I’d be coming and didn’t give my position away. The situation was a lot less stressful than it could have/should have been.

The real benefit of teaching in Thailand through CIEE is the support and how your host school deals with you. Schools that work with CIEE have to provide their teachers with accommodations and a contract completion bonus. They stressed making sure I became independent and comfortable travelling around town on my own. I didn’t travel to Thailand alone, and my preference was to be placed in the same location with my travel partner. CIEE actually placed me in the same exact school. It doesn’t get much better than that.

This wasn’t part of the contract, but my school taught me how to ride a motorbike and drive a manual transmission truck. The school also helped me buy my own motorbike and went out of their way to ensure that I had reliable transportation around town. This experience has reshaped my values, wants, and needs. I’ve met a ton of interesting people, and I’ve made some great friends along the way. I wouldn’t trade my time in Thailand for anything. If you’re looking to teach in the land of smiles, and you want to go through a program, you won’t do much better than the Teach in Thailand program from CIEE.

I first heard about the CIEE Teach Abroad program after I studied abroad with CIEE in 2014. After I graduated from college, I committed to teach in Thailand for one semester. I was nervous about moving halfway across the world, managing a large classroom and adjusting to the culture. Any fear I had about teaching and traveling abroad quickly disappeared given the constant support CIEE provides. I am happy to say I have made great friends in my community. I value my teaching experience and know I am learning as much from my students as they learn from me. When I am not at school, I explore provinces across Thailand, work on my Thai conversational skills and engage with other teachers along the way. I enjoy blogging about my experience as an official CIEE blogger and have found it to be a very therapeutic outlet. I am so happy with my experience that I have decided to stay and teach for a second semester! This experience is invaluable and the best decision I have ever made!

My name is Jose Colchado and I am a retired public school teacher, and university professor and administrator. I have over thirty years of education related experience and have taught at every grade level from kindergarten to post graduate.

Even through I am retired I have continued to be involved in teaching; as a substitute teacher, GED instructor, and conducting workshops.

I applied for the CIEE Teaching in Spain for two reasons; CIEE was the most responsive to my questions and provided guidance at all steps of the application process and I wanted a program in Spain where I could learn more about the country which had such a great influence on Mexico, my parents' home country. The application process can be difficult and will cost you money. For example, I had to go to California for the consulate "interview" which turned out to be just handing over my application papers. Once you get to Spain CIEE provides the support you need to finalize additional paperwork, assist with housing hunts and arranging for low cost daily transportation.

I asked to work with first and second graders and was assigned to the Colegio de San Blas in Ajalvir a suburb of Madrid ( a 30 minute train ride from Madrid ). I live in Torrejon de Ardoz a 15 minute bus ride from Ajalvir. I am glad I live and work in the suburbs. No long daily commute and still close enough to everything. I was surprised by two things at my school; the noise level and , what was to me, a lack of discipline, that takes away from instruction, and how little effort was made to make me feel welcome and part of the school ( it could have been me!). Because I am not the teacher "in charge" I get to teach without the responsibility for grading or other paperwork. The kids are great, just like first and second graders everywhere, eager to learn and willing to do whatever you ask them. I am able to incorporate movement and art in active learning to support the teaching by the teacher.

Teaching four days a week gives me plenty of time to travel, During four day weekends I have been to Valencia, Toledo, Cadiz, Austurias, Guadalajara, Seville and during holidays I went to Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Lisbon and I plan to go to Brussells and nearby cities and the Canary Islands. Bus, train and air travel is very inexpensive if you buy your tickets early. Housing during your travels can be cheap if all you need is a bed and a bath. In most cities, once you get to the city center, you can walk to most of the sites worth seeing. What an opportunity to travel throughout Europe!

Even though I have my own apartment, I live frugally and with my stipend I am able to meet my living expenses and have some money for travel ( I do supplement my travel with a small part of my retirement income).

There is so much to see and do. So much to learn. It all depends on what your priorities are and how you choose to spend your time and money!

I love CIEE. I have studied abroad and now taught abroad twice through their organization. One of the main reasons I chose to teach abroad through CIEE was that they provide a very easy way to apply and give a lot of help and support through the whole process. I have always found the staff to be very friendly and helpful and would highly recommend CIEE to anyone who is interested in studying or teaching abroad.

I can truly say I have learned alot, met wonderful people and grew professionally, all while immersing myself in a new culture. The CIEE team makes this transition into a new country and job smooth and you feel supported the whole way. One of my favorite memories of this experience was the last dinner of the orientation. In this dinner a group of people randomly sat at a table together for dinner and became a true group of friends. That moment set the tone for the rest of my time here. I am so happy I took the chance and came abroad because it changed my life.

It's definitely an expensive program - you should know that it's completely possible to work in Madrid directly through the Spanish Ministry of Education (the actual people who hire you) without paying a thing. It's called the Auxiliars de Conversacion program. BUT, I am very glad I chose to come through CIEE. It was worth the pay for me. They guarantee placement in Madrid rather than other regions of Spain. They helped immensely with pre-depature VISA paperwork, including fixing a mini-emergency while I was at the consulate missing a form.

Their application process is reliable, easy to understand, and in English, plus they actually reply when you email them, unlike the Spanish government. Upon arrival, they had everything sorted for airport transfers and a place to stay, as well as bringing former participants to share tips and tricks, guide us through our first days, and take us to cool local events. Most importantly they provided all they could to get us legally settled - residency card appointments and paperwork, transit cards, bank account, cell phone plan, etc. All has worked perfectly.

The truth about this program in Spain (with CIEE or the Ministry) is that your experience can vary WILDLY depending on your school placement. You may get lucky, like I did, with a centrally located school full of nice teachers and hardworking kids and an amazing principal who takes us out for drinks and lets us change our schedule if we need to. Or, you may get unlucky and get placed 2 hours by bus outside the city with irritable bosses who never let you change an inconvenient schedule and kids who don't listen, like a friend of mine in the same program. Nothing that can't be handled, and nothing big enough to demand a change, just consistently mildly unpleasant.

So if you can afford it, it's worth it, your life will be SO much less complicated. I never felt nervous or anxious coming abroad thanks to CIEE.

Before teaching abroad, I had done quite a lot of research on CIEE and heard great things from friends who have worked with them in the past either teaching or studying abroad. I was so excited for my time in the Czech Republic and have found CIEE to be a burden if anything else. The staff is very unorganized and have given little support throughout this whole process. We had to make our own housing arrangements so while it says that housing in apartments is provided that is not actually true except for a few girls in homeshares outside of the city. Any problems that I have encountered in my time here have either been ignored or dismissed by CIEE staff both here in the Czech Republic or in the U.S. At this point I do not even bother to seek their assistance. When I brought up this lack of communication to the staff in the U.S., I was basically and told that I was overreacting...

The current program consists of only 7 people yet they definitely are struggling to manage. I worry for future applicants as I know they want to expand this program. Unfortunately, I do not think that will be possible with the current number of staff.

The expense of this program, forgetting all of the additional expenses I have spent to be here, does not equal the "service" you receive from CIEE unfortunately. If you want to teach in the Czech Republic... which I highly encourage anyone to do... then I suggest using a different program. My time here has been amazing but with no thanks to CIEE.

Overall my time in China has been Fantastic! A lot of it has been due to CIEE. I'm teaching in a great school and I've made a lot of great friends. The most important part of living in China is expectations management. CIEE does a great job of preparing you to adjust to Chinese culture in living on your own.

The CIEE process starts with the application. It is simple and straightforward. After your application is accepted, CIEE will place you with a school that has been vetted and ready to accommodate a foreign teacher.

The VISA process will be long and stressful for most, but do not worry, CIEE will make sure that you get to China safely as fast as they can. While you're waiting for your work VISA, it is important to follow their pre-departure instructions. Some of it may seem tedious but everything CIEE does has a purpose.

Their pre-departure seminars and classes are extremely helpful if taken seriously. They also provide an in-China orientation where you get to learn about the teaching in China and living in the city you're placed in.

They also provide in country support and will help you if they can!

When working in a new country, one of the biggest fears some people have is feeling alone. I've met other foreign teachers who did not got through CIEE that had a hard time adjusting to life in China because they tried to do it on their own. CIEE makes a conscious effort to be there when you need and properly prepares you to live in China.

I am thankful I went through CIEE and recommend this program to anyone out there

I have been teaching in South Korea for about 3 months now and have enjoyed my time here so far. Every day is like waking up in paradise not because its perfect, but because of the vitality that I feel when I wake up. I am living in a country that is almost on the other side of the Earth compared to where I lived in United States. Experience the world before you get caught thinking about what you should have done or where you should have gone.

**UPDATE**

I am still currently teaching in Korea, but every day here seems like a new experience in Mokpo, from within the classroom to the city itself. Not saying that it has all been great or that it has all been bad, but instead that it has been a new adventure. Mopko has a great community and I feel that I have been able to grow with during my time here so far. I have gone on a Temple Stay visit, hiked a few mountains, and experienced the big cities like Busan and Seoul. Teaching abroad is an experience, it isn't just a job.

I will try to put into words how amazing it feels to be in Thailand, teaching English. I welcome Khlong Lan Wittaya's students with a smile and cup of coffee in hand every morning. In return, I see smiles and hear "goodmorning teacher!" The community has embraced me in a way that I never imagined. I feel like I have several families here who constantly invite me to dinners and on adventures. They ask me if I am homesick and I can honestly say "no" because I feel right at home, thanks to them. My life is so simple and I do everything I've always wanted to do in one day. I have time for what really matters and what I truly love to do. Thanks to CIEE, I feel fully supported and confident in their services. They helped me reach my current state of complete bliss, by holding my hand through the application and assimilation process. CIEE gave me the confidence to travel across the globe and pursue a dream I've always had.