Program Reviews

We were disappointed with our Greenheart experience.  We found communication very challenging. 
The complication arose when our 14 year old was left at the airport in Spain alone and no one was answering emergency numbers.  We paid an additional $75 fee for a chaperone to meet him, his flight arrived at 6am which was outside the "normal" time. We did not have an issue paying this fee, however when the chaperone failed to show our son called us.  At just after 1am EST (just after 6am in Spain) my husband and I called both the emergency phone numbers we were given, one in the USA and one in Spain.  The number in the USA was an answering service (much like a doctors after hour number) and the service said both people who were supposed to be on call were not responding.  As for the number in Spain no one was answering.  So neither of the emergency numbers we were given worked and our 14 year old son was 3000 miles away in a different country.  We entrusted our son's care with Greenheart and they failed.   We were given instructions on the exact meeting location and our son confirmed with Airport security that he was in the correct spot. We were told later that the chaperone went to the wrong location.   We finally were able to get through to Spain at 8:25 Spain time.
When I finally did connect with  Ana at Greenheart she apologized and said it was a good "learning experience" for our son and they would be refunding the chaperone fee.  However I followed up a week later she told me that they would not refund the fee as despite the fact the Chaperone went to wrong location he was there.  I had to send screen shots of my call logs to Emergency numbers and the length of time he was left alone to finally get them to refund this fee. 

We were stunned that no one bothered to answer the emergency lines despite knowing there were students scheduled to arrive.  We were also surprised that even though Greenheart had our sons cell number as well as ours they never shared this with the chaperone who could have just called us or our son when he was unable to locate him at the airport.
The other issue was what is promised on their website and what the kids actually get is not the same.  The greenheart website says:Students that arrive at the Madrid airport before 11am travel by train to SalamancaStudents that arrive at the Madrid airport between 11am and 4pm will take the group shuttle that departs after 4:00pmSince my son was arriving at 6 am I assumed he would be traveling by train to Salamanca, however I was told that he would have to wait at the airport until 4 pm (10 hrs of waiting) to depart by shuttle.  When I pointed this out, Greenheart finally agreed to coordinate two groups so that early arriving students didn't have to wait at the airport for 10 additional hrs.
As for supervision and host experience the kids are pretty much left on their own to do whatever they want.  The host family was very nice but there were a lot of people staying in their home, not all of them students,  it seems they also rented out rooms to travelers.  Greenheart also did not know who else would be staying with the host family which was not comforting.  The students were given keys and allowed to pretty much come and go.  Our son is used to NYC streets and is outgoing so he had fun exploring but if you are concerned with supervision there was not a lot.
The classes at Estudio Sampere my son enjoyed and I would recommend going directly to them and skip using Greenheart.
All and all it was a very disappointing experience.  Communication is too challenging. I realize that we all make mistakes but what is telling is how people respond when a mistake is made.
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Although disappointed I couldn't experience the program in Thailand (due to Covid), all's well that ends well. The online program ended up working out great. Switching from Thailand to the online platform was quick and easy. The course material was rigorous and there were several times I wished I had access to more free teaching resources like lesson plan templates, but the instructor was helpful and quick to respond.

I was most dreading my Practicum since I wouldn't have the in-person teaching experience. I thought my dread justified when I didn't receive a respond from my first assigned student for tutoring. However, the adult student I was assigned next was a dream. His enthusiasm to improve English and gratefulness for our tutoring time really made the experience wonderful.

Still looking forward to one day actually going overseas to teach...

Many people use Greenheart and have good experiences. Had everything gone smoothly with our child’s host family placement during her high school semester in Spain, that might have been true for us. However, if there is a need to move host families, you might not be able to count on Greenheart. Our daughter had to move due to domestic violence. Greenheart and their in-country partner CCI bungled just about every decision from the moment they were informed of the emergency up until our child’s last day with the program. After moving her to a new family and location, the local coordinator was a particular problem. She was strangely critical with our child and made statements that interfered with her relationship with the new host family.

Throughout the ordeal neither Greenheart nor CCI were proactive about ensuring our daughter’s well-being. Many organizations are suffering now with such low participation during the pandemic. But nothing can explain their insensitivity and poor judgment. Greenheart was having staff turnover so perhaps if they get their house back in order they can provide kind, attentive service. I wrote to the Greenheart CEO after our child was safely back in the country and was told that the problem was our daughter’s inability to adapt and make a success of her situation – they accepted no responsibility.

Greenheart Travel was among my first choices of travel agencies for my year abroad in Norway. I started the process long before I actually needed too, but they were always there for me along the way. 2020/2021 was a very difficult year for any student, let alone a student going abroad. The Greenheart staff was beyond supportive, and was always there whenever I needed any advice. They gave me amazing support with the whole application and visa process as well. I will continue any journeys abroad with Greenheart in the future.

Amazing program for students who are interested in teaching abroad. You will receive all the support and guidance you need throughout the whole program, which is definitely helpful for individuals who are going abroad for their first time. Ana is very helpful and supportive throughout the whole process. She made the whole process go by smoothly and easy. Any questions or concerns I had she was always there to assist me. Thank you for all your support and guidance. I am beyond excited to be in South Korea teaching English. It’s a dream that I’ve always had and I’m so happy to be pursuing it. Again, thank you Greenheart travel and Ana for all your help!

Everything from the people that I’ve met, the support I’ve received, and the experiences thus far, have been worth taking that leap of faith into the unknown! My journey is only beginning and I’m excited to see what my new home in Thailand holds. I’m looking forward to making a difference by teaching students English as well as getting to know the locals. I know there will be challenges but, that’s all a part of the process. Greenheart was with me every step of the way to prepare me before I left and I would choose them again!

I was accepted to teach in a French school rather than homestay, the program was canceled after I had been accepted. Rather than making me shift to a different program, Greenheart worked with me and allowed me to do what I had initially intended. I adored my host family and school, and had a great connection with my teachers and the students in my short time there. My host family really helped me to adjust to France, and taught me a lot of words and phrases that I could use. They encouraged me to explore the town and city, and taught me how to cook and bake French foods. It helped me grow my confidence as a French speaker, and someone who works with students. I was supposed to do the 3 mos. program, but left after 1.5 weeks due to Covid. Greenheart and its partners were helpful and understanding, and did the best they could to answer my questions in such an uncertain time for the world. They answered my questions as best they could, and I am looking to do another program with them in the future. I cannot say how the price of the program matches what was provided since I did not get to fully experience it, but I do not regret going. I spoke conversational french, but far behind the level that I thought I did. I suggest being truthful with your language level, and learning the basics.

Have had the idea to live in Norway for as long as I could remember and seeing that it was possible to do high school abroad program I thought all my dreams had come true! I picked Greenheart because I got the best impression from them and how communicative they were with answering questions and video chatting before applying and being accepted. The actual program was an entire different story. I paid $16k to get physically and mentally abused by my Danish host family while I was doing a Norwegian study program. The fact the family wasn't even Norwegian should've been a red flag to begin with. I understand there's only so much the company can do with screening families, but it's more so how Greenheart and their partner institution in Norway (STS) handled the situation. They continuously belittled me and downplayed the severity of the situation I was living in. I physically didn't feel comfortable living in my host family's house, after being threatened and manipulated numerous times- as well as having my independent phone plan shut off by them. I spent all my free time staying with friends and even some of my teachers at school who reached out to help. I had asked Greenheart/ STS to step in countless times, and called them nightly with my concerns. They were aware of all the gore details, but refused to do anything about it until my host family also requested I be transferred. My outlook on the program was tarnished after the first few months, but Greenheart/ STS couldn't understand why I had a hard time adjusting once I was placed in a new home. This experience was definitely one i'll never forget, and a lot of it I wish I could. It took almost a year for me to mentally get past what I experienced abroad through this program. The country and school was wonderful though! I definitely recommend traveling and doing study programs similar to this, just NOT through Greenheart.

Signed up for the 3 month program in winter of 2019. You have a coordinator here in the U.S and another coordinator once you step foot in Spain. Both of them were great at accommodating my requests!! Although unfortunately I did have bad experiences with the two families I was with. One family was constantly arguing and it was a very strict environment that did not feel comfortable. I mentioned to the mother how I felt, left for some coffee, and the same night she chained the door for the first time. So I couldn’t get in the house and I had to find a hostel to stay in for the night I was a nervous wreck. I requested a change in families only to be kicked out by the second family on December 26 in the middle of the holidays just because I could not accommodate the mothers VERY last minute request to teach one of her children that day (I was out of town and she knew). Aside from this, both families expected me to have vast extensive knowledge on how to teach yet Greenheart promotes that it is not a requirement to have teaching experience. If you do not want to risk having any issues, you would be better off going on your own and renting a room. A lot of foreigners in Spain you can meet and explore the city with!

Thanks to Covid-19 turning everyone’s world upside down, it wasn’t quite the experience I initially signed up for, but I thought they adapted well. Taking the course online wasn’t as bad as I thought, because I learn much better in person, but I found it very helpful and very informative in how to go about teaching English in a foreign country. Lots of insights on not just teaching but how to deal with culture shock and behavioral issues. The instructor was very knowledgeable and made it very understandable.