Teaching internship & TEFL Certification (Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, China, India)

It comes with a heavy heart writing this as the trip itself was amazing, going to Thailand has changed my life in more ways than I can imagine. HOWEVER….
I began work on my TESOL qualification with Gotoco in June 2023 and I have still not been qualified despite completing all the original tasks we were assigned. I also haven’t received my final £100 deposit back as a result. Gotoco’s actions during the last year, (6 month delay in responding, creating extra tasks, setting impossibly short random deadlines), gave me the impression that they are deliberately trying to make students simply drop the course, thus losing their £100 deposit. We currently have 25 students on-board with more contacting us every day as the word spreads. If you have had a similar experience, please find me on Instagram and let me know.
So why do Gotoco get so many 5 star reviews? This is how it worked with my Cohort;
Each student got an email directly after the trip (when emotions were still very high after making so many great memories). They were given a link to leave feedback on Gotoco’s website with the following comment;
“Once you have completed the form, you'll be able to move on to the process for returning the first £100 of the deposit”.
So feedback appears to be compulsory if you want your £100 back.
In a following email from a second Gotoco director, he said this:
“As part of the feedback process, we would be really grateful if you could post something on ideally 3 out of one of 8 options below [options named with links].
Once you have done, please let me know, and I will move you to our final steps (deposit and TEFL processing). If you don't want to that’s fine, but we really hope you can consider doing it.
Our accounts team usually need 30 days for any finance processing, but if you help us with this process then as a gesture of thanks we will expedite your refunds ASAP - usually within 2 days or so. Just email us back once you've done it and we can move to the next part of the process.”
Asking students to write 3 reviews in order to get their £100 deposit back in 2 days rather than waiting 30 days? Are you still surprised why there are so many good reviews?
Also, we have evidence that Gotoco have flagged bad reviews and tried to have them taken down (I have been talking to one student who has had her negative reviews flagged and taken down twice!).
So in summary, Gotoco are good at the overseas element of your experience, but there is something seriously wrong with the TESOL side, which we intend to investigate further for the benefit of the many students who have suffered and lost money as a result.

The whole experience was wonderful, I would definitely recommend it. Doing the excursion at the beginning provided the opportunity to meet lots of people so that throughout we could meet up again. This programme opened my eyes to the opportunities and possibility of moving and working abroad, as well as teaching.

This programme gave me leadership skills beyond that which I had before. Furthermore, huge flexibility, both when dealing with difficult people, and when switching from younger students to older, and to parents as well.

Overall I had an amazing time, spending 10 weeks immersed in a new lifestyle, culture and way of living. It was a perfect way to spend my second year University summer, whilst getting an in depth experience of what it would be like to teach. I learnt so much about the local people in my placement, about how to teach throughout the TEFL course and I gained valuable skills; such as increasing my confidence, independence, and mt eyes were really opened about how much else there is out there in the world.

What a great experience!
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do my TEFL fee-free course in Spain. I had an amazing time teaching and being around spanish teenagers. I learnt so much and just had an overall great time there. But most importantly I met some of the nicest people there, the other volunteers were lovely, we got along so well and I have made some life-time friends. I'm very greatfull for the experience and definitely recommend trying it. It is not easy but still fun. Thank you Gotoco!

The opportunity to live abroad and gain an amazing international qualification is something I would recommend to everyone! This is a very unique and rewarding experience for anyone looking to teach and travel.
Meeting people from all over the world was an eye opening and amazing experience as someone who has never travelled extensively before, let alone by myself. Additionally, being able to travel at the weekends to numerous parts of Germany and Austria was a real privilege and the beautiful cities and countryside are something I'll never forget!
I have gained invaluable teaching experience and seen what it is like to live in another country! It is nothing like anything I've done before and I can't wait to use my new qualification in the future.

I recently participated in a Gotoco TEFL project, and it was an amazing experience! The program provided a fantastic opportunity for personal growth and cultural exchange. Not only did I gain valuable teaching skills, but I also made lasting friendships with both the local participants and fellow volunteers. The team at Gotoco was incredibly supportive throughout the entire process, ensuring we felt well-prepared and comfortable.

I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for a meaningful travel experience combined with professional development. It's an opportunity you won’t want to miss!

I have just completed 6 weeks teaching English in an overnight camp in Frankfurt and it ended up being my best summer yet! Rather than simply observing a classroom, I gained highly beneficial teaching experience from this programme including planning my own lessons and teaching 3 hours a day 9-16 year olds before taking them out on different excursions each day! This was all while being able to travel and experience a whole new country for very little cost, making unforgettable memories with amazing friends you meet from the programme, and receiving lots of support from the very friendly team at Gotoco. If you are unsure about teaching, want to travel and experience new cultures, want to build up your self confidence and meet amazing people, then I highly recommend one of Gotoco’s programmes!

I had a very good experience with lots of support from the coordinator. You go with a cohort of 30/40 other 20 year olds. In the induction week you will get a chance to meet everyone and be given a lots of practising of teaching. You then randomly partnered up and spend 6 week sat the school. The placement is very random and varied. We had happened to have a very good accommodation and welcoming teachers. Largely speaking everyone had good hosts and living situations. You will spend lots of time at the school and become close with the students. Then the last few days we spent at the beach relaxing. There was some opportunity to travel as there where many long weekends but it depends where your geographically places. Overall very good project. Lots of personal growth and great way to experience the true culture of Thailand.