EDUCO

Why did you choose this program?

One of my colleagues, a fellow drama teacher, shared her experience with me and gave me the information to look into it. I loved the idea of doing a professional development experience in one of my ancestral countries that fit so perfectly with my mission as a teacher and artist. Not only did I get to travel and reconnect with one of my cultures, but I also grew immensely as an educator.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

Educo provides you with everything you need to know to confidently start the TEFL-PP summer camps during an intense one week of orientation and training that tutors pay 200€ for. The didactic team covers everything from etiquette, to songs, to lesson planning, games, etc. Every year, teachers have to pay for their plane tickets to Italy and back, but once you’re working with Educo all your accommodations and travel from city to city are covered by the company. We usually stay with host families who generously provide us with our own room, meals, and occasional family outings. On the weeks that you don’t have a host family to stay with or you are placed on hold, Educo will place you in an apartment or Airbnb and provide you with a 50€ grocery stipend, plus a lunch stipend.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

While this is an opportunity that allows you to travel and have an immersive cultural experience, be prepared to work and teach for full days (Monday-Friday from 9AM-5PM). So much of this experience also depends on your mindset, goals and what you hope to get out of it. I always want to grow and learn professionally so every year that I get to work with Educo, I learn something new that helps me become a better teacher and team player because I love the work that we do. So, my advice would be to always conduct yourself in a professional manner as you would at any other job and prioritize the work that you do over the opportunity to vacation Italy.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Educo has a variety of camps that end at different times (I.e. PON Projects end at around 2 PM or residential camps are a full day experience) but this is the most common schedule in the majority of camps from Monday to Friday:

9 AM-9:30 AM: Morning Circle with camp songs and games
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM: English Lessons 1 & 2 with a small break in between them. Tutors have complete ownership of their classes and lessons. You can follow the Educo manual for each lesson or you can assess based on the students you have and their level of English. This is my favourite part of the day!
12:30-2PM: Lunch
2PM - 2:30 PM: Camp Choir (We get to teach the kids different songs in English that they will hopefully perform during the final presentation)
2:45- 3:45PM: Activity (Water Games, Scavanger Hunt, Olympics, etc) or Final Show Prep
2:30 - 2:45 PM: BREAK
3:45 - 5PM: Cont’ Activity & Wrap Up
5 PM: Students Leave
5PM - 5:30 PM: Debrief & Staff Meeting

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear was feeling like I did not have enough information to succeed, as someone who wants to prepare way ahead of time and have everything set up. Because of the nature of the camps, we’re always on the go and it was an incredible lesson for me to learn how to be more spontaneous and flexible to rapid change in my environment. Now I’m up for anything and ready for the challenges that come with the situation feeling confident that I have the support from staff, the manual, and my colleagues and school staff when needed.

Write and answer your own question.

Be ready for this adventure and stay true to who you are throughout it! It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

I have so many wonderful travel memories! It would be impossible to only choose one.

Snorkelling along the coral reef in Egypt's Red Sea, camel riding at sunset in the Sahara desert, racing (literally) through the Hermitage in St. Petersburg with my 13 month old daughter, solo travelling through Vienna, Prague and Budapest during the Christmas holidays, living in Paris (my favourite city) as a student, are only a few of the many treasured experiences that come to mind.

Unlike other countries, I've had the privilege of getting to know Italy profoundly and over a long period of time, largely thanks to my work teaching and recruiting for EDUCO. Some of my most precious memories in La Bella Paese include: long train rides from the north to south (I recall one particular journey of 12+ hours from Elba Island to Ricadi, Calabria where I watched one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life from my window), hiking in the mountains near Bergamo, having my taste buds awakened by Puglia's delightful and original culinary traditions, drives along the Amalfi coast, and day trips to Liguria's small, colourful fishing and mountain villages.

I moved to Italy from Montreal (Canada) in the summer of 2015, to begin a career in education in the country of my roots. Since then I've worked with dozens of people from various educational backgrounds - each of whom have shaped my vision for my work. My Italian language skills have greatly improved and I've gained invaluable insight into working within a bilingual environment. I've learned that providing young people with opportunities to work and travel in a foreign country is an enormous responsibility that, when taken seriously and carried out with passion, reaps immense joy and can even change lives.

But the biggest change for me personally undoubtedly came from becoming a mom. The experience of giving birth in Italy, away from my family and friends, and now raising my daughter here, has added an entirely new and incomparable dimension to my relationship with this country. I want to do the best work I am capable of, for her. I want her to grow up in an Italy that recognises the importance of learning languages, that celebrates ethnic diversity and cultural exchange. And I'm so happy she will grow up with access to my work environment, because it provides a window into all of that, and much more.