Program Reviews

I spent ten months in Neiva teaching English at SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje, a network of free, nationwide, vocational training colleges in Colombia), on a co-teaching programme organised by Greenheart Travel in collaboration with an organisation called Volunteers Colombia. I studied Spanish at university, partly because I had always wanted to go to Latin America. The programme allowed me to make that happen with the security of a job, a Regional Coordinator to direct any worries or questions to, and a monthly stipend. They provided lots of help with visa documentation and other heavily paperwork-based tasks such as getting a bank account, which was much appreciated as it was my first time having to do all that (I am British, and had previously only lived abroad in Europe). Neiva is a small, not particularly well-known city, which I liked as it was easy to feel at home in a short time, and hardly anyone spoke English. I loved it because it is hot all year round, and there are interesting places to visit nearby, most notably the Tatacoa Desert (highly recommended). Living there was a world of new experiences and insights in to Colombian culture, as well as a lot of staring at my blonde hair and tall frame, which stemmed from curiosity as to why I was there. I think it's important to be open to being placed anywhere, and to remember that there are pros and cons to each city/town. I probably wouldn't have been able to fund weekend trips with my stipend so easily if I had been placed in a bigger, more expensive city. At SENA I taught young people and adults who were training to work in accountancy and business, subjects which I know almost nothing about, but that was OK because most of the English classes we gave were basic, general English. Occasionally we would do a subject-specific class or activity, and I would have to do my research in advance! I was lucky to work with really supportive and enthusiastic teachers, who understood the co-teaching model (ie. they didn't usually leave me to teach the class alone, or not include me in their lesson planning). Your experience can depend a lot on who you work with, but you shouldn't let that put you off. The most important thing I learnt was how to be flexible and open to last-minute changes of plan, which happen a lot in Colombia.. I fell in love with the country and I am still here more than a year later, now working in Pereira on a different educational project. I would definitely recommend Greenheart programmes as an accessible way to move abroad and experience something new, with support when you need it.

I am very thankful for Greenheart giving me the adventure of a lifetime. They made moving to Thailand a very easy experience. They were able to answer all my questions, which made me feel much more comfortable with everything. Once I moved to Thailand I found myself trying out new adventures and having experiences of a lifetime. Living in Thailand really taught me a lot about myself and helped me grow as a person.

As a teacher, I am always on the look out for opportunities to travel during the summer. Greenheart Travel provided a way for me to combine my two passions: teaching and traveling. Last summer (2017) I participated in Greenheart's Teach in a Homestay: Spain. I stayed with my fabulous host family for 1 month from June-July and it is truly an experience I will never forget.

What I absolutely loved about this program:

*The preparation- Greenheart thoroughly prepared me for this experience. I was sent a book with Spain's cultural and historical background. I also received a packet that covered everything I needed to know: weather, customs, tips, how to handle culture shock, what to bring, what to expect, etc. It was extremely helpful and I found myself referring to this packet many times throughout the duration of my stay.

*The support- I don't think my experience would have been as successful without the help of Megan Arzbaecher, one of Greenheart's program managers. She answered any and all questions I had, replied promptly to my emails, sent me reminder emails and touched base with me frequently weeks before my trip.

*The online community- I loved that I was put into a facebook group that brought together alumni and newcomers of the Teach in a Homestay program. I was able to communicate with others who had gone through the program and hear their experiences/advice. In addition, I met newcomers who would be in my area in Spain.

My time in Spain:

I was placed in Madrid and stayed with my host family for one month. Greenheart made sure to place me with a family that could host me during the time frame I was available and with a family that would suit my personality/needs (I had to fill out a lengthy survey). The expectation was for me to teach English to my family's daughters for 15 hours each week in exchange for food and stay. Who can beat that? Such a great way to experience a new culture and get to know a family! Even though I have teaching experience, Greenheart provided access to lesson plans, ideas and games to teach English to the family. They made it very easy to have a successful experience.

I would definitely do this program again in a heartbeat! I learned a great deal about the Spanish culture, my host family and surprisingly...myself! I would recommend this program to anyone who is willing to fully immerse themselves into a new culture.

Greenheart made my time in Thailand not only possible, but really easy. Embarking on a huge trip by yourself, or even with friends, can be a really intimidating thing, particularly when you're committing to many months or even a year. Thailand was a place I'd heard a lot about, but it hadn't hit its social media stride the way it has now, so I really knew nothing about it. Greenheart provided me with so much information and such great resources that I never really felt nervous or unsure. My contact was Sara Dorsey (I'm sorry I know you have a new name now but I can't remember what your married name is!!) and she was incredibly knowledgeable, willing to answer as many weird questions that I could come up with, and was SO responsive whenever I needed anything. Having a company genuinely "be there" is rare, and I found this organization totally was! I highly recommend Greenheart to anyone who asks me about my travels -- if I recommend it to my friends, siblings, friends-of-friends, etc. then I DEFINITELY recommend it to you, too!

Going abroad and staying with a local family in any country is definitely a step out of your comfort zone that you SHOULD take. I became really close with the family and we bonded in lots of different ways. I participated in their family events & activities (dinners, birthdays, Christmas!!!) and really felt like I got to experience the food and culture of Spain. We had big dinner where everyone was always singing and dancing, and they always included me. At one dinner everyone around the table got a musical instrument and sang songs together!! It was so cool. I felt like I was apart of their family and it makes for some really great memories. It’s so nice to see a city through the eyes of someone else and not just as a tourist. I got to travel to other cities and countries on the weekend took which was awesome! It was important for the family that we spoke in English around the kids so they could learn more & not speak to me in Spanish, so considering that, if I did a homestay again, I’d enroll in a separate language course. I wanted to learn some Spanish so I did go to some language exchanges, practiced my Spanish, and met new friends. I would be clear about your goals (language learning, traveling, whatever it may be) with the family right away. Communication is key. You and the family want to get as much out of the program as possible, so talking about your expectations is something I’d recommend discussing. Sometimes I had to push myself to speak (some days I just wasn’t confident!) but overall people were super friendly/understanding and I didn’t get down on myself if I had a not-great speaking day. Overall, I’d highly recommend this homestay program. Greenheart provided me with a ton of materials before my trip, and also consistently contacted me with questions and support. Every time I talked to the support team at Greenheart I got more and more excited for my trip. They also get you health insurance & link you up with a great family depending on your interests so it’s a great time for both parties. I’d love to do another program in the future. I love to travel and Greenheart just offers more easy opportunities to fuel my travel love!!

Being placed in Phuket was shocking to me, as all I knew about the island was it's party reputation. I had no idea that the island itself was so vast, beautiful, and authentically Thai.

The school I was placed at was a municipal school with about 1500 students K-6. I taught every grade level, but primarily focused on EP1 and EP6. Being a government school, there was always a bit of red tape, but I connected with my Thai teachers almost right away as they were so welcoming and smilely and they made the transition so much easier. The school gave us a lot of freedom: freedom in what to wear, how to conduct our lessons, how to grade our students. I don't think this was the typical experience for teachers in Thailand, but the autonomy made the job really enjoyable. Of course the best part of every day was the kids - despite not speaking the same language, we could still laugh and learn together. I loved teaching my kids English songs that we could sing together, and they loved performing them for me!

Phuket quickly won me over, and my visions of drunk tourists and buckets were only partially true. Yes, Phuket is a party island brimming with tourists - but that's only one small part. The other 40km of the island is untouched and beautifully Thai. I bought my dinner from the local market every night, conversing in my broken Thai; I would watch the sunset from a beach where I was the only farang; my motorbike got me around the island every day.

As an educator in America and feeling defeated with the politics that make teaching in America a challenge I decided to go to Thailand on a whim! I raced through the process and arrived a terrified, isolated and distraught human. I thought what have I done!? Adjusting to a new culture is challenging and I thought just making it on the long flight was facing my fears. The amazing part of my year abroad is that it seemed to surface some fears that I had buried away. I switched locations mid year and lived down by the islands. The town that I lived in opened my eyes! I connected with the local Thai people, my students and many foreigners. I allowed myself to truly embrace life in a different set of eyes. It’s safe to say there is more than one way to live life! Thai people keep it simple. “Have you eaten? Are you happy?” Mind blowing. It was only upon return that I realized how complicated we make life in America. They keep it simple and stress free. To say that Thailand changed my life is an understatement. I grew in unexpected ways and I let go of unnecessary fears. I would highly recommend going abroad with Greenheart Travel. Ask any questions and they are very supportive! If you’re looking to challenge yourself in ways you never imagined, laugh at things that are so unfamiliar from your own culture, than your ready for a journey of lifetime. Don’t second guess yourself! Doooo it!

I am so pleased I chose Greenheart Travel to help me through the process of teaching in Thailand. They have been super supportive from the time of the initial application to periodically checking in on my experience in Thailand as a teacher. They also were very transparent and honest on details of what to expect once you get to Thailand. Sarah Thacker was my main person of contact at Greenheart and she has been great! She's authentic and sells the program from her heart. You can tell she loves what she does and supports this life changing experience. If you are currently researching the many overseas teaching programs and having difficulty choosing one, chose Greenheart Travel; you won't be disappointed.

I had a very unique experience for several reasons. The first is the location. Moncalieri is located on top of a hill and my host family had a backyard that looked out over Torino. The vista was just beautiful, and the family was a very sweet young family. Because the location was so remote, it was sometime difficult to go out on my own, but the family was very nice about driving me "down the hill" whenever I asked.

The children in my family were quite young, 2 and 5 years old, and this presented unique challenges for me in terms of teaching english. Their attention spans were shorter, so lessons and conversations had to happen in shorter spurts. I had very few low points, but when I did I wondered if perhaps the children were too young. It was difficult at times, especially if the children were tired, hungry or misbehaving. But in the end I think both boys learned quite a bit of english. Basic greetings, numbers, colors and lots of food and animals.

I am still processing this experience, but I feel it has changed me in many ways. I am more patient and I think my own teaching will improve as a result. I know some Italian which is fantastic. I got many wonderful photos and saw a part of the world I always wanted to see, but on a deeper level, more as a member of society as opposed to a tourist.

My favorite memory is probably Karaoke. I made friends with the nanny, Francesca, right away. She spoke no English, and I spoke little Italian, but we communicated through Google translate and lots of gesturing and laughter. She took me to do Italian Karaoke one Saturday, and I had so much fun singing in Italian with her and all her friends. I even did a solo to Whitley Houston which they played in English just for me! Many of the people I met that night are still sending me notes on facebook!

I do wish I had known more Italian before I left. Especially with young children it would be very useful.

The WEP representative and everybody from Green Heart travel was very supportive, and checked in with me frequently!

I will always treasure the experience I had, and it was the best semester off I have ever had!

After graduating from college and working a job I didn't love, I knew I needed something different. I could go back to school, change careers, or get a new job....but then I remembered how much I wanted to travel, and how many times people have said to me "you're so young, now is the time!"

So I did a ton of research, and found Greenheart Travel - and I'm SO glad I did. I knew I wanted to go to Italy because I minored in Italian and wanted to work on my language skills, and I knew that I was a bit too nervous to do a full year somewhere, so this 3 month program was perfect for me. I also wanted something social, and after seeing the Facebook page full of interactions of people currently and previously on the program, I knew that would be the case.

The best part of the program for me is being around other teaching assistants. Almost everyone in the program is in the Piedmont region, with Turin being the central city. Although we are all spread out, most of us have no problem getting into Turin for drinks or a dinner, and many of us have done traveling together. It's so reassuring to know that there are others you can call on if you have questions or concerns, or just want to vent about the things you miss from home. We also all got to meet each other at orientation, so we all had friends going into our host stays.

I was most hesitant about not having any teaching experience, and I didn't have the money to spend on a TEFL certification, but turns out that is totally fine for this program! I feel comfortable in the classroom even without any experience, since I am always in the room with another teacher and am getting guidance on how to structure lessons and what to teach about. You also have other the other teachers to reach out to for suggestions on games to play or lessons to teach.

I was also hesitant about not making any money, however getting housing and meals makes it a lot more doable. There are some possibilities of making money on the side (tutoring or giving music/sports lessons), but if you want to travel while you're on this program, you'll need to have money saved up ahead of time.

Overall, I would highly recommend this program. Especially if you want to be in Italy, there aren't many other programs available. There are a few things to consider (see below), so definitely do your research about Italy, especially the Piedmont region, and make sure this program is right for you and your needs!