I loved the experience I had. It truly affected me in ways I didnt know possible. I love living with those in the orphanage and giving them an education.
What I wish was different
Advice
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English Teacher
January - May 2019 • San José, San José
What I liked
I liked teaching the children and the opportunities to travel and explore the country.
What I wish was different
Advice
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English teacher
August - December 2019 • Kiev, Kiev Oblast
What I liked
I was able to travel Europe while living with a host family in Ukraine. I taught part time at 3 schools, working mostly with kindergarten age students.
What I wish was different
I would like to have been paid since I do have my degree but the experience was worth it.
Advice
I would suggest bringing a lot of spending money for vacations and other things because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
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English Teacher
August 2019 • Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata Province
What I liked
Living in a neighborhood with the kids, living with great people, and experiencing a new culture.
What I wish was different
Nothing.
Advice
Be grateful for everything you have, be open minded, and embrace every minute, the good and the bad. It's a humbling, life changing experience.
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Front Desk Receptionist
December 2018 • Orem, UT
What I liked
Loved the people I worked with and all the volunteers
What I wish was different
PTO
Advice
ILP will change your life
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ILP Teacher
January - April 2015 • Kiev, Kiev Oblast
What I liked
I loved the experience of living in another country. I ended up serving a mission for my church in Russia a few years later and lived in Russia for 18 months. I am now fluent in Russian.
What I wish was different
I loved every bit of it. I wish I had someone to guide me through the curriculum because it was crazy being a college student and then waking up in a different country with my own classroom and 40 students to teach.
Advice
I would recommend bringing lots of school supplies. I was an elementary major and that helped because I was familiar with teaching already. Other teachers struggled due to lack of experience.
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English Teacher
April - July 2019 • Kiev, Kiev Oblast
What I liked
I loved that I was able to spend time being productive while also immersing myself in a new culture. I enjoyed getting to know my host parents and learn about what makes Ukraine special. I also love that I was able to gain teaching experience. As a future secondary education teacher, I learned how to better manage a classroom, put together lessons, and effectively teach my students.
What I wish was different
I wish the program was better organized and had been able to tell us more about our situation beforehand. As situations within the city we taught in were frequently changing, I often didn't find out until less than a week before where I would be living, what age I would be teaching, or where my food would be coming from. It was a bit unorganized, but I know that was often the fault of local coordinators and not people at the ILP office.
Advice
Moving to another country is terrifying, but it truly changes your perspective on life. I recommend that anyone who has an interest in adventure consider this program, as it gives you new experiences, helps you communicate better, and lets you gain a new view of the world.
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Volunteer English Teacher
May - August 2019 • Managua, Managua Department
What I liked
Working with the kids was really wonderful! Housing was good and our housekeeper worked so hard to cook things we liked. She also washed our clothes for us and was very caring. Lots of time to travel as well.
What I wish was different
Our local coordinator wasn't very involved and that made it difficult for us to plan trips to explore. I wish there had been more service opportunities available for us to work more with the local people and spend more time with the children.
Advice
Spend as much time with the kids as you can!
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English teacher
May - August 2019 • San José Iturbide, Guanajuato
What I liked
Being able to teach kids, visit a different country, progress in my Spanish
What I wish was different
Given more information BEFORE I signed a contract
Advice
Go with no expectations and just enjoy every moment
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English Teacher in Thailand
May - August 2019 • Thai Mueang, Phang Nga
What I liked
I loved spending time with the kids teaching. I liked getting to experience the culture and traveling around Asia.
What I wish was different
I wish that the management had been easier to contact and there was an easier time frame to return home for school.
Advice
I learned a lot while I was there, and I think it is important to be open and accepting of other cultures.
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English teacher
February - June 2019 • Weihai, Shandong
What I liked
Seeing the kids we taught everyday and being able to travel around China
What I wish was different
I wish the teaching schedule would have been earlier in the day, but that was just the Chinese classroom schedule
Advice
Go in with a positive “go get ‘em” attitude and the experience will be a lot more enjoyable!
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Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher
August - December 2018 • Kiev, Kiev Oblast
What I liked
The chance to travel abroad, experience new cultures, and the in-country support for all of us teachers.
What I wish was different
Better communication between the Ukrainian schools and ILP, more accurate representation of the teaching experience during ILP application process, advertising, and training.
Advice
Talk to other ILP alumni before committing to a trip.
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English Teacher
May - August 2018 • Irapuato, Guanajuato
What I liked
It was fun, and we went on many vacation every weekend, and the kids are cute, we also got to learn spanish.
What I wish was different
Advice
You must pay to use public bathroom in Mexico.
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English Teacher
May - August 2018 • Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata Province
What I liked
I loved being able to spend time in the Dominican Republic and learn about their culture. I was able to gain personal relationships with many Dominican people.
What I wish was different
I wish that there had been a little more preparation available. I wasn't very prepared for the way that we had to live or the language barrier.
Advice
Everyone should spend some time living out of the country and in another culture; it changed my life for the better.
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English Teacher
April - August 2018 • Thai Mueang, Phang Nga
What I liked
Work with kids, travel
What I wish was different
Poor living housing conditions
Advice
Go prepared to work hard!
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Volunteer ESL Teacher
May - August 2018 • Vilnius, Vilnius County
What I liked
I loved interacting with kids who already know more languages than I do and helping them learn English. It was also a lot of fun living in Eastern Europe.
What I wish was different
Advice
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English Teacher
May - August 2018 • Irapuato, Guanajuato
What I liked
I loved working with the children in Mexico. I also enjoyed being able to learn about the Mexican culture.
What I wish was different
It was a four month program but I wish I could have stayed longer.
Advice
If you ever have the opportunity to volunteer abroad, do it!
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English Teacher
May - June 2018 • Kaunas, Kaunas County
What I liked
I loved being able to work with children of a variety of ages, having flexibility in lesson planning which allowed me to be creative, and the experience of being immersed in another culture.
What I wish was different
The only thing I would have changed is more in-country personal support.
Advice
For anyone considering volunteering abroad, it is truly something that anyone can do. It is hard but it is so worth it.
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English Teacher
May - August 2018 • Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata Province
What I liked
The culture, the vacations and adventures, the kids, the neighborhood, and the overall experience
What I wish was different
I wish we had done more teaching and volunteer work and I wish it had been more organized.
Advice
If you are going to go teach English in a country through the ILP program, choose a different country than the Dominican Republic.
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Teacher
May - August 2018 • Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata Province
What I liked
I loved working with the kids, doing hands-on service projects and building the community with wonderful people.
What I wish was different
Looking back, I wish I had been more spontaneous from the start, as spontaneity always ended up becoming an amazing story.
Advice
Just Do It! (Quote-Unquote). Following your dreams is hard, but eternally worth the hours of frustration and hard work.
