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

I went with Gotoco to Chinchina, Colombia, and had an amazing experience learning how to teach, learning more about local customs, living with new friends and enjoying amazing Colombia. I gained so much confidence not only in my teaching but in myself too and have made lifelong friends. Gotoco made sure that we were all always looked after, provided support if needed and helped us ease into Colombian life as smoothly as possible. Gotoco is run by some amazing people and I really recommend going abroad with them - you won’t regret it!

I had a fantastic time on the short 6 week program in Thailand. I thought it was such a good way to visit the place. Teaching in a rural school really me immerse myself in the culture and live like a true local. I made some great friends on the trip and it was a fantastic experience teaching young children. The orientation week and post-programme trips organised by Gotoco were amazing and a great way to get some sightseeing done. My boyfriend and I did this programme together and Gotoco were very helpful in ensuring that we were placed at the same school together!

When I heard about Gotoco and saw the website I thought it might be a scam, but despite the lack of clarity in some areas on the website it is a good company. Your experience probably depends a lot upon the partner school or organisation, as it connects you to another org, but gotoco provides the qualification, flights and experience for free* (Instead of paying for nothing you get your money returned, so it is dependent on completing the course and qualification). This isn't particularly hard to do but it takes a while. I haven't received my money for the flights back yet and I returned from 3 months in rural Colombia in December, and have had the qualification finished for a month now without being marked. Despite this, I had the best time, had amazing opportunities to travel, and met some really lovely people. I didn't find it too intensive, but I know others on a different programme that had it harder in the city and were less connected to the other participants. If you want to do teaching I would highly recommend but make sure it's something you want to do before going out, and keep a good record of everything to have continuity in the school's curriculum (depending on where you are this can be a management issue). I had done some TEFL training previously and thought it helped because the training given beforehand for my programme was limited. I would do it all again if I could go back, as the community there was so prevalent and I experienced things I never had before.

Gotoco is an amazing company that offers people from any background an opportunity to teach and travel. They organised accommodation , transport and food and have us activities that were cultural and fun to bond and get to know the area. My summer with Gotoco was the best summer and i experienced so many new things and travelling at 19 alone was difficult but Gotoco made me feel very safe and i grew my confidence. We also had a week off to travel where was wanted and most people made the most of there time and did everything bali and the surrounding islands had to offer

Please tell us about some of your most enjoyable moments of the trip?
I enjoyed that I learned so much from the students as much as they learnt from me. I enjoyed learning how to live in a new city very different from london.

What was the best thing about your experience?-Trip to the Amazon
-Teaching at my wonderful school
-Learning Spanish
-Discovering a new culture
-GOTOCO trips to the fruit market and Villa de Leyva
- Our GOTOCO coordinators were incredible.

Would you recommend participating to a friend and if so why?

Yes:GOTOCO is an amazing program and what I love as well is how as a corporation you make space for people who aren't super well-of financially and you provide as much support as you can.

How would you say the overall experience has benefitted you?The program has helped me get (hopefully soon after marking) a TEFL qualification, taught me indirectly how to deal with my social anxieties and allowed me to do something fulfilling and worthwhile whilst travelling!

It was a truly great experience and gives young people the chance to travel and work abroad. It is well organised, and they fund the flights and provide a stipend for food making it very accessible. It was a life changing experience and I would recommend it to anyone who likes travelling. You also get a TESOL qualification at the end of it, and meet lots of amazing people there. There is a great introduction week where you get taught how to teach, meet other teachers and get used to living in another country which I really enjoyed. Overall, would highly recommend.

I had a great experience! One of the highlights of my experience was the people. I really enjoyed meeting all the other volunteers and living with them, and also going on excursions and trips on weekends and when we had free time off from teaching. This program has definitely benefitted me by increasing my confidence and ability to adapt and improvise in uncertain and new environments. I also learnt more about the world and new cultures. I had a really great time with Minga House. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the house was amazing and so was the school. I really enjoyed this specific programme.

It was an amazing chance to experience a different culture. Fully funded and immersive, great activities and supportive when needed. Would 100% recommend to anyone.

The accommodation and food was fully funded throughout the entire programme, we had support from the staff on Whatsapp if we needed it. It's a great opportunity if you want to see 'authentic' Thailand, not through the touristic lens. Would recommend for university students, solo travellers and people on they gap year. It's also affordable if you are on a budget and not planning on travelling after!