Advice
After thorough research I applied to and accepted a position with WorldTeach Ecuador for their September 2018 cohort. Based on my experience, I want to strongly advise GW students not to apply to this program. I advise this for the following reasons:
First, the Ecuador program cares little about the health and safety about its volunteers. I, and other volunteers, repeatedly brought serious issues to our Field Directors' attention, and we were either ignored or belittled for our concerns. In addition, they are not proactive about letting us know about serious safety issues within the city, nor about new preventative measures we may take--which is part of their job description. Though many of my health and safety issues were resolved once I moved out of my host family's home, I am highly concerned for the safety of future volunteers who may be in similar situations.
Second, the Ecuador program itself is unorganized. There have been serious organizational problems that have threatened our ability to be in country. All of these problems were due to the negligence of our directors. For example, they did not ensure that we had the proper background checks prior to our visa applications. This resulted in the rejection of the visa folders and a hasty compromise to stay in country.
Third, the organization as a whole is not transparent with costs. Several volunteers' financial stability has been put at risk because our directors' failure to properly communicate with us. For example, they have lied to us about how our visa costs and how they were to be payed for. They then asked for more money to pay for the visa costs. The true amount for our visa costs are still unclear. In addition, they have been shady with how they present tax information. For example, the cost of the program is presented as completely tax deductible in all program materials and paperwork, but I was (much) later informed that there were certain cases that it was not tax deductible.
Fourth, the way the website advertises to potential Ecuador volunteers is misleading. Instead of teaching underserved communities, we teach the most privileged population at one of the most prestigious universities in Ecuador. This university can also afford to hire certified English teachers, but relies on cheap, unskilled labor. In addition, when I asked WorldTeach during my interview about what the teaching would look like, they were evasive. Had this information been available to me, I would have been less likely to apply.
I sincerely believe that due to the negative impacts this organization has on its volunteers and the community it serves, that it should not be operating in Ecuador. While I can only personally speak to the issues of the program in Ecuador, I strongly suspect that the financial issues are organization-wide.
