Free Short-stay TEFL Placement (Colombia, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Europe)

The best summer of my life, surrounded by lovely and supportive people. It gave me the opportunity to learn and develop my language skills but also my teaching, academic and social ones. Every week had new and exciting opportunities and throughout the programme I have now made friends for life and connections that I can use wherever I go within Spain. I’m still in touch with many people and I intend to visit them this year. Furthermore my confidence is greatly improved after this summer and I’ve found my conversational skills are far better even in England than they were before.

Was a good merge of TESOL related activities as well as cultural experiences. I really enjoyed the trip to the hot springs at the end. Other activities where also planned around our teaching schedule which was fab, as we where able to take a break and enjoy the lovely Colombia. The place we stayed at was also very cool and the staff where very friendly. The teachers where also very friendly and enjoyed the integrated aspect of learning Spanish while we where there. Lessons where also offered which was very beneficial

One of the highlights is the classroom experience in Italy. It is an extremely rare and memorable experience. Even though it was quite intense and stressful, I gained valuable skills and memories. The relationship between me and the students from Poland and Italy is also something that I will never forget. Friendship is another highlight of the trip. During the programme, I met a lot of new people and friends. We created beautiful memories and planned to meet up somewhere in the UK. It is not common to have these kind of experience. Interaction between children and teenagers, practical teaching skills, meeting new people from different countries and backgrounds, and building relationships with teenagers and friends, these are all valuable factors that contribute to our personal development and also wonderful memories.

Taking part in this programme has benefitted me in multiple ways. It has improved my communication and leadership skills, but also overall confidence and sense of self. It has allowed me to visit amazing and culturally-rich places. It has given me the opportunity to connect with brilliant people and their personal experiences, and it has offered me a solid first experience in teaching.

The Gotoco staff is very professional and assist you consistently. All the people I have met along the way during my time in the programme have been lovely and a pleasure to get acquainted with. I will always treasure the experiences I have accumulated during the two months spent working for Gotoco and feel quite grateful for this opportunity.

From spending time in locations with warm and sunny weather and eating the good local foods, travelling and exploring the surrounding areas (e.g. natural parks in Spain) spending time on the programme has also benefitted my physical conditioning which is an extra advantage from having taken part.

I took part in two gotoco programmes. It was interesting to see areas you may not visit as a tourist and will push you out of your comfort zone! It was so good as it was funded and allowed me to gain work experience overseas. I loved travelling after the programme too. The accommodation was very nice! There were some minor issues and some lack of communication with the school- e.g. they did not provide vegetarian meals, they did not know that we had to record lessons as part of the programme. But overall, things were good:)

I completed the six-week teaching programme in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and had an amazing time! My placement was in a top international school in the city carrying out a summer school for the children. The teaching process was extremely enjoyable and rewarding to see the students grow and develop, even over a relatively short period of time. Outside of the teaching itself, I had some great experiences and opportunities to see the rest of the country, taking weekend trips to different cities. I have almost no complaints, beside the fact that I would have liked to have been given more details on my role in the programme sooner than I did. Overall, it was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to my family and friends!

The highlights of my trip were the people I met on the trip and the teaching which was both varied and challenging. The trips organised by the programme leader to Sa Pa and to Ha Long Bay were insightful and it was great to see different parts of Vietnam and get the feeling of real immersion into Vietnamese culture with the food and hosts. This programme has given me an insight into teaching and shown me a field in which I would not have known how to enter otherwise. It has taught me valuable skills in teaching children too.

GOTOCO Poland was a life-changing experience. I loved getting to see Warsaw and Krakow, two amazing cities that I had not previously considered visiting. But I am now sure I will be back in both. It is amazing how places can surprise us. I was also deeply grateful visit Auschwitz. The experience was a somber but necessary one, and a reminder of our collective need for justice and to remember our history. I benefited from learning from others about teaching, about my own capacity to teach, and the capacity for kindness between students and their teachers. Angloville is an excellent organization, and I was very fortunate to work with them. I would--and will--do so again in the future. I would recommend GOTOCO because it has facilitated two summers that have both been life-changing--life-changing in different ways, but both have brought me a great deal of joy, expansion of self-knowledge, and deep and enduring friendships.