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

My experience was amazing! Personally I really enjoyed staying with host families and learning the Italian lifestyle and culture. I’m so glad I did this opportunity, I made some great memories and met the best people, this experience has definitely helped me make friends for life and provided me with skills that will last a lifetime. I improved my communication skills and learnt valuable traits that will help my teaching career in the future. Overall I would 100% recommend this experience to anyone willing to go and explore the world and kickstart their independence with adventure.

Awesome 6 weeks spent with Gotoco in Bali, amazing experience and opportunity to travel there. Would highly recommend to any students of young adults willing or wanting to travel but also have the opportunity to meet and relate with young children from a new culture. This is a great way to break down boundaries with different people to learn about their culture and way of life. For me personally it was totally life changing and I will view travel and other cultures in a far more understanding and empathetic manner.

Amazing experience, I absolutely do not regret deciding to take the opportunity at the last minute. It was very fulfilling.
Firstly, professionally, by teaching the whole month and by complying with the whole procedure before coming. I learned how to handle a class of thirty students, developing strategies for them not to get bored and remain attentive. Whilst, still helping each one individually depending on their knowledge.
Secondly, personally, by coming five weeks in a country on the other side of the world, getting to know the local population, and many of my peers doing the same program.

Volunteering with Gotoco was one of my favourite summer experiences, because whilst we were on an intense course to teach English, there was equally time given to us on the weekends to explore Bali. Amongst the teaching experience, Gotoco were well organised in providing answers for general queries e.g., accommodation, flights, start end dates etc. As well as the in country staff (shoutout to Lisha and Jared) who helped organise optional events on the weekend, from cultural experiences to hikes; the native staff who also made my experience as welcoming. I also found all the participants on the course so friendly and have made some great friends through this experience. Though I sometimes felt there were not enough staff to help out with the TESOL teaching course, as there were many participants in the program, we managed to get through it in the end as we had one another. Overall I would really recommend this program to anyone that wants to experience a new culture whilst learning to teach.

The highlight for me was that by the end of the trip I gained so much more self confidence; it's very rewarding to be able to say you successfully taught children a language that is not their 1st.

It was a great opportunity to do something different in the summer, get away for a chunk of time, meet new people, experience a different culture, and do something to help others whilst you are at it.

The ECC were a great programme to work for, the days were long but super fun as the camps just felt like you were just playing with the kids, making the job a lot more enjoyable!

My experience of the program was overwhelmingly positive. My most enjoyable moments were often during the actual teaching process, such as seeing my class notably improved in their ESL ability over the course of the program. I also made some lifelong friends during the program, and many of the trip's best moments were often informal moments during periods of relaxation between teaching and cultural immersion activities. My personal highlight were two particular planned excursions. The first of these was a sunrise trip up Mount Batur, the other was a trip to a turtle sanctuary on Bali's coast. Both of these provided a nice break from teaching activities and were an excellent form of cultural immersion. The school's teaching assistant was extremely helpful, and combined with the TESOL teaching, I never felt out of my depth despite some initial nerves. Overall, the program has vastly improved my teaching ability well beyond just ESL teaching. I now feel far more confident teaching English as a foreign language and am motivated to teach abroad as a future career.

This was the best decision I have ever made. It was the first time I'd ever travelled solo before and GOTOCO made me feel so supported and provided the most amazing opportunity. The accommodation was fantastic, the cultural activities arranged by the company were so special and it allowed me to build a genuine connection with the location I applied to (Bali). Not only is it a brilliant opportunity to see another part of the world, but the actual teaching side is unmatched the children are so enthusiastic to learn English and it's so fulfilling. Opportunities like this don't come easy to someone from my background, but GOTOCO made it possible for me to have the best summer of my life and I'll be eternally grateful. I believe everyone should have this experience at least once in their life. I couldn't recommend GOTOCO enough and I can't wait to participate again.

I had a fantastic time, GOTOCO as an organisation is very down to earth, it's a few people who are passionate about what they do and helping others to be able to have the same life experiences they've been lucky enough to have. You end up having a lot of personal contact with someone from GOTOCO during the cultural tour (we had Matty!) and you realize how much they want to help you with any problems and want you as individuals to have a good time. They're a good balance between helping you when you need it but also encouraging you to sort some things out yourself, learning how to navigate booking accommodation and transport etc is after all invaluable.

The highlights are hard to list as there were so many! Meeting all the people and getting to really know them over the month was amazing and many of them will remain lifelong friends. The cultural tour was an amazing way to relax and see the country with everyone at the end and gave us a great starting point to then go on and continue travelling. The hotel we stayed at for our project was also lovely and there was loads to do and explore in free time!

Benefits of the programme: I felt more confidence exploring countries surrounding Poland that I normally wouldn't give a second look. I met a group of great people from both across this country and others and I tried a totally new experience in a teaching/ mentor setting that I never would've thought to do otherwise.