Gotoco Camp China

Since 2011, the Gotoco team has been helping students from around the globe to visit China.

Growing out of their experience on summer camps in Yangshuo, Guangxi in 2011, the Gotoco team has built up an extensive network of summer camp partners all over China. Danny and Richard first met on their Chinese Studies course at the University of Oxford and formed a strong friendship with Lisha on their year abroad in Beijing in 2012.

Danny, Lisha and Richard founded Gotoco to combine their knowledge, expertise and diverse talents and provide our participants with an unforgettable summer in China. We aim to increase global work-travel and cultural exchange, and are rolling out a range of new programmes to bring together Chinese and Western students. Check out our mission for more information.

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Who leads gotoco?

Lisha Tang 汤丽莎

Lisha graduated in English Literature from Beijing’s most internationalised university (BLCU), a dreary brief stint in an import/export company for paper pulp led her to choose to do something different with her life. She signed up for a law conversion in the UK, along the way she travelled the world and realised she should spend her life promoting alternative career paths that embrace global travel and exchange.

Lisha got so much out of her international experiences that she decided to dedicate her career to promoting cultural exchange between China and the English-speaking world.

She is very grateful for the opportunities learning English has provided her, and wants to inspire the next generation of Chinese children to improve their English and interact with people from all over the world. Lisha is an expert at managing Gotoco’s relations with a diverse group of partner schools all over China.

She now oversees Gotoco’s partner relationships in China and matches applicants to their ideal programme. Lisha ensures that all of our participants get as much out of their time in China as possible. In her spare time, Lisha works on literary translation projects and is planning to setup a yoga centre.

Richard Lloyd 罗志强

Richard is passionate about social change, environmental and sustainability issues, and education. Founding Gotoco with Danny and Lisha, he aims to raise cultural awareness about China and Asia in Europe and North America, and create more edutravel opportunities for students around the world. He believes common misperceptions across cultures can be diminished through increased exchange, and aims to help students from more diverse backgrounds access fulfilling and quality educational opportunities.

Having studied Chinese and Tibetan at Oxford, Richard has broad knowledge of Chinese culture, history and travel opportunities. He brings his experience of volunteering, travelling and working all over the world to Gotoco and knows how to make sure Gotoco’ers have an unforgettable experience. Richard also previously worked as a research manager for a policy consultancy in Beijing, where he advised multilateral organisations, multinational companies, and delivered speeches at Lloyds of London on China’s global trade strategy and developments on the Korean Peninsular.

Richard is on the board of Insight Outreach, an education social-mobility charity in the UK.

Danny Parrott 大牛

Danny delights in linking people up to help them have adventures all over the world. He studied Chinese with Richard at Oxford (BA), and at SOAS (MA). Along the way he did an MBA on the MIT-Tsinghua Beijing programme. Life-long student, he then undertook a fun but abortive attempt at post-grad studies in Hong Kong, while there he setup home on the glorious tropical hippie beach enclave of Lamma Island. Danny loves working in education and studying, particularly because of the opportunities it gives him to engage with people the world over and to globe trot. He first taught English on a year contract in 2010 in Spain and has strived to be itinerant since.

Danny has been organising and managing summer camps in China for almost a decade now. As a student Danny applied for and then successfully rejected various bleak offers to take on corporate jobs in The City, his interest in working abroad and passion for backpacking, cultural exploration and global travel encouraged him to do something different.

Danny loves helping people from all walks of life see new perspectives of the world as possible, as cheaply as possible. His major hobby is travel– he has been to 50 countries, hitchhiked around China and hosted over 200 Couchsurfers on his boat in London and house in Beijing’s historic centre. His next dream is to spend a year as a Workaway’er and walk the Camino de Santiago. Danny is a Council member with the Beijing branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

FUNDED AND FREE

summer camps and TEFL adventures in China

Gotoco China: the go-to company for funded summer programmes in China.

Why Join Us

GO TO CHINA!

Discover one of the world's oldest civilisations, most captivating cultures and most beautiful geographies!

GO FOR FREE!

Why pay to take part when we offer participation, accommodation, meals, TEFL and a holiday at the end for free?

GO TO TEACH!

Gain valuable experience and a TEFL (Teaching of English as a Foreign Language) teaching certificate

GO TO TRAVEL!

Become immersed in Chinese culture on one of our projects, before visiting Yangshuo and travelling all over Asia!

GO TO LEARN!

Discover China: learn Mandarin, have a go at martial arts or calligraphy, or try your hand at cooking dumplings (and more!)

GO TO MAKE FRIENDS!

Make friends for life with your students, teaching assistants, local people, and your fellow Gotoco-ers!