Teach English in Western Europe

From a wonderful team and great people, to a new experience and the opportunity to explore Thailand and its culture, this was such an amazing programme. Although it was only a 2 week programme, I’m so glad that I came. I learned so much and met so many amazing people. Before I went I didn’t expect there to be so many cultural activities planned for us which was a really nice surprise. We learned how to make traditional Thai desserts and dishes, visited many temples and got to see so much more during our free time :) I would recommend Gotoco to anyone who wants to try something new, meet new people, experience a different culture, and see what teaching English abroad is like.

I was able to spend 3 1/2 weeks in Vietnam, and it was amazing. Firstly, the cohort I was with was incredible; I have made some lifelong friends from that group. Secondly, being able to travel to my first Asian country and essentially live like a local was an experience I believe every young person should have. The school I worked at were amazing, and the teachers were unbelievably welcoming. Vietnam itself is such a beautiful country with beautiful sights.

This programme is an easy way to introduce someone to travelling abroad, teaching English as a foreign language and gaining independence. The opportunity gives someone enough independence but also has a safety net in case you need advice or help in a matter. I have gained valuable skills that I can use in a new career, and it has given me insight into a career where I would teach abroad. I have gained the ability to create and use teaching resources, which would allow me to continue to teach if I wished. I went on a 5-week Rural thialnd programme and the highlight was the students and the meaningful impact we all had on them in a short period of time. From the very first day, we were welcomed by the students and were made to feel like respected teachers. Students were receptive and understanding of the language barriers we faced. Students were happy and wanted to constantly learn and practice English. Those same students continue to contact us and have a strong desire to practice English and get better. Another highlight was the friends I made on the programme. It was initially daunting knowing I would be stuck living with strangers, but I can proudly say I made lifelong friends, and we built connections with each other almost immediately.

It was my first time travelling abroad independently and Gotoco made the entire experience unforgettable and incredibly stress-free. They had considered every detail on what the participants would need and want to have a good experience both at the school and within the area that we were living in. I joined the 1 month programme and had a lot of fun making life-long friends, getting to know the locals and teaching the kids. Doing this programme with Gotoco just ensured that I was able to live and work in Thailand comfortably and stress-free. I would highly recommend joining one of their programmes to anyone wanting to travel, live and work abroad!

Did the 2 week funded trip in Thailand and it was fantastic! Teaching, travelling, meet new people from Thailand and from the Uk too! The biggest highlight for me was the combination of teaching, travelling and meeting people from completely different backgrounds. I really enjoyed being able to experience Thailand beyond the usual tourist destinations, particularly staying in smaller towns and getting a feel for everyday life there. The teaching itself was also a great experience. Even though it could be challenging at times, having to adapt lessons to students with very different levels of English really helped me develop my communication, creativity and confidence. Seeing the students become more engaged as the programme went on was particularly rewarding. Teaching was fun and came naturally to me. Not as hard as i thought the students are well behaved and are genuinely happy to have a natuve English speaker as a teacher. The social side was another major highlight. Having a group of other participants to travel, explore and spend time with made the whole experience much more enjoyable, and I think the programme does a good job of creating that sense of community. Met plenty of people from uk too so the social side was great too!

I’m really glad I joined Gotoco’s Thailand programme. It was a great opportunity to travel, meet some lovely people and experience teaching English. I especially enjoyed spending time with the students and experiencing the local culture. The financial support with flights, accommodation, meals and transport made a big difference too. Overall, a very memorable experience that I would recommend.

I really loved and appreciated the positive attitude from the teachers and the children at my school, always making us feel included and cared for. The people and friends we made along the programme will be some friends for life; we even went on holiday together in the weeks break for the King's birthday! This experience has definitely made me more adaptable and flexible. With Thai schools and teachers, anything can change instantly and I struggled to acclimatise to that aspect at first but then I really got into that attitude during my time there. It has definitely made me more resilient (and stress-free!)

My Thailand trip with Gotoco was incredible! I would recommend the scheme because it is a great way to experience a new country while learning and growing in an employability sense. It's a great balance of work and fun that I would love to experience again someday.

I believe this programme is a great opportunity for anyone who feels lost, uncertain, or unsure about their career path. Many people reach a point where they are questioning their future, looking for direction, or trying to gain experience that will help them make informed decisions. This programme provides a unique opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone, challenge yourself, and gain valuable practical experience while contributing to a meaningful project. One of the most rewarding aspects of the programme is that it allows participants to make a positive impact while also benefiting personally and professionally. In exchange for your time, effort, and commitment, you receive funding, practical experience, and the opportunity to develop a wide range of transferable skills. These skills include communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, and confidence, all of which are highly valued in any career. For me, the experience was much more than simply teaching English. It gave me the opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds, learn about a new culture, and gain a better understanding of how education and teaching are approached in another country. Building relationships with local children, teachers, and fellow participants was incredibly rewarding and helped me develop both my interpersonal skills and cultural awareness. I think it is important for anyone considering this programme to understand its purpose and expectations before joining. While the programme offers many benefits, participants should not view it solely as a way to travel or receive funding. The real value comes from being actively engaged, contributing positively to the project, and embracing the learning opportunities that arise throughout the experience. Having realistic expectations and a willingness to contribute will help ensure a more meaningful and rewarding experience. It is also important to keep an open mind throughout the programme. Things may not always go exactly as planned, and there may be challenges along the way. However, these challenges often become some of the most valuable learning experiences. Being flexible, adaptable, and willing to learn from different situations can help participants grow both personally and professionally. I would encourage future participants to take the opportunity to share their own experiences and knowledge while remaining open to learning from others. Every interaction offers a chance to gain a new perspective, better understand different cultures, and develop greater confidence in your own abilities. The programme creates an environment where mutual learning and personal growth can thrive. Overall, I would highly recommend this programme to anyone who is looking for direction, meaningful experience, or an opportunity to challenge themselves. It not only provides practical skills and valuable experience but also encourages personal development, cultural understanding, and self-confidence. If you approach the programme with the right mindset, a positive attitude, and an openness to learn, it can be a truly enriching and life-changing experience.

An unforgettable, genuinely life-changing experience from start to finish! The Gotoco team made the entire process—from the initial onboarding and visa guidance to the camp placement itself—straightforward, clear, and immensely supportive throughout. Teaching and working with the students in China was incredibly rewarding, the cultural immersion was second to none, and getting to explore, travel, and connect with fantastic people made it a summer I'll never forget. If you're considering teaching abroad, I can’t recommend Gotoco enough. 10/10!

I spent my gap year in Annecy, France, working as an English teacher. Teaching English as a 19-year-old and living in a foreign country on your own presents its own challenges, but the skills and confidence I developed will serve me in my future endeavours in college and beyond. I had an amazing host family with whom I still stay in contact and I was also able to travel to 11 countries during my vacations and summer! I encourage everyone to take a gap year if they can; it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for personal growth and this program is a great option!

I spent the year in Annecy, France with Andégo. I was working at a school teaching English to 4th and 8th graders as well as working as an RA at the high school boarding school. I spent the weekends with a local host family which offered a chance for me to be completely immersed in French culture and language. Working at the school gave me real world experience and a chance for me to feel like a part of the local community. I’m very grateful for my year off and the opportunity Andégo provided. I did a lot of research on gap years and found Andégo’s to be unique. I wasn’t able to find any other program that offered a paying job with the opportunity to live in a host family. Living abroad is not always easy and my experience wasn’t without times of difficulty or homesickness, but overall I had a great time and wish I could go back!

I think that my experience was unique simply because of the amount of things I was able to do. I had visited France before, but that was all. A visit. This year I was able to immerse myself with everything that was available around me, and this let me have countless unique experiences. To be in a different country with such a particular position and background opened doors to meeting people and discovering places I had and hadn't heard of before. For future Andégoites, I would recommend to simply do everything you can: Meet as many people as possible , get connected to your community and to other Andégoites, see as many places as possible no matter how obscure, and to get far away from your comfort zone, because that's the best way to truly discover things. It's truly the experience of a lifetime organized by Andégo, and the experience gained from the year is truly priceless and will make you change and improve in many ways. The connections made are widespread and strong, and the immersion in the country and culture make your French level skyrocket, along with a consciousness of the world around you. It expands your world, in a way.

My experience was unique in that it was quite a rocky year, unfortunately. There were some hiccups at the beginning of the year where myself, the school, and Andego had very different expectations of the English Language Assistant Position. While Andego and I were anticipating working with the English teachers in the school and creating language immersion activities for the children, the school I was assigned expected me to function as recess surveillance/discipline, a cafeteria helper, after school surveillance/assistance, and classroom assistance. These tasks were often given to me and my fellow Andegoite without instructions or help from the school staff or teachers, which resulted in an extremely stressful, overwhelming an utterly confusing experience from the very first day of school and onwards. Andego was incredibly helpful and involved in the process of resolving the situation, but due to difficulties in communication, the school's unwillingness to make changes, and an unsavory attitude adopted by my other Andegoite towards the circumstances, it became a lengthy process. It wasn't until that Andegoite had quit and months had passed that my schedule and duties in the school changed, in late January. Even with those changes put in place, my activities and expectations in the school were better, but nowhere near the wonderful, English-based teaching experience promised by Andego that other Andegoites were experiencing in other schools. For that reason I do believe that I am an outlier among the kind of internship experiences Andego can promise. Despite these hardships, or perhaps because of them, I had a formative year abroad that I have grown and learned a great deal from. If my experiences in the school gave me grit, patience, and increased blood pressure, then my experience of Paris gave me art, friendship, independence, peaceful contemplation, and an appreciation for some excellent food and wine. I can't accurately say going back in time if I would do the program knowing what I do now, but I can say that I am very glad that I did and don't regret that I stuck through it all either. Although there were times that I wanted to, I have a hard time blaming any member(s) of the Andego team for the tough times during the first half of my year, since I do believe they were doing their best to figure out a solution. The third party communication method definitely made things trickier, and the school was quite stubborn as well. Although I was not privy to it at the time, I can easily understand how the behavior of my fellow Adegoite affected how things proceeded as well. (Maybe a bit more in orientation about cultural communication norms?)

During my year abroad, I experienced so much more than I had ever anticipated. One of my biggest takeaways is that it will not always be easy, but that is indeed the power of this year. I found myself struggling to keep up with the french language as well as the culture shock and as opposed to this being a negative aspect of the adventure I allow it to remain a very special snippet of my life where I could grow such an immense amount in such a short period of time. At the end of the year, I had hundreds of kids coming up to me to give me art and letters which is now safely kept in an overflowing folder in my room; they gave me hugs and words of appreciation for the work I had done, even parents approached me to tell me that their kids were crying because I was soon to be leaving. I do not think anything can really be as rewarding as this. Throughout that year I learnt that life does not often give you things and you must go out there and find happiness for yourself. Meeting people my age was not as easy as it is in school when everyone wants friends and everyone is at the same place in life. Instead, I bonded with my co-workers who were some of the most caring and generous people I have yet to meet and they would recommend events to attend in town or cities to visit on my Wednesday's off. I was very lucky to have two girls in the program who lived close to me. We took it upon ourselves to make Wednesday our adventure day where we would go visit a new city in France and during the holidays (which are very numerous in france), we visited new countries. I had the chance to visit family and friends who had moved away and travel the cheapest I may ever be able to travel in my life given the proximity I was to all these amazing countries. I nearly missed a few flights, trains you name it, and I got lost in many countries only to find myself at a beautiful lookout spot or market that just happened to be there right when I needed a quick snack. I stayed in hostels where people kept me up snoring and I also met friends who would share their stories of travel as we sat on a grassy hill by a ravene. I find myself to be the kind of person who says "during my year in France..." at most any opportunity I can and I'm sure people are so sick of hearing about it but I have so many things to share and I know I will be telling these stories for years and never tire of it.

When I went abroad, I didn't really know what I wanted out of the year besides a change in almost everything I knew. My year in France definitely gave me that. I was a little far from the rest of the interns maybe because of that I really had time to really discover who I was when I was alone. I think I grew so much, personally and professionally. Because I was far, I really grew on my own, meaning there were ups as there were downs. I might have benefited from more check-ins or I might have said everything was fine anyway. I worked with people I really liked and people I liked less and I dealt with it. It's good to work with people you don't like to know how to deal with them in the future. I also built a wonderful support system. At first 5 families seemed like a lot but in the end it was a good balance because of the off chance that I didn't like the family, I knew it wasn't for 3-4 months. I also got to meet more people that way. I met restaurant owners, vineyard owners, teachers, clothing branch managers. I traveled to 3 of the five points of France. All because I lived with more people :) People I know I can go back to and be safe. I wouldn't be the person I am today without. It made me more social and that has helped me in class and out. I talk to my professors a lot more than I thought and I have a wonderful group of friends because I'm better with people. I have such respect for teachers and other educational staff. I'm so much more comfort in my own skin, I sort of feel as if I can accomplish anything now. :) If I had to give some advice, don't be scared. Go and adventure! Who knows when you'll have this chance again :)

The decision to intern abroad with the Andégo Program was the best one I’ve made yet. To say that I am heartbroken that there was an expiration date would be a gross understatement. This program opened up so many doors for not just myself but my fellow friends from the program. We got the opportunity to build relationships with our students and our co-workers, as well as the host-families we were placed with. Also, having the opportunity to explore other countries was an added SUPER bonus. I can’t speak for all the other Andégoites in this aspect as I don’t 100% know their experience, but I got to travel with the 2 other interns in my region to 3 different countries, as well as numerous parts of Paris in exploration and food searches, and that was amazing in itself. To have other you can relate to and share adventures with was gratifying. These are connections and relationships I know I will have for life. But of course, it wasn’t all roses and daisies. In the first couple months I questioned my choices and wondered often if I’d made a mistake, and there were plenty of days during the year when I just felt out of sync with everything, my family, my co-workers and just my surroundings in general. And though the check-ins with Andégo and my family helped, I feel like it was a learning experience that needed to happen on my own, in order to understand that sometimes it’s just life, and not everything will be as perfect as we expect it to be. So I would say to someone that is considering this program, it’s okay okay to ask as many questions as you want and be as cautious as you need to be a well, also, try not to put too many ‘what if’s’ I to your thoughts. Don’t even expect it to be the most perfect experience of your life, either. Just go with the flow, because there will for sure be days you don’t expect to overcome, and things you didn’t think you’d need to deal with. But those days will be few and far between, and with them you gain a little more knowledge of yourself and the world around you, with a little French cherry on top! xp

During the 11 months that I spent participating in this internship, I visited 6 countries, learned how to take on the role of a teacher, made lifelong friends, made professional connections, learned how to be a good roommate, how to balance social life with work, and learned who I want to be. While there are many challenges that come with living abroad, it is also an invaluable experience that I encourage everyone to take part in at some point in their lives. While I was initially nervous to make such a big life change directly out of high school, I quickly adapted to the French culture and lifestyle in order to immerse myself as best as I could. Traveling was something I found easy to plan throughout the year as I could simply take a train 20 minutes away from where I lived, and there was a new place to discover. Being open-minded is very important when taking part in an experience like this in order to really explore a new place. I really enjoyed solo traveling for the first time but I also think it was great to find friends to travel with who were interested in similar experiences. Finding a good group of people is key to making an abroad experience work. My colleagues were incredibly helpful and welcomed me to their school. They helped me throughout the year both in and out of school settings. I still communicate with many of the teachers I worked with even after being back in the US. Teaching was something that didn’t necessarily come easy to me when I first started. I did a lot of lesson planning and tried to figure out how to cater towards different age groups. By the end of this program I realized that the “fake it ‘til you make it” mentality really worked for me. Faking the confidence I didn’t have in front of a group of 30 plus students led to developing real confidence in my lessons by the end of the first few months. I found that as long as my students were having fun, asking questions, and learning at least one new thing each day, I felt that I was doing my job well. Collaborating with other interns and teachers was something I also found to be useful. I think the biggest thing that I took out of this year was learning more about myself and what I want to do with my future. Before I left for France, I had no idea where I wanted to go next or what I was going to study. While in the end, I did realize that I don’t want to be a teacher, it was still great to participate in this program. The most valuable things I learned were how to become independent and how to adapt and be open to change. Overall I am extremely happy with how my internship year went and I would do it all over again the same way if I had to. I think the pros of this program are that you get to immerse yourself in a new culture, as well as become a part of the culture. You meet new people and make valuable connections, while learning how to take on a new role. If you know you want to become a teacher this is the perfect program as you will learn so much about the role early on. It was also a great way to take a gap year while earning a stipend, being able to travel, and learn new things every day.

It’s hard to imagine that this time last year I was beginning my gap year journey and now I am writing about it in hindsight! This past year has been fun, exciting, scary, hard, sometimes lonely but at the same time filled with so much love. I couldn’t have anticipated all the places this year would have taken me. Honestly, going into it I thought teaching English would be a breeze…how hard could it be, right? There were definitely many challenges that came with teaching that I had to take on as I went along, but so many rewarding moments. I loved all of my students and I couldn’t have asked for a better group. But standing in front of a bunch of teenagers waiting for you to teach them something was incredibly daunting at first and I doubted my ability to even do so. Then slowly, day after day, week after week, and after every funny, silly and endearing conversation with my students, what seemed impossible became second nature. On top of that, I was fortunate enough to make a group of amazing friends who I will never ever forget. There is something so special about the friendships you build during these types of experiences. We’re all so far away from home and in a weird and exciting place in our lives so they quickly become like your family. We travel together, experience things for the first time together, eat, laugh and cry together and make beautiful memories. This experience is something I will never regret and I feel has changed me forever. I learned new things about myself and did things that I never thought I would or even could do, that I will now carry with me into the future. I can’t wait to tell these stories to my family and friends in years to come.

I met many amazing people and was able to learn a lot about the French culture. One thing that I learned that made my experience more unique was how important protests were to the French citizens. I was able to participate in a lot of demonstrations for things I believed in and was able to travel around France to partake in them with my friends. We went to Lyon for a few protests and also hiked in the mountains to bring awareness to problems with climate change there. I was even able to play my trumpet there for people and they danced and everyone had a lot of fun. The boarding school was a wonderful place to gain some freedom while still having the benefits of provided meals, and many people around. It was also nice to stay with a host family on the weekends to experience a more familial atmosphere and learn things from them. It was difficult being alone in a foreign country, there were not many opportunities to meet people, I had to really make the effort to go out and find people. That was easier though as there were always a lot of people around Annecy. Once I found a good group of people I was able to hang out with them every weekend, travel and have a lot of fun. This experience was incredibly valuable to me in terms of personal development and growth. I became a lot more independent and am more outgoing and confident now. I am comfortable exploring on my own and love meeting new people and experiencing new things. I could tell that this trip changed me when I got back and one of my friends immediately said that I seemed more mature. When traveling on your own and living in a foreign country, I would say it definitely makes you more mature. I am very grateful to have had this gap year and I learned so much from it. I would highly recommend this program because I found it a very valuable experience that everyone should do if they have the opportunity to.