6-12 month Thailand Teaching progamme

This was an incredible experience that I am grateful to of had.

The program was fully funded which means that it is accessible to many people. The team offer support throughout the program. Before departure they books your flights and insurance, host webinars for you to meet other participants, learn what to expect, and offer support and advice. Your accommodation, transport, activities, and food costs are all covered until you start to earn a wage at your placement. You could definitely get by without savings, however, I would advise to bring some of your own money if you would like to do added activities, drink alcohol or incase of something unforeseeable like breaking a laptop ect.

Upon arrival they offer a wide range of cultural activities which are both fun and educational. You get to travel to different locations, stay in some lovely accommodation, and eat some amazing food. You train to become a teacher and get to practice those new schools in summer camps. You also meet lots of new people and have fun! The staff we lovely and supportive throughout the experience. Once you are at your placement gotoco still offer support, meet ups, and educational talks. When you finish the program you are offered advice on the next steps such as purchasing insurance and still have the support of your teaching agency,

The program is a great way to move to a new country, meet new people, and gain transferable skills. All with support and minimal costs. It also gives you a great foundation for changing career and becoming a teacher by attaining a TESOL qualification for free.

I thoroughly enjoyed the program, made life long friend's, and chose to spend another 6 months in my placement school. This isn't to say I didn't naturally have challenging moments throughout the program which come from moving to a new country and starting a completely new career. However, I felt that if I needed support then it was available.

Some comments from my Thailand TESOL programme experience.

6 weeks travelling with Gotoco was a great experience, meeting so many new friends and travelling together.

Developing new skills as a teacher from no previous experience - phichit summer teaching camp to a confident and full time teacher ( I've almost been teaching for a year in Thailand now) .

My experience has been full of new culture, people and professional skills.

It has made me stronger and a more rounded person to have taken part & integrated into a foreign country for the first time.

Some personal highlights from my 6 weeks travelling with the gotoco team were -

Kanchanaburi - historical war museum and hellfire pass.

Bangkok - nightlife / eating out and river cruise.

Hua hin - sunrise on the beach with the monkeys & the nightlife.

Meals and drinks out with gotoco team and participants.

Date of experience: April 01, 2023

I had a great time during my Gotoco programme. It was an incredible experience with many great excursions which allowed me to learn about Thailand and the culture there.

The teaching experience itself was challenging, even having experience as an English teacher before, it was challenging. This was down to the school where I was placed; for example I didn't have a teaching assistant in my class, class sizes were large (40+ students) and had to design exams and the curriculum myself. This was not the experience of all people on the programme, but many that were teaching at high schools had a similar workload to myself. If you want to progress as a teacher then this is an excellent way to do so, but I'd recommend if you're new to teaching or worried about the workload, it would be best to let them know you'd prefer to be placed in a primary school, as they do ask about your preferences.

Overall, I had the time of my life and would recommend this to anyone thinking about moving to Asia, teaching English or wanting an step in to travelling abroad, as it is a great way to see if it is for you whilst having a support network around you! Nonetheless, it is challenging and you will have ups and downs, so being in a good headspace and an expectation to work hard is needed, otherwise it may be too much for you.

The programme was supportive and very helpful throughout. I really enjoyed my time and participating in different activities everyday. I enjoyed how culturally focused the programme was and allowed me to learn so much about Thailand. Gotoco provides people with a unique and valuable experience to aid in future career prospects. It has also allowed me to make lifelong friendships with people from the cohort.

The group as a whole was super supportive and the chosen coordinators for my specific group were amazing! Besides the obvious travel for the first few months, I really enjoyed watching people in my group grow throughout the trip.

I had the incredible opportunity to teach English in Thailand for 6 weeks, and it was truly amazing!

The support from Gotoco was great, and they made the entire process smooth, from the initial application to my arrival. Their team was always ready to answer my questions and help us out. In Thailand, the cultural immersion, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of my students were beyond what I could have ever imagined. From the orientation week, I felt confident and well-prepared for the classroom, and made genuine connections with my students, and helping them develop their English language skills.

Gotoco helps you grow professionally, by doing the Tesol course, but more importantly I learned more about myself, gained a deeper understanding of Thai culture, and formed lifelong friendships with fellow teachers and locals. It's an experience that has left an indelible mark on my life. Definitely recommend!!

I remember looking for reviews before I travelled with Gotoco and worried that it was too good to be true. I completed the Thailand Summer Teaching and I genuinely had the best time. I felt safe at all times, met the most wonderful people (Thai people, gotocoers and other people travelling) and Gotoco organised everything well. We had the first week to learn about Thai culture and language but also took lesson on Tesol to help us deliver great teaching. I honestly recommend Gotoco and would love to join the program again!

The experience as a whole has been fantastic. It started off in February, with my interview, and by March I was gone! The process was quick and the staff before the trip did everything to ensure that I was ready to move to Thailand for 6 months. Once in country my friend who I had convinced to go had even less time to prepare and they also supported him too!
When we arrived in country we spent a good while traveling, gaining experiences such as Song Kran and doing our TESOL orientation, and Gotoco picked amazing places for this to happen. When we finally go to know where we were moving to, gotoco again helped us with the moving back and supported us from there. While on my trip I also had the chance to go to Malaysia to take part in the Asian Youth Model United Nations, which Gotoco sponsored me for through the personal development fund, which one was one of my most favourite parts as I had a chance to meet people and talk about the importance of education and how it helps development. Finally, this has lead me into knowing that I want to be a teacher, and through this experience I have gained a teaching position with a funded PGCE in China, which would not have been available without Gotoco support or without my TESOL. If you have any incline to do this, then I'd say go ahead. You'll never regret it.bthe friends I've made have been wounderful and the memories I've made are forever.

On the six-month fellowship, we had a four-week orientation before we started school. We did a lot of traveling in the first few weeks then TESOL training in a lovely hotel and taught for the first time in English camps. The hotel where we completed our TESOL training had the most comfortable beds, a hotel buffet, a pool and a gym! Gotoco couldn't have picked a better place for us to stay.

The cultural activities before teacher training were very fun and varied. We were able to visit lots of different places in Thailand which we may have not experienced if it weren't for the program. My most enjoyable experiences were our trip to Sukhothai, a historical sight in northern Thailand. We rode bikes around the temple grounds, ate at a nice restaurant and stayed in a beautiful hotel where everyone very much enjoyed the pool. We also went to rescue paws which is an animal shelter for disabled dogs. We got to go with the volunteers to feed local packs of strays and walked some of the dogs from the shelter along the beach. It was a great day. Songkran was definitely a highlight, we all had lots of fun over those few days! We also had a karaoke party bus for a few of our journeys which was also highlight. The English camps with Sunee (a friend of Gotoco's who lives in Thailand) was a highlight- teaching for the first time was nerve wrecking but she made the whole experience fun and lighthearted. Lastly, the elephant hotel we stayed at was amazing! We got to feed some wild elephants who live in the grounds surrounding the hotel.

For me, the staff (specifically Hayley, Matty, and El) made the experience. They always made sure we were having a good time but were also available if we needed any help with anything or needed a chat. Whilst teaching, my students were the highlight.

You experience so much during the six-month program. You visit many different places and do lots of different activities. You spent a lot of time with the people on your cohort and get to make lots of friends. Most importantly, you gain lots of valuable experience and get a qualification and it is all funded for you! The company is very inclusive and wants to make sure everyone has the same opportunities no matter their background and that everyone has a positive experience. When I was applying, I wondered if Gotoco was a scam or what was the catch as I couldn't believe all of this is funded for you and you get to experience so much for free! Rest assured after emailing, I was reassured it is not a scam and there is no catch! Just commitment and some hard work is required to complete the TESOL certification and get all the admin requirements completed before starting the course.

My experience on this program has been positive and impactful. This program has helped me grow as an individual and I have had many amazing experiences and will leave with lasting memories and friendships. I feel I have gained lots of valuable experience during my time on the program and have developed as a person both personally and professionally. It is an amazing opportunity to gain some valuable life experience. I would recommend it to everyone.