Greenheart

Program Reviews

Default avatar
Alessandra
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Good support during COVID

I definitely could not have made this trip happen without Greenheart. I had never been to Asia, nonetheless, had also never been to Asia during the height of COVID. Arrival planning was chaotic at times, but I definitely felt Greenheart staff did their best to keep us updated given the circumstances. Communication was easy and I was able to stay in touch with staff regularly until arrival. I was really unaware of the involvement of Xplore Asia though when I applied to Greenheart--they will pass you off to Xplore Asia prior to departure from your home country. The fees were definitely high, but for the level of coordination required (visas, work permits, teaching placement) to make this happen, it was definitely worth it. The program itself was great-- loved my kids and the time off to travel, but the location wasn't the best and the weather is not to be underestimated (prepare to sweat constantly everyday). Overall, won't do it again, but it was the best thing for me at the time and no regrets!

Pros
  • the kids will change your life
  • lots to explore in Thailand
  • able to live comfortably on the salary
Cons
  • hot...all the time...enough said
  • had to design lessons entirely by ourselves
  • location makes travel slightly inconvenient
Default avatar
Michael
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Must for Peace of Mind!

The phrase “Oh, I just do it for the piece of mind” is the first thing I thought of when writing this review. Knowing that I had a team of experienced experts that would walk me through each step of the way through the pre-arrival process proved to be invaluable. I could not imagine having to weather this process alone or with the help of just one or two people.
Greenheart Travel and their team of partners made this entire experience far less stressful than it could have been. Finding a job abroad, then finding and sending all the required paperwork is no simple feat. However, with their help and very detailed guides, it proved to be something I could easily manage.

Still, it didn’t end once I arrived in Korea. The in country TESOL course proved to be invaluable for countless reasons. The one-week introduction course was a great welcome to the country and helped ease many of my nerves and anxieties about moving to a new country. Not only this, but the course allowed me to practice lesson planning as well as actual teaching, all under the supervisor of an experienced TESOL instructor. During the four-week course, there was always someone I could turn to if I needed a question answered about anything at all. The best part, however, were the friends and experiences I had. It was wonderful being with so many likeminded individuals and getting to know them. To this day, I still keep in touch with most of them and make efforts to see them as much as possible.

Lastly, even after my course came to an end, I had several, professional, contacts I could reach out to in case I needed help or advice. Greenheart Travel’s program essentially sets you up with a “friend you can always turn to”; best of all, they are obligated to reply, and they always do.

If you are looking to move abroad to teach, this program is absolutely worth the investment and will ease any worries you may have about your potential new home and any struggles you may have.

Pros
  • Help with each and every step in the process
  • Meet like minded people
  • Lots of practice during course
Cons
  • Course work load can be heavy at times
Default avatar
Michael
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Expert Service and Peace of Mind!

The phrase “Oh, I just do it for the piece of mind” is the first thing I thought of when writing this review. Knowing that I had a team of experienced experts that would walk me through each step of the way through the pre-arrival process proved to be invaluable. I could not imagine having to weather this process alone or with the help of just one or two people.
Greenheart Travel and their team of partners made this entire experience far less stressful than it could have been. Finding a job abroad, then finding and sending all the required paperwork is no simple feat. However, with their help and very detailed guides, it proved to be something I could easily manage.
Still, it didn’t end once I arrived in Korea. The in country TESOL course proved to be invaluable for countless reasons. The one-week introduction course was a great welcome to the country and helped ease many of my nerves and anxieties about moving to a new country. Not only this, but the course allowed me to practice lesson planning as well as actual teaching, all under the supervisor of an experienced TESOL instructor. During the four-week course, there was always someone I could turn to if I needed a question answered about anything at all. The best part, however, were the friends and experiences I had. It was wonderful being with so many likeminded individuals and getting to know them. To this day, I still keep in touch with most of them and make efforts to see them as much as possible.
Lastly, even after my course came to an end, I had several, professional, contacts I could reach out to in case I needed help or advice. Greenheart Travel’s program essentially sets you up with a “friend you can always turn to”; best of all, they are obligated to reply, and they always do.
If you are looking to move abroad to teach, this program is absolutely worth the investment and will ease any worries you may have about your potential new home and any struggles you may have.

Pros
  • Timely advice and help
  • Immersive course and introduction week
  • Connect with like-minded individuals
Cons
  • Course load can be heavy at times
Default avatar
Michael
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Must for Expert Service and Piece of Mind!

The phrase “Oh, I just do it for the piece of mind” is the first thing I thought of when writing this review. Knowing that I had a team of experienced experts that would walk me through each step of the way through the pre-arrival process proved to be invaluable. I could not imagine having to weather this process alone or with the help of just one or two people.
Greenheart Travel and their team of partners made this entire experience far less stressful than it could have been. Finding a job abroad, then finding and sending all the required paperwork is no simple feat. However, with their help and very detailed guides, it proved to be something I could easily manage.

Still, it didn’t end once I arrived in Korea. The in country TESOL course proved to be invaluable for countless reasons. The one-week introduction course was a great welcome to the country and helped ease many of my nerves and anxieties about moving to a new country. Not only this, but the course allowed me to practice lesson planning as well as actual teaching, all under the supervisor of an experienced TESOL instructor. During the four-week course, there was always someone I could turn to if I needed a question answered about anything at all. The best part, however, were the friends and experiences I had. It was wonderful being with so many likeminded individuals and getting to know them. To this day, I still keep in touch with most of them and make efforts to see them as much as possible.

Lastly, even after my course came to an end, I had several, professional, contacts I could reach out to in case I needed help or advice. Greenheart Travel’s program essentially sets you up with a “friend you can always turn to”; best of all, they are obligated to reply, and they always do.

If you are looking to move abroad to teach, this program is absolutely worth the investment and will ease any worries you may have about your potential new home and any struggles you may have.

Pros
  • Help every step of the way and answer questions
  • Thorough 4 week course that will provide confidence
  • Meet like minded people to share your journey with
Cons
  • Course work load can be heavy at times
Default avatar
Heather
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great support

I was really hesitant to move to Thailand but have now been here for 3 months and am loving it. Greenheart obviously have a lot of experience in placing teachers and were always available to answer my questions. The staff are friendly and understand that it's a daunting experience for new teachers and they were really accommodating when I wanted to postpone my programme due to Covid last year. Their pre-departure support was key in helping me sort my visa and all the other documents I needed to come here.

Pros
  • Pre-departure support
  • Network of people who have been there and done it
  • Continued in-country assistance
Default avatar
Carolina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Wonderful Start to a Wonderful Experience

Greenheart travel partners with a team in Asia to take care of certifying teachers, applying for jobs, getting you completely ready to live and teach in SK. I was very lucky; I didn't have any issues with the training or finding a placement.
Overall, I am happy that I choose GHT. There were some restrictions in place in SK due to covid regulations, but even so I didn't feel abandoned when I arrived. I would recommend them to anyone who was interested in traveling abroad.
Coming to Korea has been such an exciting adventure. If you want to have unforgettable experiences, you should apply to come here.

Pros
  • Great food
  • A+ Nightlife
  • 1st world comforts
Cons
  • Long workdays
  • Not a lot of time off
Default avatar
Max
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

High School Abroad in Argentina

I was extremely fortunate to receive the First Time Traveler scholarship from Greenheart travel. This scholarship enabled me to pursue a year studying abroad in Argentina. Greenheart in association with their partner in Argentina, EduQuality, made the experience unforgettable. In all honesty, I had no clue what to expect before beginning the program. A year away from my family in a foreign country was simply unfathomable. However, It has proven to be more valuable and enjoyable than I could ever begin to express. I encourage prospective travelers to take the leap, whether it be a trimester, a semester, or a whole year. A whole world of new incredible experiences awaits you.

Default avatar
Jessica
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

PLS DO NOT USE GREENHEART TRAVEL

I used this agency to find a place to teach English in Korea and please do not use this agency. Please use XploreAsia directly instead. They ripped me off and they didn't do anything other than connect me with different agencies as such Hands Korea and XploreAsia.

It's a total scam because to even have a meeting with their person to learn more information, you have to pay 300 dollars deposit. They should have more information on their website about what to expect. After the initial meeting, you have to pay another 300 dollars to continue with your process. They are not clear about the whole money thing in the process. They just send emails saying I have ____ amount to pay due certain date. Finally, I paid 2,270 dollars to fully commit to the program.

2,870 dollars is too much to have one meeting and get connected with two agencies. I wonder how much I would've paid if I were used other agencies. For sure, I know I paid too much money to get a job that's paying around 20k dollars in a year.

I wish they were more upfront and clear with their payment in the beginning. I have no clue why there are no bad reviews on them.

Anyway, I'm glad I got to expose this company’s scheme.

Cons
  • Too expensive
  • Feels like ripped off
Response from Greenheart

Thank you Jessica for sharing your feedback. It is unfortunate you found our process confusing. It is always our intent to be transparent and as easy to understand as possible. We will revisit our website’s step-by-step outline to make sure it is clear. Greenheart Travel works with partners all over the world to design the best Teach Abroad programs—and to make sure Greenheart teachers get the best school placements and the highest paying contracts. While some people prefer to apply directly with international schools, that does not come with the support and guidance that Greenheart Travel and our partners offer.

We are sorry that you were unhappy with the payment timeline. The timing for payments and visa applications is laid out with our teachers at the very beginning of our process and we follow it carefully to ensure we are setting up a positive exchange experience for you. Greenheart Travel works collaboratively with our partners to handle different parts of the application and placement process in the USA and in the destination country. All teachers must have their program fees paid before they receive their school placements and we cannot make exceptions to those timelines.

We do appreciate your feedback and we’ll be reviewing our website to make sure our process and payment timing is clear. Everyone has a choice to apply directly with international schools or to apply through Greenheart Travel. We are glad that you chose to arrange your teaching position through Greenheart Travel! We are here to support you on your upcoming journey so that you feel comfortable and safe, and so that you get the most out of your cultural exchange experience. Thank you and safe travels!

Default avatar
Kai
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great school experience, worrisome communication

I'm grateful to have gone to Japan through Greenheart Travel. Here is my honest opinion on my experience. Overall, it was great. My flights to and from went smoothly, aside from my broken laptop :( , and my host family's home was, honestly, bigger and more comofortable than mine in the US. My schoolteachers were very understanding of me and the other students, and pushed us to practice Japanese in a variety of ways. They occasionally scolded us for speaking in English while in between classes! My experience was faithfly immersive, and I got to learn a lot about the Japanese way of life along with their historical culture. This was done through organized field trips, or outinfs with my host family. I enjoyed my time there, and received reasonable communications from the language school of events and schedule changes. However, Greenheart Travel's communication itself disappointed me. While I was preparing for my trip to Japan, the program manager seemingly changed between 2 or 3 different people at different times. There were times when I didn't know who my main point of contact was because of the confusion, and it was very scary for me because I had never been abroad, and had no idea what kind of information I needed to provide along the way, or who I would ask my questions too. I was grateful that Greenheart had the ability to provide scholarships for students like me, especially because I was paying for the program myself, but aside from that have limited good experiences with the agency. My program handbook mentioned that I was supposed to have at least one video call with my host family before I left to get to know them before departing, but this never happened. Instead, I wasn't even given any information about them until less than a week before my departure. I'm glad to have had this experience, but have now ascertained that I'm unlikely to travel with Greenheart again until they build a more reliable team. It was the people I met while abroad that truly made my experience so wonderful, and I hope that Greenheart can give future students a better experience!

Pros
  • People are just as excited to meet you as you are them!
  • Amazing street vendors
  • People enjoy when you participate in their culture
Cons
  • Worrisome communication from travel agency
  • Difficulty getting around (not all streets have names)
  • Cultural activities and fun outings can get expensive
Response from Greenheart

I’m glad to hear that your overall experience in Japan was great and apologies for the fact that you did not feel supported by Greenheart. We did have a staff change and having your main point of contact change a couple of times is understandably not ideal. This was the first summer for teen language camp programs after the pandemic and finding host families that were good matches with students took much longer than usual. We appreciate your honest feedback as it is always a priority for Greenheart Travel to evaluate and review all student concerns in order to further improve our programs. Thanks again, and we are glad to hear you enjoyed your program!

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Skylar
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great support!

I was initially so nervous to travel to Thailand, especially due to the COVID pandemic- I even put it off for another 6 months because of this! But I could not say enough good things about Greenheart and how they helped. They completely understood when I wanted to push back my start date, and stayed in contact with me the whole time. At one point, I was even worried I was sending too many emails and annoying them- but they always consistently answered and never seemed annoyed by my anxiety! Right before I was due to leave, I ended up having a ton of visa problems, and they answered almost immediately to help me work through my issues. Luckily, I haven't had many issues since arriving in Thailand, but I know they are just an email away if need be. If you are looking for the opportunity to visit Thailand, I recommend going through Greenheart- this company has your back!

Pros
  • Great support
  • Clear expectations
  • Set you up with all of the right people!
Cons
  • There were a lot of hidden costs when I actually arrived- but Greenheart could not have prevented this, and it isn't their fault.
Response from Greenheart

We appreciate your recommendation and kind words! It's a whole new world out there post-Covid and flexibility, diligence, and good communications make travel go more smoothly for everyone! Thank you for traveling with Greenheart! Enjoy your stay!