Hindsight is 20/20 vision, right? Well, if I could go back in time and give myself some advice before I started my first semester with ILP, this is what I would say.
The thought of spending a semester abroad, on the other side of the world, as an English-teaching volunteer with International Language Programs can be a bit intimidating—for good reason! You'll be in an unfamiliar country, eating unfamiliar food, all with unfamiliar people.
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I have volunteered with ILP twice—once in Europe and once in Asia. Obviously these were very different cultural experiences, but I loved them both. No matter where you're headed, and how well we try to prepare you, there will probably be a few hiccups and surprises. Some days of your semester will leave you laughing, while others will bring all the tears. Either way you'll step out of your comfort zone and learn a lot!
Now here's my list of things that will definitely help you to make the most out of this wonderful opportunity and adventure! Some I knew beforehand, some I learned after one semester, and others I didn't figure out til the second. Here's to hoping this advice helps you out too, cause it's all the things I would go back and tell my pre-ILP self.
Advice I Would Give Myself
- Learn Some Of Their Words
- Collect Teaching Ideas
- Bring A Hobby
- Document It All
- Bring A Blanket and Snacks
- Make All The Memories
- Be A Nice Person
- Go With The Flow
- Think About Your Future With ILP
Learn Some Of Their Words
As a volunteer with ILP, you are not required to speak the language of the country where you'll be teaching. In fact, you're instructed to not speak any language other than English while teaching, even if you do know their native language. But you should totally learn a few of their words and phrases to use outside of class!
When you greet locals in words they know, some will look really confused (especially if you don't pronounce the words right), while others will immediately light up, so excited when they realize you're trying to learn their language too. A little bit goes a long way. Here are the ones that I've found to be the most useful during my semesters:
Hello • Thank you • Please • Excuse me • I love • Good • Beautiful • Yes • Goodbye
Collect Teaching Ideas
Pinterest will be your best friend! But I didn't know this until after my first semester had already started. As you'll learn in training, you'll plan lessons for drama, arts and crafts, kitchen, gym, games, and shop. If you've already collected a lot of ideas ahead of time, your planning sessions will be much easier.
The best way to find lesson plans on Pinterest is to search for activities for kids in the subject you're teaching in. So if I was looking for a fun craft to play with my students for my Arts and Crafts lesson, I would search "Arts and crafts for kids". Once you click on a craft that looks fun, your whole feed will soon fill up with endless ILP lesson plan ideas that you can adapt to fit ILP's teaching guidelines.
Here is a blog post with great suggestions of where to find awesome lesson ideas!
Bring A Hobby
I'm all about a good Netflix binge, but most volunteers underestimate how much free time they'll actually have. You're volunteering about half the day Monday-Friday plus every weekend off. Of course you'll spend plenty of time exploring your city and traveling, but it really does still leave quite a bit of downtime that you can spend how you want.
You'll probably be pretty worn out after teaching the kids, so bring hobbies that you'll look forward to and can enjoy even if you don't have a ton of energy. Since you'll be abroad for about 3-ish months, that gives you plenty of time to even set a goal or work on a skill.
Want to get better at painting with watercolors? Is it finally time to learn how to solve a Rubix Cube? Always wanted to learn how to knit? Have a reading list you've been meaning to get to for a while? Workouts and yoga you've been wanting to try? Has it been one of your goals to learn another language? Download the Duolingo app! Now is the time! A few months is the perfect time to set a goal and really make it happen.
Document It All
On that note, one of your hobbies should involve keeping a record of the people you meet, places you go, personal epiphanies you have, dinners you eat, basically anything and everything you don't want to forget.
We love seeing your Instagram reels and semester videos. Start organizing your favorite photos and videos now so that it's easy to put them all together into a compilation. Personally, I like to spend one day a week (usually Sunday) organizing all the photos and videos I took that week — hearting my favorites, deleting the ones not worth saving, and backing up my phone so I don't lose them. Getting in the habit of doing that once a week means it won't be an overwhelming project a couple months into the trip. You'll definitely be capturing a lot of moments! You
My favorite thing I bring home from every trip (besides my photos) is my journal. Another thing I highly, highly recommend is getting in the habit of frequently writing in a journal during your semester. Years after my semester was over, I had a reunion with some of the girls in my group and we read a section of my journal where I just wrote down funny stories and inside jokes. We had so much fun remembering all those crazy days.
Bring A Blanket And Snacks
Both of my semesters have been during the summer, and both times I've talked myself out of bringing a small, soft blanket because I thought I wouldn't need it. And guess what? Both times I've regretted it! There will be many cold bus rides. Plus you can roll it up and stick it under your pillow if it's flatter than what you're used to. Just bring one! Here's more things that past volunteers have said they wished they'd packed.
And as for snacks. If you watch our @ilptakeovers account, then you know that every single group wishes they would have packed more American snacks. Although each country has great treats and snacks to choose from, there's just nothing like your favorite munchies for days when you really need those flavors from home. Granola bars are a must! Here are some more great suggestions. And some more. And some more. Clearly this is an important topic to us. You just honestly cannot have enough goodies!
Make All The Memories
You may never have another chance to sled down a volcano. So do it! You may not get to release baby turtles into the ocean again. Don't miss out! Or soar down the longest ziplines in Costa Rica! So go! You guys, life changes so fast, and even though we all hope and plan on traveling a lot in the future, you may never get the same opportunities you are having right now. Make every second of your semester count! Get out of your apartment and take every chance to try new and awesome things!
I have two regrets from my first semester with ILP: not paying to go inside Westminster Abbey, and staying behind when other volunteers in my group took a $20 bus ride to Budapest. Now, if you don't have the dollars, you don't have the dollars. So the best way to avoid that situation is to fundraise and save as much as you can before you go! We've put together so much info about fundraising that has been really successful for volunteers just like you. Here's all of our best info organized in one place!
Be A Nice Person
Hopefully this one goes without saying, but it still needs to be included. Remember, the other volunteers in your group have also been saving their money, dreaming about where to travel, and hoping they'll make new friends. What's that line that gets said in every season of the Bachelor? "I didn't come here to make friends." Yeah yeah, and you don't have to. But you also don't have to be the person that other volunteers talk about when they go home and say, "My semester was pretty great, except ___ was just mean and hard to live with."
We know certain personalities don't get along well. That just happens when a bunch of strangers are put together and pushed out of their comfort zones. But it makes a world of difference when everyone tries to be pleasant and considerate. Here are a few things that especially help:
-Personal hygiene. Please shower. Wash your clothes. No one likes stinky shoes.
-Be clean and tidy. Wash your dishes. Throw away your trash.
-Don't participate in gossip. Definitely don't start it.
-Be respectful of others' beliefs and standards, and what is sacred to them.
-Fulfill responsibilities. Follow the code of conduct and other instructions.
-Avoid complaining. Express gratitude. The experience you focus on creating is the one you'll have.
Go With The Flow
One of my favorite things about ILP is that you can never have the same experience twice. This is for many reasons like differences in locations, times of year you are in-country, and what volunteers are in your group.
ILP prides itself on the ability for its volunteers to pick and choose what they want to do during their semester. But, there are many things that no matter how hard we try or how much experience we have, still end up out of our control. This is why having a “go with the flow” mindset will lead to a more serene semester.
Sick of rice and beans but your cook made a big ole pot of it for dinner? It is what it is, let's see what sauce I can add to it to switch up the flavor! School got canceled after you spent hours the night before cutting out circles for your arts and crafts lesson? Ahhh that's alright, I'll save it for another day! You want to stay out late to watch the sunset but there is a curfew that my Head Teacher enforces requiring everyone back at the house before dark? That’s okay, I’ll watch it from the house. I’m glad my Head Teacher cares about me and my safety!
There will be many situations throughout your semester that might rub you wrong, but keeping a positive attitude and going with the flow will completely change your experience.
Think About Your Future With ILP
I honestly cannot stress the importance of this enough. Have you heard of the too-good-to-be-true but totally real deals included if you volunteer again as an alumni or head teacher? We're talking crazy discounts!
If you have dreams of traveling the world, but also have an empty wallet, then listen up. Going as a head teacher to any standard exchange location the program fee is totally free for you! And for the Humanitarian trips the program fee is extremely discounted! Like less than 1/3 the cost. Plus for both programs head teachers also receive a stipend to help cover those awesome vacations you'll be on. AMAZING, right? Here's the catch, depending on the location, we're only able to send 1-3 head teachers there each semester. So you know what that means. It gets pretty competitive!
We don't expect perfection, but really are looking for volunteers who have enjoyed their semester, know how to get along well with other people, keep the rules they agreed to follow, are responsible, and understand what a privilege it is to have this experience.
Even if you're not interested right now, you may be in the future. It usually takes only a few months for volunteers to miss their kids and miss traveling to new places every weekend. Keep this info in mind during your first semester, then come back and apply to be a head teacher.
Now that I've shared all of my advice, want to know what an ILP trip is like?
Your experience will depend a lot on where you go, which is one of the reasons we have representatives in the office who can answer all of your questions about where they spent their semester abroad. Click the button below:
