International Language Programs (ILP) sends volunteers abroad countries all over the world to teach kids English — and while every country is unique, the kids you'll be with really make your semester worth it.
Even if you're going on ILP to live in a different country and take some pretty rad vacations, you'll be spending a good chunk of your semester teaching.
So many volunteers said that they came to a country expecting to just muddle through each week and live for the weekend trips and vacations .. but the kids became their favorite part.
Wondering how to teach English in foreign country?
Chat with an ILP rep who can let you know what a semester with ILP is like.
I've taken a semester abroad with ILP three times and every time I go my favorite part of my trip is teaching. Watch out, the kids will steal your heart! Even for teachers who loved going to the beach in the Dominican Republic ... the kids ended up being their favorite part of the semester (just hear it from Emma!)
If you're wondering about how to teach English in foreign country or looking into ways to volunteer to teach English abroad, maybe ILP is a great fit for you! Here's some more info from my experience that can help you decide:
Why I Decided To Volunteer To Teach English Abroad
There were a lot of factors that helped me make this decision. I knew I wanted the chance to do a lot of traveling and wanted to make a difference, so the chance to teach English in Thailand or spend a semester in Europe was something that accomplished both of those goals. I knew it would be a big resume booster, give me a bit of a break from school, and let me do some traveling, all while letting me help others.
Especially when I started scouting out different teaching abroad opportunities, I knew that I had to find a program that was affordable, had reasonable teaching hours, and set me up with a group (I didn't want to teach English in Mexico just by myself!
For me, ILP was everything I was looking for.
Teaching Abroad Opportunities (What Worked For Me)
There are a lot of programs that will send you to teach English somewhere else in the world, but there are more than a few reasons why I chose ILP.
First, it's affordable. I did several semesters with ILP when I was in school, or right after ... I loved that my program fee paid for my flight, visa, housing, meals, and more, at such a low cost. It was definitely a selling point for me.
Another thing was the free time. I knew I wanted to go abroad to teach children English, but I also wanted to do some traveling. I always had weekends free, and only taught part-time during the week which meant plenty of time to explore with the group of volunteers I was living and teaching with.
Lastly, one of the big selling points was the help I got. I knew of other teaching abroad opportunities that send you on you way without much help, but I was so glad I had ILP through my experience. ILP sends groups of volunteers abroad, so I was living, teaching, and traveling with a group, plus had help in-country with a Local Coordinator (who lives in country and is there as a resource), and a Head Teacher who has been with ILP before and was a big help. There's also a training to complete on teaching before you go abroad, which answered my question of "how to teach English in foreign country?"
The Best Part About Teaching
Okay, this is such a hard question and it's impossible to just choose one reason. For me, I think I'd say the the best part was the kids themselves. Their unique and fun personalities were a blast and always kept me on my toes.
Every day I was amazed by the weird and funny things they said and did. Whether that was a new dance move they showed me, the way they showed off their cool English phrase they heard on TV, the funny picture they drew or the way they tried SO hard to pronounce a new word they learned, they always had us laughing.
The Kids LOVE Their Teachers
They really just loved us as teachers. They were so excited to see us every day and would often greet us with a huge hug which melted my heart! They loved us and showed us in the simplest and sweetest ways. For some of our volunteers in our Humanitarian programs, you may be living in the same neighborhood as your kids which means you can play with them before and after class. There are so many volunteers who get very attached to the kids they are teaching, even the troublemakers.
I Loved Seeing Them Progress
It was really neat to see the progression of the kids and the things they learned throughout the semester. It's not like they're just going to pick up the English language in a couple of months so you'll get to have full conversations with a new student, but I got to see the small steps they started making.
At first I noticed them understanding what I was saying, and then the first time they responded with the right words in the cutest accent, I was such a proud teacher! Not only were they learning to speak English, but they were gaining confidence and learning many other things I did not expect as well.
Love the idea of teaching and traveling?
Come teach in another country with ILP! We've been sending volunteers to teach kids English to countries all over the world for over 25 years. We have locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, etc., and are always here to answer your questions.
