Most of our ILP volunteers are college students or maybe you're looking for high school summer abroad opportunities ... either way, we know you want to know how to spend a summer abroad with us!
Deciding to go on a study abroad or teach English in a foreign country can be tricky if you don’t want to miss school. Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered if you're looking for summer trips!
We can also help you pay for it
Here's how to pay for a semester abroad even if you're just a college student.
International Language Programs (ILP) has several countries you can volunteer in during a typical summer semester. We have programs that run during the Fall and Spring as well, but if you're set on the summer abroad programs, here's what might work for you
Most of ILP's summer abroad programs depart sometime in May (or the end of April) and return in August, which typically works well for most university schedules. It's also a good summer abroad high school opportunity if you'll be turning 18 before departure!
You don't have to be a student to volunteer with us, but many students do — a semester abroad fits nicely into your summer break and looks great on a resume. We're based in Utah, with many of our students from BYU, USU, U of U, UVU, Utah Tech, and other schools who have taken a break from classes to volunteer abroad.
You can check general departure dates for each ILP country here (but again, most tend to leave mid or late May, with a few earlier departures in April, or early May).
No matter where you go (and when), while teaching English with ILP, you’ll spend about a half day volunteering (up to 4 hours of direct interaction with the kids, plus preparation time, transportation, and clean up). If you use your time wisely between teaching and planning, you have time to take an online class. That way you can get college credit during the fall or winter semester without "missing" school. Loads of our volunteers do that option without interrupting their graduation plans See how that works?
But summer sometimes is a little bit different (in a good way!) when it comes to your teaching schedule. Lots of times, the kids you're teaching are there to participate in fun travel summer camps so the schedule is more like teaching in two-week periods in a rotation. You get to meet lots more students typically which is a fun change.
In any case, a summer abroad with ILP is a pretty good fit for summer mission trips, college summer trips, or just as a summer travel program where you want to make a difference and do some traveling!
You may notice that we put a general range for the semester. For summer, volunteers typically leave sometime in early/late May (or late April - mid May) and come back sometime in August. Of course, things might change depending on the year. Sometimes we need to send volunteers a little earlier than usual. Sometimes, your school may have their Winter semester last a bit longer than normal.
Look up your school’s semester schedule and feel free to call or email us with questions about departure dates, but know that you'll need to be willing to leave when flights are booked for your semester. Once we get closer to departure, you get a more specific, 10-day range.
We've had volunteers arrange with their professors to take finals a bit earlier so that they could leave for an ILP departure date or also switch countries to leave with a group that leaves at the latest time. Let us know your situation with school and we can help you work it out.
Want to spend your summer abroad doing something amazing?
We have things like exploring hidden beaches in Mexico, bargaining at markets in Thailand, or seeing some of Romania’s oldest castles and monasteries in mind. Learn all about where you could spend your summer by reading more about the countries, or by talking to a volunteer who’s been there by clicking the button below.