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

Having the privilege to work with Gotoco this summer has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. While at times challenging, the program pushed me outside of my comfort zone and has helped me to become so much more confident and assertive of myself. The opportunity to teach children was one of the most rewarding aspects, as over the course of the program you really become someone who they respect and admire. Also, being able to meet and spend time with other likeminded participants from all over the world was so much fun, particularly with the trip to Yangshou after teaching. Overall, this experience taught me a lot particularly about myself, therefore I would highly recommend this program to other students or graduates who are looking for something fun to do in the summer whilst also being able to obtain their TEFL.

Pros:
Practicing my Chinese and getting to know mainlander Chinese in their interests, thoughts, and beliefs. Having an independent experience internationally with lots of support through the school in terms of food, travel, and accomodations.
Solid support through WeChat, established school programs, and it being one of the few programs available to us that provides accomodation and food without upfront cost (beyond airfare). Teaching experience is an added bonus.

Cons:
Communication with Gotoco itself throughout the application process was fine, but responses were sometimes a little slow and inconsistent, especially when I had a couple problems that needed to be resolved. Overall still manageable; I liked the details.
This program was a solid choice for me personally as I was already familiar with Chinese culture (and thus didn't need cultural excursions) but was able to greatly enhance my Mandarin skills.
It was a super busy program and thus we had very little free time or breaks. As it was a summer camp, we had activities for twelve hours straight everyday with only a couple rest days in between. It was a very exhausting experience and there were several instances I did not think it was necessary for my presence to be at the activity

Teaching English in a China was an eye-opening experience. It was challenging yet rewarding. I would recommend! The highlight of teaching at a summer camp in Shenzhen was being submersed in Chinese culture from the start, whether this be good, language or traditions. Of course, watching the kids improve their English over the weeks with our help was incredibly rewarding! I really enjoyed going to Qingyuan and staying with a host family. We went rafting down a waterfall, had a bbq with family friends and went fishing near to the rice paddies. I have learnt how to communicate on a professional level to all ages and nationalities. I have learnt to organise my own travel. The camp has increased my self-awareness completely. We English were incredibly accommodating. Although thrown in at the deep end in terms of teaching, there was endless support. The programme was incredibly generous to us and really made it a cultural exchange.

You can rely on Gotoco: they are trustworthy and always want what's best for you. As for my program in itself, it was pretty intense but fulfilling at the same time... I did things I didn't even know I was able to do, so it was truly rewarding to see my improvements. Other highlights were made from meeting many amazing and different people, but also from stunning or strange places I discovered, as well as feelings of freedom and growth I could get. When you leave your country on your own to go somewhere new, you're out of your comfort zone, and that's how you experience new things, have incredible and surreal moments, and become more and more independent and confident. Whether you're on your own in a big Chinese city or in the middle of Chinese mountains, or the only foreigner in a crowded train station, you may have thoughts randomly coming to your mind saying 'I love China'. Joining Gotoco is an actual adventure that comes with breathtaking views and incredible people.

I never thought I would find myself teaching English at a primary school in China, but I can say without a doubt that this has been an eye-opening experience for me. Teaching and managing classes of over 30 students has definitely been a challenge, and has allowed me to hone some important life skills like communication, leadership and being able to adapt quickly to unusual situations. Seeing the children make some progress in English and building a relationship with them was also incredibly rewarding.
This programme was a great opportunity to experience Chinese culture firsthand, both inside and outside the classroom. The trip to Yangshuo at the end of the programme was definitely one of the highlights of my time in China. The town offered a large range of activities and I wish I had been able to stay there a few extra days.
Going to China with Gotoco was a good decision for me. Meals and accommodation were free during the programme, which allowed me to spend more on other things and to extend my trip and travel a lot once the programme had come to an end.

Gotoco is a challenging but highly rewarding programme and offers a unique and special way to experience Chinese culture through teaching English and interacting with the children as well as local teachers. Teaching English to a class of 37 young children has greatly improved my confidence and improvisation skills: it was not uncommon that something unexpected would happen during my lessons, and even if I would prepare lesson plans, it was important to remain calm and with an air of confidence when things didn't go as planned (powerpoint wouldn't load, music/film wasn't playing, etc...) There were often delays and things were unpredictable in China, we would also only learn/discover things at the very last minute and in hindsight all of this greatly improved my patience.

I loved my time in China! It was a great opportunity to travel and learn so much about the country and the culture. I feel so much more confident about travelling now as China was so interesting!
I loved working with the children and it was so much fun seeing them gain confidence in English. My camp meant that I was teaching English within the activities of the camp. This meant that the classes were varied however did not include time to properly teach. Although this was a challenge at the start, we all enjoyed the time we could socialize with the children.
I would recommend Gotoco to others because it was a fantastic way to experience a new culture, meet incredible people and genuinely challenge yourself. I have had one of the best summers!

By participating in the Gotoco programme, I have not only grown and developed and understood more about myself, but I have met the most amazing people who have taught me so much! Coming from someone who wants to be a teacher, having the opportunity to teach in another country let alone a country like China, who places so much emphasis and value on education, gave me invaluable experience going forward. You wake up knowing that there is a busy day ahead filled with challenges yet so much reward. I have been able to understand my flaws and strengths in terms of my style of teaching and how I can overcome and further improve those when it comes to actually be a teacher in the future! Furthermore, spending time in China has helped me to understand the Chinese culture with an entirely new perspective. I also enjoyed visiting the local markets, temples and the national museum!