TravelGrad - Teach Abroad

I am currently teaching IELTS English in China, Zhejiang, Ningbo.
Having seen a posting by TravelGrad online, I decided to apply and had a phone call with Andrew within the next couple days.
The process of going to teach in China is long, but TravelGrad were there to help every step of the way. TravelGrad found and arranged interviews with schools, detailed how exactly to apply for a Chinese Visa, and gave lots of more general life about living in China.
Given how complex the process of getting a job and a visa in China is, I highly doubt that I would currently be having such a great time in China now, if it wasn't for the efforts and help of the TravelGrad team, who were available 7 days a week, every week, if I needed their help.

I'm so glad I chose TravelGrad for my first teaching abroad experience. Andrew was always available to answer any questions, even though I was in a completely different time zone in the US. I loved that I was able to meet a ton of other teachers at orientation before going to my placement, which helped me not feel alone. My experience teaching in Thailand has been such an adventure! Students are so friendly and excited to see you. Everywhere you walk on campus, you will hear "Hello teacher!" or "Good morning teacher!" and see smiling faces greeting you. They get so excited over small things like playing learning games, which makes it so fun to teach them. I have felt safe and welcomed in my city the entire time. Overall, it has been such a fulfilling experience, and I'm so glad I took the leap and signed up. Also, I can't complain about eating amazing Thai food every night!

In January, I was living and teaching in South Korea which was never part of my plans. I had an incredible time, but my original goal was to reach Shenzhen in China.

I've been living in Shenzhen for around 4 months now and what a life!! Hasn't been easy adjusting but it's worth it with an open attitude. The time you have for yourself here with working in a public school is unmatched, and almost unbelievable. Andrew is a mate, he's genuinely just on the other end of the phone and willingly helps in any way that he can with any concerns you might have.

Life in Shenzhen is so unique, I'm riding an electric scooter to commute to my job which only needs me 4 days a week for a few hours. It can be a proper challenge, managing 40-50 children in each given class but the balance comes with no office hours, banging free school lunches and a healthy payslip each month. I've made amazing memories and have a little family here now, and I'm not even halfway through this first year here. It makes me excited for the future, not anxious, not dread, not hopelessness (which is what the uk gives me lol).

I’m currently on the Thailand taster course. TravelGrad made it super easy dealing visa applications and getting you in touch with the local company. Andrew in particular seems like he never sleeps and is always ready to respond to any questions.

Technically you can do all the visa applications yourself but having the peace of mind knowing you’ve got all the documents you need and checked all the right boxes for when you touch down is well worth it. Also just having a first port of call for any issues when you’re out and while you’re getting ready to leave is invaluable for saving yourself time and stress.

My experience has been amazing and it’s all thanks to the support that TravelGrad has provided me with. The process of moving abroad can be extremely daunting but it was the most stress free experience for me. That was all because TravelGrad helped me through all the steps and guided me on how to do everything! I have only positive things to say about them and will always recommend them to anyone who wants to teach abroad! It is my second year working with TravelGrad and all the advice I was given was so personal and they really looked after all of us coming here.