CIEE Teach Abroad & TEFL Reviews

After completing three different programs with CIEE, I can confidently tell you that they are a great company to work abroad with. My accommodation, although not perfect, are above and beyond others I've seen from those coming from other programs. I feel sorry for my friends who came here independently or through the British council who do not have either the support or the western style toilets that CIEE guarantees.
I have yet to have any problems with my school, but some of my friends have told me some interesting ones and have enthusiastically shared with me the efficiency and effectiveness of the CIEE staff to remedy any problem.
Honestly, I live a pretty sweet life here, like most CIEE participants, I have a 20 hour work week which helps me delve into the culture and language I'm surrounded by along with the ability to do many weekend trips.
Why choose CIEE? Because it has the best service I have ever heard of, and they have your back.

I taught in South Korea in the fall of 2011 with CIEE. Before I even left the country, CIEE Teach Abroad messed up my visa process. They actually went ahead and started processing my visa with a school I had never signed a contract with. After a few long hours on the phone explaining that CIEE had messed up on what their main service is (visa/placement), and actually caused the placement process to be more difficult than if I had done it myself, I was given a partial refund. I should have viewed this situation as a warning sign about the lack of actual knowledge of this branch of CIEE (they handle most of the teaching in Asia programs).

When I arrived in Korea, things got much worse. Most things outlined in my CIEE Teach Abroad and in my school contract were not fulfilled. I was told my work week would be 30 hours a week at a certain pay. I actually worked 40+ hours a week for the same amount of pay. Not only that, but I was told that class sizes would be small. I taught 10 classes a day with virtually no breaks, some with over 30 students. I received no training. I was paid up to 5 days late, denied my medical insurance, and paid under the table for the first 2 months. The building wasn't big enough for the amount of students, and there was a sweatshop in the basement. This is not what I expected from CIEE's main advertisement of "placement at a reputable institution". I used this service to avoid this exact type of situation, as I felt it would be a safer way to go in a country I had never been to myself.

CIEE advertises adequate housing. My apartment was dirty the day I arrived, with moldy bedding in the washing machine. Much of the furniture was broken and I found spots of mold on the ceiling. I was sick most of the time I was there. Every time a friend stayed over, she got sick as well. I asked my employer to change apartments and they said they were "working on it"up until the day i left.

When I realized the gravity of this situation a month and a half into my time there, and the effects it was having on my physical and mental health, I contacted CIEE. I asked for advice for the best way to switch schools. I had no desire to leave South Korea, I simply felt that I was being taken advantage of by my specific school. I was told by a CIEE member that its very difficult to end a school contract before 6 months, as our visa is attached to our employer. I also heard about the mistreatment of other employees at my school when they tried to leave. I decided to do my own research, and I realized the only way to get safely out of this situation was to leave the country without telling anyone so that my school would not find out. I did this to avoid being detained by customs, and being denied pay.

Because of CIEE's previous lack of organization and communication with me, I did not advise them I was leaving the country, fearing that they might leak information to my school, and therefore put me in an even more hostile situation. When I did make it out of the country, I was sent threatening messages from my school. I was told I had better come back and apologize or i would be put in jail, and be forced to pay them. They actually contacted the local police, and when they realized I was gone, they contacted interpol to find me.

Most of the things promised in the contract were not what I received.

When I came back, I asked for a refund. They told me that it was my fault for not contacting them for help. They told me that they understood that I was "homesick".
I actually was trying to change schools, not leave South Korea to go home.

If you want to teach abroad in Korea, it is an amazing place to live! Simply go to Dave ESL Cafe online and look for your own job. You will save tons of money and probably end up at a better school.

Always ask to speak to a current foreign employee at the school you are going to work at. If I would have done so, I could have avoided an absolutely awful situation.

CIEE was a professional, thoughtful, and organized group. It was well developed and the orientation was extremely helpful. I felt very safe and informed the whole time. I received information regularly and did not feel unprepared. I enjoyed my experience and the organization. It was nice to go with a well respected organization.

I did a study abroad with CIEE and when I wanted to teach abroad I chose them as well. Organized, helpful, and provided great connections with other teachers. Overall great program and would highly recommend it!

I had a great experience with CIEE Teach in Thailand. From my initial questions pre-departure, to ongoing support throughout my time abroad, to the connections I've made with their staff in Thailand and fellow teachers, I was thoroughly impressed.

I was assigned to teach kindergarten at a private school near Bangkok. I had great housing, a great local community, and decent pay. I did find that most other teachers who found jobs on their own were making higher salaries; it is easier to negotiate and "shop around" when you don't find a job through an organization like CIEE.

However, since this was my first experience in Thailand, I was happy to trade a slightly-lower salary for the comfort of knowing I was working for a reputable school, one that treats its teachers well, pays on time, and holds to the contract, and that CIEE had my back if I had any difficulties (which I didn't).

The program provided a week-long orientation before I started teaching in Bangkok; this was a helpful way to adjust to the country and provided some good information. The greatest benefit, though, was in meeting a network of like-minded English teachers to travel with throughout my year in Thailand.

If you have experience teaching in Asia and know how to avoid the pitfalls of newbie teachers, you may want to find a job in Thailand on your own. If you want the security of going through a program, I can't recommend this one highly enough.

I have had an awesome time living in Priego de Cordoba. The people at my school are so nice and willing to help me in any way possible. I only work 12 hours a week so I have a lot of time to travel and enjoy the local culture here in Spain. The biggest negative of my placement is that it is very hard to get anywhere since the bus routes are very long from my town.

Heading to China was very unsettling at the start. I didn't know what to expect in terms of political, social and environmental climate. For these reasons, I decided to go through CIEE to have a safety net and a representative for support in case things fell through. My money was well spent. The five day orientation in Shanghai provided me with some great information on both the job and the culture. My questions were beginning to be answered. I was placed at Shandong University of Science and Technology in Huangdao, a development zone just outside of Qingdao. The university has 30,000 students and I teach six classes twice a week. The periods are two 50 minute sections with a ten minute break in between. Class sizes range from 30 students to 65. Some classes are equipped with a projector and a computer, some have just a blackboard. I pay for my own copies and am not required to have office hours. I make 3,700RMB a month which is equivalent to about $580USD. That is more than enough to live and travel around China on. I have just returned from a five week trip around China: Beijing, Harbin, Hong Kong, Kunming, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shanghai. I was able to pay for seven flights, several train and bus rides, hotels and hostels and all meals with the money I had saved teaching for the last four months. If you want to earn extra money and keep busy with all of the extra time you will have, seek out extra teaching opportunities on campus. I tutor three groups of middle and elementary students on Saturdays and Sundays. I also teach Business English courses in the evenings and TOEFL test prep courses throughout the week. Pay ranges from 50RMB and hour to 150RMB. You will have so much extra time, spend it wisely. I have been trying to learn Mandarin through several language exchanges with some of my students. They love to come to my apartment and hang out. This soon turns into a solid friendship and if your are dedicated, you will acquire Mandarin quicker than you think. Teaching and traveling in China for a year has been an awesome experience and getaway from the comforts of home. You learn so much about tolerance, culture and the values in your own life. Things to keep in mind, come to China with an open mind and a flexible attitude. There is often very little warning for schedule changes or requests. Try to maintain a relaxed attitude and go with the flow. Also, it is not your job to push your political opinions on your Chinese students. Learn how to express yourself honestly without undermining other governments and related issues. Be prepared for smelling like cigarettes after eating at a restaurant, not drinking cold water or having ice, seeing lots of litter around, looking ALL ways when crossing the road. To wrap it up, China is a fascinating nation with a lot to offer. The people are generous and genuinely interested in you. Make the extra effort to find local friends. If you teach at the University level, this is very easy to do. If you are considering doing this, then follow through and go. I am proud of you. It is difficult to leave all you know and love and try something new for a year or two. You will be rewarded!

I went through the 2-week immersion program, so my first few weeks in Spain were filled with orientation schedules, host family obligations and a general frenzy. Once finished with orientation, I had to sort out my rusty Spanish, my apartment, my roommates, my school, my transportation, and my routine – amidst on onslaught of cultural shocks and new sights. But with the foundation and the tools that CIEE provided me, I felt more prepared to face those challenges and knew that I had a support system to combat any issues I couldn't handle on my own. Over the course of the year, CIEE offered us private lesson opportunities, monthly newsletters, a frequently updated forum, and contests to keep us involved. Not only that, but my fellow CIEE participants were the people who became my closest friends in Spain. CIEE grouped us by region during orientation, so the friends that I made in the first couple of weeks were close by enough to visit and travel with.

On a day to day basis, I struggled with your typical abroad challenges, one of them being the language. The accent and colloquialisms in southern Spain are different than anywhere in the world, thus posing a major challenge to my application of the bit of Spanish that I came in with. I did learn Spanish (poco a poco) in the classroom, but I was supposed to speak only English to the kids, which definitely limited my speaking. I tended to stick to the same verbs and vocab when conversing, which meant that I didn't improve my skills as much as I hoped. If I had put more time and money into Spanish lessons, I might have seen more of a difference, but perhaps CIEE could have facilitated online Spanish classes or weekly lessons or webinar discussions about our setbacks with Spanish. They did a great job at the start of the year setting us up with Clic, host families, and Spanish-basics, but if they carried that throughout the year, my Spanish would have been better off.

I also could have benefited from a more organized CouchSurfer-like CIEE community. The Facebook forums were a good place to start, and often helpful with questions, but it would have been nice to have a more developed travel network of peers that were trustworthy and in the same boat. After all, we only worked 12 hours a week, so we had plenty of free time to travel. Each city/town could have a very specific CIEE travel guide (like the TripAdvisor .pdfs, but aimed at 20-something-year-olds) that highlighted the actual MUST-sees of places, 3-day itineraries, CIEE-beloved restaurants, favorite nightspots, best neighborhoods to visit, best tapas to try, what hostels to go to (if there are no CIEE hosts available), where to fly in/what transport to take, and budget finds. I would have loved that and definitely offered my own couch and tips for travelers visiting Cadiz!

All in all, by the end of the year, I was thriving. I had mastered enough Spanish to live and work in Spain. I appreciated and enjoyed every minute with my students, roommates, and any Spaniards I could befriend. I know the CIEE was a good choice for me, because I didn't have confidence going into the year, but with their help, I was able to make the most of my experience (so much so that I applied and was accepted for a second year of teaching in Spain!). I hope that anyone considering CIEE decides to go through them -- I wholeheartedly recommend them.

The only reason you should sign up with CIEE to teach in Spain is if you want to be absolutely guaranteed to be assigned a school in Andalucia. Otherwise, you should save your money and apply directly through the government.

CIEE offers an orientation program that occurs two weeks before the school year starts. This orientation program is a waste of time if you have ever lived abroad before. Really, I learned basically nothing, and some of the information was completely inaccurate. In the end, the only thing I really gained from orientation was the friends that I made who were in my program.

After orientation, I barely ever heard from CIEE. They sent out one email each month, which contained some information, but most of it was useless. The only real times they sent out useful information was when they were addressing a concern that had been raised by several participants and had already been answered on a group Facebook page.

All in all, if you have never lived abroad before and are absolutely set on living in Andalucia, I guess that CIEE fits the bill. Otherwise, it is option that is not at all worth the expense.

My experience with CIEE has been very positive. I was placed at a public school in a small town in Yongin, a city about an hour outside of Seoul. My apartment is comfortable and in good condition. The cost of living is relatively low and my neighborhood is safe. I teach 22 hours per week, the kids are awesome, and the other teachers have been supportive and kind. I've also made a lot of good friends. Overall, I'm very pleased with how my experience in South Korea has turned out so far.

On a few occasions, I've mentioned CIEE to the teachers involved in hiring me and, surprisingly, was met with confusion and blank stares. They were completely unaware that CIEE even existed. (Because I worked with CIEE's partner recruiter, TEIK (which I don't recommend,) TEIK received a payment from the school once I completed my first three months here.) As far as I know, CIEE has limited to no contact with the schools themselves. Although I am fortunate enough to have a very helpful co-teacher, there is something to say about having a support network of people who understand the experience of being a foreigner in Korea and who speak a language that I know well.

CIEE has provided me with the kind of advice, training, and support that has made interactions with my Korean co-workers and school administrators run a lot more smoothly. At first, a cross-cultural training session sounded a little corny to me--until I blew my nose too loudly and offended an entire room full of people. That was when I understood just how important that training would be in building relationships with people whose language I couldn't speak. Coming here with barely any knowledge of Korean language or culture (I know, I know, I'm awful) was stressful. It would have been so much more stressful had I not been able, say, to go over my contract with a CIEE coordinator during job cuts or to be reassured that I could go to a Korean-speaking doctor with the flu and not be treated for shingles instead.

In the end, I'm glad that I went with CIEE. Even though the program is expensive, it has been a good resource to have.