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

I couldn't recommend Gotoco enough; going to China through this program allowed me to expand my horizons both culturally and gastronomically. BOB was the school I volunteered at and the day trips organized by them were fantastic, I enjoyed teaching very much and the Bilingual Festivals were a great way to show parents what students have learned over the last few weeks. Learning Mandarin as part of the process was also very valuable and interesting.Going to Little Guilin and Nan'ao Island were great, and looking around the markets and being able to haggle was also a good experience. The 5 night trip to Yangshuo started badly (we missed our train) but it was worth the cost as it is possibly the most stunning place in China I have been to! I loved the lessons too of course, and got on with (most of!) the children very very well.

Meeting the vast array of people and partaking in peculiar and progressing programs was such a delight. I hope I can do this once more! Usually, I'm not one to put myself into a program so far out of my comfort zone but this was the program to do it with. So often you have programs that just use their volunteers and don't care for them. However, that's not GoToCo, they are so dependable and responsible when it comes to working with their employees and volunteers.

I had a wonderful experience with Gotoco, I met some amazing people and had an amazing time exploring the culture. The teaching was challenging but fun, and it was a very rewarding experience!
There is a lot to do, and the trip to Yangshou was incredible I had a fantastic time, the city was beautiful something I definitely recommend to everyone. I think that the experience teaching is invaluable and you’re constantly learning about yourself through the teaching. The children are fun, and when working with young children it was really good as it enabled me to carry out activities which are relaxed and fun for children.
I didn’t have to carry out too much paper work in the trip, and there was no set teaching methods or lesson plans which allowed flexibility and creativity on what was taught:

I would definitely recommend Gotoco as they were always really quick and helpful at responding to questions before travelling and even during. Getting to know the kids was one of my favourite parts of my experience, especially as my camp was very small as were the classes. On my last day, one of my classes surprised me by each student individually writing me a card and it was really sweet and memorable.
The kids were always really sweet and fun to play games with in and out of lessons. I enjoyed trying new chinese foods and also we went grape picking as a school trip which was really fun. I think this experience has made me more confident, not only with teaching and children but also with my ability to travel by myself and communicate with people despite having no common language. It has made me want to do similar things in the future and travel more. I loved meeting lots of amazing new people and thoroughly enjoyed Yangshuo. I think the scenery was stunning and it was really fun to go and meet other programme participants. I also loved excursions we made at the weekend while teaching such as exploring Hangzhou and I enjoyed my post-programme travelling lots, especially as I finally got to see the Great Wall!

The overall experience with Gotoco was incredible and one that I can not recommend enough. It was extremely beneficial to me in that I was able to improve my oral Mandarin and discover, in close proximity, the daily habits of people that were seemingly so different to me. The experience of living with a host family was extremely rewarding as it exposed me to the colloquial realities of many Chinese in the most organic way. Gotoco is a great opportunity for anyone interested in discovering the intricacies of Chinese culture while working and attaining a useful TEFL certificate.

Recruitment was transparent about the cost flying to China and pre-departure information prior to my travel. Gotoco provides TEFL-teaching projects across China. I was able to engage and enrich the lives of my student. We had a transactional relationship, where we both learned cultural differences between each other. I experienced a lot of personal growth, as well as experienced a lot of the historical, cultural, and contemporary things that China had to offer. I believe other university students could benefit from this as well. For anyone interested in education, this was a great opportunity to compare the the western and Asian systems between each other.

I would recommend that people participate in a program because of the challenges, new experiences, and rich cultural exchanges that await them. It was an amazing experience to share with my new friends from China, UK, and around the US the different ways that we live around the world - it made our lessons memorable for both the students and the teachers.
Though I was intimidated by visiting China before, but now, I can't wait until my next trip.

Doing this programme was a great way to spend my summer. I met some great people in the form of students, fellow teachers and fellow volunteers. It was a rewarding experience to teach kids and young people of a variety of ages and get to know them very well.
This programme was also a great way to see parts of China. From bustling cities to picturesque rural areas, I saw places I will never forget.