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

I would recommend GoToCo to a friend as the overall experience is incredible! I have made so many new friends, both chinese and other GoToCo participants, communication when you're out in China with the organisers is great and they really care about your experience, they were able to help greatly with a camp transfer in order to explore more of China and also were able to help greatly with travel arrangements. With this programme you are able to gain so many new skills and being able to immerse yourself in Chinese culture was great.
I believe I have developed my communication and confidence skills greatly - before I started this programme I would never have thought I could stand up on stage and introduce myself to a large audience in Mandarin, teach english lessons and lead numerous activities!

I spent 1 month in China with gotoco in July/August 2019. I was on the Anhui Beautiful Way project and the leaders of this camp were so welcoming, always going out of their way to help us. We stayed in a hotel on this scheme, no expense spared by the leaders. I worked on an outdoor summer camp in Huangshan, Anhui. Amazing scenery and facilities for the children.

Prior to leaving for China, I knew very little about what I would be doing on the camp, communication was pretty limited from gotoco and from the camp leaders. We had 4 nights in Hefei at the start of my month of work which myself and the other two gotoco-ers were completely unaware of. In addition to this, I was told that I would be separated from the other two gotoco-ers for part of the scheme and would be on my own in Hefei whilst they were staying in Huangshan. This was not something I was aware of prior to the trip and perhaps would have discouraged me from going to China. Luckily, this did not happen, but it was a last minute change that once again was poorly communicated to me (only found out 1 hour before I was meant to take the train back to Hefei from Huangshan!)

I felt safe for 100% of my time in China. Gotoco were always there to help us, especially when we found out that the camp we were placed on would finish 1 week earlier than expected. Gotoco provided us with some emergency funds to help with flight-rearrangement costs and extra travel costs. This was much appreciated.

Yangshuo was a great end to the trip, a slightly run down hostel and a room on the 6th floor without an elevator was less than ideal, yet didn't ruin the trip. The excursions were not cheap by Chinese standards, yet they were definitely exciting and worth doing.

I would recommend gotoco to anyone, just be mindful that until April (at the earliest), you will have no idea what you are doing, where you are going, or who you will be with.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in china this summer!! Some of the most enjoyable moments being the activities arranged by our host school for our free time!! These were free of charge for us teachers, and ranged from tea picking, kayaking, KTV, and more! Whilst teaching, you gain valuable skills in terms of intercultural communication, as well as building special relationships with the visiting students from around china!
During my programme I met a variety of people from all over the UK, from different areas of study, to universities, providing me with the change to meet people I otherwise never would have been able to meet, through this experience I made some lifelong connections!
I could not be happier with my time in china, and encourage others to participate in a programme!

This was the greatest experience of my student life.
I got to teach English in China but also to discover the country and the culture. My camp placement was the perfect fit with my own interests. I was able to stay in two different places. The first one was Changsha and the second one was Beijing. I was able to visit a lot of tourist site in Beijing and experience the daily life of the capital. Meeting people from different backgrounds and countries was also great. I definitively gained a lot with this program. I learn a lot about teaching English as a foreign language, but also I feel way more confident.
Moreover, the extra week of holidays in Yangshuo is a must-do to meet other participants and exchange about everyone experiences. The area is known to be one of the most beautiful place in China, and it is!

I spent an amazing month in Hangzhou. Loved learning about the culture, the people and making new friends with my host family, coworkers and other GoToCo participants! The cultural excursions were absolutely incredible - it was amazing to go see the West Lake and Xianghu Lake in Hangzhou itself. I even got to go to Shanghai for a day which was great. As an experience, I’m so glad that it was so immersive - living with a host family was such a great way of learning how Chinese people live and appreciating their culture, customs and traditions. I even picked up a little bit of Chinese and the locals loved it when I tried to speak with them. Everyone was so friendly and I particularly enjoyed teaching - the atmosphere at the school was so fun and I looked forward to every day.

What an amazing summer!! I could not recommend this experience enough. I loved every second of this summer teaching in Yangshuo, especially aided by the fact that my leader was brilliant and made sure that alongside teaching we had the opportunity to do many fun and exciting activities, with the highlights being Tea Picking and a trip to XingPing. Teaching in China is often challenging but such a rewarding experience, and by the end I had really bonded with the children in my class. Living in such a small village in Yangshuo meant that I could fully immerse myself in Chinese culture, learning some Mandarin and living alongside the locals, becoming friends with several of them. The school itself was excellent; the food and accommodation provided were great and it was in a great location, only 15 minutes outside of Yangshuo centre. I feel that this opportunity is perfect for anyone who really wants to travel and become more independent, whilst gaining valuable teaching experience. I fully enjoyed my time in China and would recommend Gotoco to anyone.

I particularly enjoyed my time in China as the people leading my camp were really friendly and there was a good balance of indoor and outdoor activities. I loved meeting and forming good relationships with the children that I taught and with fellow volunteers. It is a trip that opens China to you and gives you the freedom to travel but also allows you to meet new people and improve your communication and leadership skills through teaching.

Make sure to take advantage of the free holiday in Yangshuo in southern China as it is a beautiful area with great nightlife. It is a great opportunity to relax after the weeks of teaching!

I am glad to say that I have made lots of new friendships along the way and had a great time exploring new parts of China. An amazing experience!

This experience has been added to one of my favorite travel experiences to date. I’ve always wanted to visit Asia as it is a culture I’m particularly interested in , so when I came across it immediately signed up. The application process was a bit long but understandable and completely worth it as I’ve met so many amazing people in a different environment.
I arrived with no expectations and was satisfied with the accommodation and help given. Hmm I also got to experience teaching life in Asia for future reference which was good for me to see . My highlights were being able to travel to others cities and realizing they all have their own unique vibe and history attached to it . It made me gain interest in my own African culture .Overall I would actually do this again .... and again .... oh and I would also recommend this to students anyone who isn’t afraid or is afraid either try it !