Greenheart Reviews

My daughter Anna went to Costa Rica with Green Heart, to volunteer at Proyecto Asis from July 8 to the 19th.
She was very happy with her host family, her volunteer work at the center and the overall experience.
The Greenheart staff, was very helpful and answer all my concerns in a timely fashion all the time. We are considering other programs with them.

Myrta Echevarria
Happy mom!

Everyday living abroad is a complete adventure, and with adventure comes excitement and it isn't a good adventure unless you run into some problems. I became very very close with my host family and I couldn't imagine how I could have ever possibly been placed better. My match was PERFECT. Although the overall experience was wondrous, I did run into some hard moments. I learned the hard way that being sick away from home is really quite hard. However a life on exchange, like life at home, cannot be always perfect. No matter where you live you'll have good days and bad days.
But choosing to study in high school is quite different than studying abroad in college. In high school, you live with a family and are truly confined to the household and the house rules. You are accepted as a family member, not as a privileged guest, which is very important to remember.
My best experience from study abroad was the travelling we did. With my family I was able to go to the French Alps, London, The Maldives, and Cannes. They really made sure that I saw the country I was living in and I was really grateful.

I have had a positive experience working with Greenheart Travel to teach English in Thailand. Greenheart essentially facilitates pairing with its partner organization in Thailand that provides the actual TESOL course and placement. Greenheart offered a fair price, and helped facilitate what is essentially a hand off to the partner organization. Greenheart took care of all the fees and paperwork I needed to participate in the partner's TESOL course and placement. I can't comment on Greenheart's support system post-hand off because I haven't needed it. I did receive a follow up email which suggests they could be used as a resource.

The best part about this program was the people! I was placed in Savigliano, and my host family seemed to be tailor-made just for me; my host siblings were all older (between 16 and 24 years old), so we were able to really bond and enjoy spending time together. Aside from them, all the other teachers within the program were just as awesome! We planned weekend trips around Italy together (including Carnevale in Venice, seeing Juliet's Balcony in Verona, and taking midnight walks around the Colosseum in Rome) and could meet up easily in Turin for simple nights out.

I taught at the local liceo and was used by teachers in many different subjects in order to incorporate English into the various lessons. I helped students become more comfortable in conversation and fixed their pronunciation. I also had the opportunities to take field trips with the classes, including a day in Milan, a trip to the Munchhausen Concentration Camp in Austria, and several days in Prague. The great thing about the Greenheart program is that I only needed to work 15 hours a week, and the rest of the time was mine to explore the town and travel elsewhere.

As a high school teacher, I was able to use this experience to help my grow professionally as well as personally. I am already looking into what other Greenheart Travel programs I can do next year :) I absolutely recommend this organization for ALL opportunities abroad.

I actually taught in two schools, and lived with two host families. My first host family was great, my mother was an English teacher at my school so that made my transition to Italy much easier. I was quite close with my family, and we did a bunch of things together, including visiting Monaco, Turin, and Milan. My second host family was in a very small town, and it was difficult for me. Only my host sister spoke English. So it was fortunate that I lived there second, because at this time I had some Italian knowledge and was able to get by with the second family. However, I expected to have challenges and don't regret it at all. Overall it was an excellent experience.

At the end of this experience I did not want to come home! That is how great it was!

I was not placed directly in Turin, but I ended up benefiting more from living in a smaller town because I was immersed in the culture more seeing that not many people were fluent in English. This allowed me to live, think, and speak like an Italian. In addition to this I was fortunate to have been placed with an extremely accommodating family. I was nervous I wouldn't get along with them, but they and their friends welcomed me with open arms and they provided me with meals when I ate with them, I had my own room and my own bathroom, my host parents drove and picked me up from places if I needed, and my host mother even did my laundry!

In addition to having an accommodating family, I was also fortunate enough to work with very sweet students. They were all very eager to learn English and very interested in learning about American culture. My host mother was my co-teacher so we planned to allocate a few days each week where I could plan and teach my own lessons with the students.

The way this program is set up allows you to meet with other volunteers during orientation and during this time we all exchanged contact information so throughout the period we were in Italy we were all able to meet in Turin and go out to dinner, aperitivo, a bar, a disco (club), or travel to other places in Italy or Europe together. This was refreshing because it allowed you to have a network of friends who were already fluent in English and that could relate to your experiences living in a new country.

I think the only issue I had during this program was the communication with WEP, Greenheart's partner in Italy. Greenheart and its staff are amazing, but I think WEP needs to be a bit better about communicating details to Greenheart so there are no last minute surprises. Other than this the overall program itself is a great experience and I definitely recommend it for those who are interested in teaching, immersing themselves in a new and beautiful culture, interested in learning Italian, and/or just wanting to try something different!

Greenheart has lied to me continuously. They have placed me in a very unsafe situation and have never once been concerned with my wellbeing. Feel free to contact me for more information. Above all else do not send your child with them.

My overall experience was great. I do think that the WEP program needs some serious fine tuning. They seemed very disorganized in the orientation, communication, and other areas. This needs to be improved.

I had always wanted to experience a new culture more than just as a tourist. Teaching English in Thailand has definitely done that for me. Greenheart Travel was more than helpful with my placement process in Thailand. They provided me with all of the services and materials that would be needed when I got to Thailand. I would have been completely lost without their help.

I spent a month in France as part of the Language Exchange Homestay. My host family lived in Bordeaux and were very welcoming. Before leaving I was nervous about my French skills,but my host family spoke very good English.
I was even invited to come with them to Milan! Overall, my host family was fantastic.
Teaching lessons were very relaxed and mostly consisted of helping the children with their English homework. Dinner conversation was a mix between French and English and a place where I conversed with the parents the most. I helped in the kitchen and it is always good to make the bed and keep your room clean.
My program was only a month and time flies by! When I finally got the hang of taking the bus and tram it was time to leave. I suggest making the most of your time abroad! I did! I took the train to Paris for five days! I saw the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre!
Make the most of your time abroad and don't forget to capture every moment with pictures!