3 month teaching in Changde

Gotoco is a great way to gain some insight into if you want to go into teaching, or (in my case) gain some volunteering experience, a free TEFL qualification and opportunity to travel abroad and meet new people. I met some great friends, everyone at my school was so lovely and welcoming, and I got the chance to see and learn so much about Chinese culture, and see so many stunning places I never would have got the chance to go to, like Zhangjiajie, Changsha, Furong, Fenghuang etc and I lived in Changde which was a small but lovely city with still plenty to do. Everyone at my school as well as the local co-ordinators were really great and helped resolve any issues I had while I was there, and also organised funded trips for us on weekends. I unfortunately got food poisoning on my third day in China and had to go to the hospital, but was supported throughout it all, and the local co-ordinators stayed with us at the hospital, helping us translate etc, which was amazing, and I could trust that in any emergency they would look after us.

The only cons I have were that I didn't feel like the training I received from Gotoco was sufficient. I received only 2 days of training before I was expected to go to my school to teach, so if you have no experience teaching be prepared to be thrown in the deep end. I would also caution anyone thinking of taking part that your school will be your main support which I don't think is super clear on the website. In my case, that was fine as my school was great, but I've heard from others that their school was really unsupportive and they had to leave their program, so unfortunately I think your Gotoco experience relies on the specific program and school you are at. Also if you take part I would say be prepared to be super flexible, as other people have said in their reviews Gotoco tend to give information quite last minute and their communication is not always great, which was quite frustrating at times. Despite this, I had a great time and these are just a few things I wish I knew before I took part/ would make my experience better.