Two Month China Placement - Highly Recommend!

Overall, I would highly recommend Gotoco for any young person on a budget who wants to travel, doesn’t want to get off the career ladder, and wants to feel like part of the local community and less like a tourist! By doing my placement in Dali, China, I got to see a part of the world that I hadn’t expected, and also get experience in a new career path. I think it was such good experience to show future employers that I’m resilient, bold, and independent! I built my leadership skills by teaching classes, communication skills with the school team, and lots of organisation skills through planning pre-departure and in country logistics. I’m so glad to have teaching experience now, as I got to use my degree in a practical way and can really consider teaching English in my future. The TEFL course provided is also structured really well and was a pleasure to learn. I also really enjoyed the outdoor activities with the school I was placed with, as the adventurous spirit of the school really made it exciting to teach there. The highlights for me outside school were travelling on the weekends, trying new foods, and making lifelong friends with my fellow Gotoco volunteers. Experiencing China was amazing as it's somewhere I feel like people don't travel to as often as Thailand or Vietnam, but the people are really friendly, prices very affordable, and the landscape is stunning. One memorable moment of my trip was taking an evening to myself when the others were busy to explore Dali solo after work, and this really pushed my confidence forwards. I got moments of a solo travel experience, but am so glad I was placed with others to give each other that support and connection while trying something new. It was also very reassuring to know I could contact the programme leaders at any time if any issues, questions or emergencies arose. Gotoco were a great company to work with, thank you for the adventure of a lifetime!