Great teach abroad experience in Thailand through CIEE

I made the decision to teach abroad just a few months before getting on the plane, so overall it was a pretty fast process. I found CIEE online and completed an application in a couple weeks. They were very helpful during the pre-departure time. One of my recommenders wasn’t able to submit their letter of recommendation on time, so I had to replace them at the last second. CIEE was understanding, and let a new recommender submit instead. They also had a guide on how to prepare all the necessary documents for obtaining a visa, and getting the visa documents together did require a lot of legwork. The biggest headache for me was getting my state background check, so if I had to do it again I would just get a background check through the FBI. Also, I had trouble figuring out what vaccines were covered by my insurance, but that was a problem with the insurance company.

So after getting my visa and school placement, I was on the plane to a week-long CIEE program orientation in Bangkok. This was a very, very useful and fun time. The orientation was about meeting other teachers from the program, learning about Thailand, and, importantly, learning how to be a teacher. Especially since I did not have any background in teaching or prior experience as a classroom teacher. I think an orientation like this is really critical for people who have never worked or lived abroad before. There is so much anxiety about living in a different part of the world, with people you don’t know anything about, and also having to perform as a professional teacher. It would have been very difficult for me to adjust to a new life and also be a good teacher, at least at the start, without this orientation.

So now I have been successfully living and working in Thailand as an English teacher for a few months. CIEE has emailed me a few times to check in and see how I’m doing, and I’ve been in contact with them with questions about my current program as well as questions about future teach abroad opportunities.

Overall, I’m very happy with CIEE and their staff. Everyone has been very helpful, understanding, and professional. I would like to teach in another country after Thailand through CIEE, and I feel very confident about it. It’s great to have CIEE’s support, from the help with the paperwork that’s required, to in-country orientation, and continuing support for the length of the program.