Program Reviews

I loved my stay in France. I learned so much. My family was so kind and lovely. We had a lot of fun sharing food and culture. I went on vacations with them and spoke English with the children. It was great because I also got a few weeks to travel and I also got to practice my French a lot too! I stayed in Normandy about an hour outside of Paris by train. I recommend this experience for sure!

I went to Spain and spent 3 months in both Madrid (2 weeks) and Algeciras (2 months). I definitely recommend traveling abroad to anyone and everyone with the opportunity to do so. It is a unique experience that gives you a valuable perspective on your current life, no matter where you go.

With this program, you are teaching English to the children of the host families. I would almost always speak English to the kids and spanish to the parents. For me, the teaching was mostly conversational and I really liked that about it -- it's a breath of fresh air to get away from the books for a few months. There is a lot of time to hang out and do fun things while technically "working". For example, we went to the grocery store to learn names of fruits and vegetables, we learned conversational vocal while watching Harry Potter, and we practiced our grammar while writing letters to each other. The program is very open to your own interpretation of how you want to teach. That's the best part about it.

I went to China with ECVA for a month last summer. I had already been to China twice on high school trips and had taken 6 years of Mandarin classes so I already relatively had a good handle on the language. I still ended up having a lot to learn and managed to improve my language skills in a way I wouldn't have in the classroom.

I lived with a family in Beijing that had a 6 year old boy that was already learning English in school. My lessons with him quickly became very informal (at his parents' request). Most days we would play or go somewhere with his parents and speak as much English as possible.

ECVA also set me up with language classes during the week, which I would suggest. Even though the other students were a lower skill level than me, it was a great way to meet other English speakers. I ended up becoming good friends with my classmates and hanging out with them a lot.

This program is a must do for everyone, not only do you get first hand experience with another culture, but you are able to do it easily, cheaply and safely. If you are ever considering taking some time off, this is the program to do it through. You can not regret doing this.

I had a great time tutoring my Colombian host family in Bogota.
They were very nice and treating me like a daughter. In my free time I have the chance to travel and discover what a beautiful country is Colombia!

I am an English teacher here in my country. Here I teach English and in my country from the root level of education English is compulsory. So, sometimes we have to face problem in the village area where pronunciation difficulties are the main problem and another one is the lack of practical environment. But we overcome it day by day practice.

As far as I knew, I didn't know what to expect. This was my great adventure. Flying halfway across the world by myself and living with people I've only known for a couple weeks. In truth, as I arrived in Rome, I felt right at home. My host family was better than I expected. The hospitality was second to none. They gave me my own room. They taught me how to cook delicious Italian dishes. They took into Rome's city center numerous times and showed me all the historic sites. The hospitality even reached beyond the immediate family and extended to the grandparents' and family friends. The grandfather gladly took me on a road trip to a charming hillside town just north of Rome called Orvieto. I even went to work with a family friend and went to lunch at a wonderfully enchanting restaurant a block from the sea. However, the best days were playing soccer with the kids in the yard or playing intense games of table tennis and foosball (actually they weren't that intense when I played). My very last weekend I was able to take the train up to Florence. Another wonderful city that captured my interest. In the end, the entire trip was forever memorable and so were the people and pets :) in which I forged lasting relationships. Till this day, 6 months later I still talk to my "second family" and friends thru Skype and Facebook that I met on my travels in Italy. I must thank CHI for the opportunity!

I had a wonderful host-family that made the experience exciting. However, I believe you should have some language skills to communicate.I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to gain teaching experience, or experience a whole new culture.

The ECVA program fulfilled our dream to live in another country. We were lucky enough to live in Spain for 3 months and experience their unique lifestyle, embrace their culture and learn a new language. We chose Spain because Arizona has a large Spanish influence and we figured it may be the most beneficial country for us to live and tutor in. The highlights of our stay was roaming around Valencia learning their history and enjoying the beautiful city. The program provides a lot of free time so we took advantage of it to enjoy the Spanish cuisine, go to the beach, tour the city and admire the architecture, churches, museums, etc. We also enjoyed spending time with our families that we tutored and learning about their traditions and everyday life.

I had an amazing experience volunteering through CHI in Sao Paolo in Brazil for 2 months. I met so many great people and I will never forget my host family. I tutored my host sister in English a couple of hours, 5 days a week. Brazilian BBQ is to die for, and I got to travel to a few different cities. This program gave me a chance to become familiar with the local culture and I even improved my Portuguese! Obrigada CHI!