Tips For EAC Students + A Semester Abroad

Are you Eastern Arizona College student wondering how to make an ILP semester abroad work out?  Everything you’re wondering about is right here!

For me, college was more than just going to classes. I knew I wanted travel to be a part of my college experience. Just the idea of taking a trip (or two!) to see a whole new corner of the world fit in with my goal of learning, choosing a degree, and graduating ... but I didn't necessarily want to do a study abroad. I'm just glad I found out about ILP when I was a student because I was also looking for a way to travel with friends and do it all on a budget.

Fitting in a few months of traveling abroad really seemed to help me figure out what was coming next and gave me a break from taking classes. Maybe ILP can be that step for you, too!

If you’re wondering about traveling, volunteering, and exploring somewhere in Europe, Asia, the South Pacific or another one of the ILP’s countries while at EAC, you’re absolutely in the right place.  

Wait, you’re not an ILP volunteer yet?
Here’s how to apply

International Language Programs is a non-profit organization who sends college aged students (like you) abroad to teach English or volunteer in an orphanage. It looks super great on resumes, plus you’ll get the chance to travel around and make a difference. On your semester, your Program Fee covers your  housing, along with your flight, your meals, and a few other perks, like your visa. Sounds pretty perfect, right?

ILP doesn't work specifically with a certain university, but quite a few of our volunteers do come from Eastern Arizona College (and nearby schools).  ILP is based in Utah and has a code of conduct similar to the one you’ll find at Brigham Young University if you're familiar. It’s a group-based experience, so you’re traveling, exploring, living, and teaching with a group of fellow travelers — ILP’s a pretty unique experience. I’m so glad I did it (twice!). 

If the idea of traveling with a group to volunteer somewhere for a semester sounds like something you may be interested, here's a bit more info on how to make it happen: 

• When Are The ILP Semester Dates?
  How Do I Make It Work While I’m A Student?
  Can I Get School Credit? Or Internship Credit?
  Is ILP A Good Fit For Me?

When Are The ILP Semester Dates?

Good news for EAC students, because our semesters line up pretty well with your school schedule. You can get a reminder at what the EAC semester schedule looks like right here.

ILP offers three different semesters: Spring, Summer, and Fall.  Some countries, like Thailand, send two groups during Fall and Spring, so there's an early group and a later group, which can help give you some wiggle room in the same semester since there are two groups. The exact dates of departure change every semester (for every location) but here’s the basic timeline just so you can get an idea: 

ILP Spring Semester: Departure is sometime in January (or early February) to the end of April (or early to mid May). Some countries generally leave earlier (like sometime in January) and come back in April, while others leave later (maybe in February) and come home sometime in May. It does vary between location, but that's a general idea to help you plan. All of our locations have a Spring Program … good luck choosing between tropical beaches and cobblestone castles!  

ILP Summer Semester: Dates are typically early/mid/late May to late August, though some countries can leave mid April (and come home a smidge earlier in August). Every country has a summer semester.

ILP Fall Semester: Fall semesters typically leave mid to late August, and come home the end of November or mid-December, just in time for Christmas. Some groups leave more like end of September to mid-October (also home for Christmas). We can send volunteers to every one of our locations for the Fall semester.

How Do I Make It Work While I’m A Student?

Picking Your Semester 

Go during the summer if you don’t want to take a semester off of school! ILP summer semesters typically line up with the end of Spring classes and get you home before or around when Fall EAC semester classes typically start, so it's a perfect way to fill that summer gap. 

Or, go during the fall/winter! If you’re okay with skipping a semester of school, ILP Fall and Spring semesters fit in nicely to EAC Fall and Winter classes. You'll just need to make arrangements to defer your semester if you're already enrolled, or take a leave of absence. 

Make sure you talk with your academic advisor to make sure you’re following protocol and get any of your questions answered, especially if you’re wanting to defer and want to put your scholarship on hold.

Keep in mind that you don't want to wait until the last minute (or even a few months before departure) to apply with ILP. The earlier you can apply the better, so even if you haven't 100% decided how you want to fit ILP into your plans, we still recommend applying since you can always change your semester with us later. 

Go Anytime — Take Online Classes 

If you don’t want to defer or go during the summer when you're not taking classes, you do have the option of taking online classes while volunteering with ILP. You’ll only be teaching English or volunteering with our orphanage program for 20 hours a week, so there is time to take an online class if you’d like. That way you can get college credit during the fall or winter semester without "missing" school.

We’ve had multiple volunteers go that route. It makes for a very busy semester and we really don’t recommend taking a full load (because you don’t want to miss out on weekend trips to cool beaches, a bomb safari, or cathedrals because you have too much homework) but it’s helped make it work for fall and spring semester volunteers. If that's the best option for you, talk with your ILP rep about country options that would be the best fit for you — there are internet and housing concerns to maybe consider when it comes to country preferences. 

Here's the info of online courses available at Eastern Arizona College. 

Affording The Program 

One of the biggest perks for me was how affordable ILP is and the options to make it even more possible. You definitely want to check out lots of helpful fundraising information which helped me pay for my ILP semester (and has helped lots of other volunteers).

Some ILP volunteers have been able to raise a few thousand dollars by thinking ahead and trying out a handful of different fundraising strategies! 

Can I Get School Credit? Or Internship Credit? 

Maybe. It’s an answer that doesn’t have a straight set of rules, but it is possible.

Since ILP doesn’t work with a set university, it’s up to Eastern Arizona College to determine if they’ll give you credit while you volunteer with us. Since there isn't an exact science on how to do this you'll need to talk with your adviser to see how things work with your degree.

You'll work out your credits through the school, not through the ILP office but we’re happy to help where we can. If you’re required to provide some paperwork about your ILP semester and what you’ll be doing, give our office a call and we can help you out. 

Things really are pretty individual and do depend on a case by case basis when it comes to getting EAC school or internship credit. Start by speaking with your counselor and see where you can go from there. You may need to do a little digging to see who you need to speak with at your department.

Would ILP Be A Good Fit For Me? 

We hope so! But we also understand it’s not right for everyone. We have a lot of resources to help you learn about ILP in advance so that you can have a good idea of what our program is like. But, keep in mind that your experience with us will still be unique depending on so many factors (like where you go, who is in your group, which kids you end up teaching, your attitude while abroad, where you spend your vacations, etc). 

If you're someone who is looking to be adventurous, are motivated to explore a new country, dive right into a new group of friends, and totally new experiences, it sounds like this is the start of a pretty beautiful friendship. Our organization is set up to help you begin your trip, but then the experiences you have are up to you. 

Every location is really different, but those who have a good experience on our program are excited for what life in a new country is like. I'm talking new food, a new language, a new definition of what's normal for you, and so many stories. This isn't a program where we have everything scheduled out for you. It's kinda half and half, with a set teaching schedule and so much free time and vacations that are completely up to you. 

Can I Get More Info? 

You know it! You also may want to read through our Code of Conduct that all volunteers must agree to follow while they are volunteering abroad. Or get a peek our Instagram — @ilpadventure and @ilptakeovers show what our volunteers are up to every semester and are a good place to get questions answered.

Every semester we have Info Meetings where you can learn a bit more get your questions answered. There will be someone who has volunteered with us before and you are free to ask all the questions you want. Meetings are pretty quick, about 20-30 minutes and you don’t have to RSVP. See our upcoming meetings here. (We have virtual meetings, as well as several meetings in Utah + other locations). 

If you still have a few questions about ILP, you can get them all answered. That post talks about who can apply, the costs associated with our programs, and how vacations all work out. I’d suggest reading that post real quick, then talk to someone who’s already volunteered with us — we have contact info for us below! 

Talk to someone who has been in your shoes 

Do you know we have a whole team of ILP representatives who are here to answer your questions about volunteering? Many of them are students who deferred a semester, made it work with their schedule, fundraised to make it happen, and more. Just send 'em a text and get in touch!