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

Going to Colombia with Gotoco was a fantastic experience. I volunteered with the YMCA in Bogota to teach English and help with other opportunities like camps and translating. Gotoco was super helpful with everything and made the process very simple! And the program with the YMCA was great too. I loved having time to travel and got to know so much of Colombia in my free time. I practiced my Spanish and stayed with a host family, which helped me to get to know the country even better. It was the best experience of my life, and funded!! I highly recommend!

I went with Gotoco to Thailand in July 2022 for one month, specifically Kamphaeng Phet. It was a wonderful trip and I had the best time there! Not only do you stay in the school the whole time, you get plenty of time to explore much more of Thailand before you head off and at once you finish. The highlights for me are the rest of the people who came with me on this trip as well as the lovely teachers at our school. Everything is funded for and you get the chance to try lots of good food and meet many great people, from Thailand and from other U.K. universities too. Felt like an opportunity of a lifetime, highly recommended :))

Its a great opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone and discover a new country and culture. Its also free so accessible for people who dont have as much money to spend on trips like this otherwise. And teaching is an amazing experience which really allows you to get involved in local life. All the gotoco staff are great and supporting if you have any concerns and all the other students on the programme were lovely. The opportunity to have a week in Bangkok at the start and Koh Phangan at the end made the experience.

One of the most enjoyable moments of the trip for me was when we all visited a famous fort together in D'Aosta Valley. It was a really fun day and we all had a great time. The highlight of my experience was working closely with new people on camps and teaching so many wonderful children. Then getting to spend a few days on the cultural tour with some of the people I had worked with was brilliant because it gave us a chance to unwind and have some fun together.

I would recommend Gotoco to a friend because it was such a personally enriching experience and also let me meet some lifelong friends and so many great people that I otherwise never would have. I believe that the programme has further improved my confidence and ability in speaking to and working with new people. It also made me feel more comfortable being away from people that I know for a long period of time, hopefully readying me for a future away from friends and family.

Every part of the programme was brilliant, from the training to the teaching to staying with Italian families.

I spent one month in Italy this summer with EDUCO Italy through Gotoco. It was an unforgettable experience where I met new people from all over the world. My most enjoyable moments were living with host families, who took me in as one of their own, and introduced me to Italian language and culture. The teaching experience was also great, everything is planned for and it gives you a great opportunity to focus on your leadership and communication skills. We also got to move each week depending on our camps therefore we were able to explore many places in Italy, not just one!

I 100% recommend this experience for anyone thinking about it !

This summer, I attended EDUCO Italy through Gotoco. Overall it was an amazing experience. I was able to explore multiple locations within Italy, whilst teaching children English in schools, staying in host families and meeting other like-minded tutors. Not only has this experience given me the opportunity to travel, make new friends and gain teaching experience, I have a new level of confidence.
If you would like to spend your summer exploring a new country, whilst making friends and gaining valuable teaching experience, I would 100% recommend Gotoco!

I applied for Gotoco in my first year of university, which was disrupted by COVID years, but when everything was back up and running, I can't fault Gotoco for the ease in finding a placement, and the support with the TESOL qualification and booking flights. Sometimes there were some miscommunications, which is understandable in a small team, but my overall experience was overwhelmingly positive, I really enjoyed the camp atmosphere of my programme and felt that this type of teaching allowed me to connect more to the other participants and teachers who were working there, as well as to strive to produce more engaging and fun lesson formats. From a starting point of no teaching experience beyond a 1-1 tutoring, I felt confident teaching various abilities and ages, which I think shows a massive benefit. The experience allowed me to understand how to navigate different learning styles, different classroom spaces and ways to expand what education means. I also think the cultural immersion and insertion to a fully formed community is challenging but so rewarding when you feel part of it. Learning how different people think and how to successfully and productively navigate these conversations is also a super important skill that I will now take with me. It's hard not to recommend Gotoco, the ease, and accessibility of it in terms of funding makes the experience so worth it, and you'll have the best time on placement.

I've absolutely loved my time with Gotoco overall. The teaching experience in Bali has been incredible, and really means something to me personally as I was unsure about my future after graduation before experiencing how happy the teaching here makes me. I've decided to stay an extra month with Gotoco in Bali to teach children with special needs. I now want to pursue teaching English abroad as a career full-time. It has helped me in so many ways to feel useful and have a meaningful job. I think just travelling wouldn't have brought nearly the same sense of fulfilment or excitement for the future. I don't really feel trapped into the same paths I thought I would have to take after graduation before I experienced this.

Climbing mount Batur has to be one of the biggest highlights for me. It was amazing to take on such a big challenge with the other gotocers in Bali, we were all nervous but had a lot of fun and supported each other. I like how most people who take part in Gotoco have a willingness to push their limits and try new things in common.

The Bali program has been incredible start to finish. I love living in the villa with the other gotoco-ers, I love exploring Bali and the friendships I've made here will likely last a long time. My placement in Thailand was more isolated, and less suited to my nature as I'm independent, extroverted and I like to explore.