Program Reviews

I lived in Australia for the better part of a year. I have so many stories to share but this one always makes me smile. Back in October I had gone SCUBA diving at the Great Barrier Reef. It was on a live-aboard vessel with 25 other divers. This one night was the first time a bunch of us were going on a night dive. As we were on the deck, prepping the tanks and putting on our equipment, all of the newbies were chatting to each other. "Are you nervous?" "Yeah mate I'm terrified! Are you?" "I'm pretty scared." So on and so on. My lead instructor, who was a bit of a prankster, had heard all of us chatting about how scared we were. He walked smoothly passed us, grabbed a diving fin, and stood right on the edge of the boat where the lone searchlight was shining. He then proceeded to smack the water with the fin a couple of times. Immediately just then, 30 white tip reef sharks swam in frenzied circles, searching for whatever created the racket. All of us divers stared at the water in shock, and all my instructor quipped was, "Who's first?" *Grin*

The Teach English in France program provides a fantastic opportunity to spend time abroad and experience another culture first hand. The program allows you to live with a French family for 1-3 months as an English tutor. Lessons are given in a conversational setting. After your application and acceptance, InterExchange works with an agency in France to place you with a suitable host family. If you cannot be placed for some reason then you are refunded your deposit.
In my experience, the staff members at InterExchange were really helpful in explaining the ins and outs of the program and in guiding me through the process. Obviously, you must take initiative and responsibility for your travel, your interactions with the family, and the English lessons. However, InterExchange does a great job with their part by facilitating the experience and guiding you along the way. I would absolutely recommend checking this out if you have an interest in other cultures, teaching, and traveling.

I could not be more happy with this program. If you are an environmentalist or aspiring to be one, this is the perfect program. I was able to help plant thousands of trees, help clear trails that had been overgrown, and help with any other jobs the local park rangers needed to be done. I was able to meet people from so many different countries, including the local kiwis. The team leaders are incredible and so much fun to work with. They help you plan out your weekends and teach you about the local culture and plants you work with. I would recommend staying with this program for at least a month so you have plenty of time to explore the beautiful country.

I wanted to teach English in France because it is something I'm interested in doing for my future career. I was nervous at first to meet my host family but they are so welcoming and from the first day I felt like I was at home. A regular weekday for me looks like this...
8:00/8:30--Wake up and get ready for the day
8:30--12:00--Create lessons for the kids, eat breakfast, watch TV, laundry, really do anything I want to around the house
12:00--Lunch with the family (one set of grandparents, host mom, daughter, and sometimes host father) since they have two hours for lunch. The two boys don't come home since they eat at school
1:00--4:00--Go to school with my host mom
4:00--evening--Depending on what activities are going on that night I may have to teach one English course or three English courses. We eat dinner around 7:30/8:00 and the kids start going to bed around 9:00. I stay up later and talk with my host parents.
The weekends are a totally different matter, we have been to many rugby games (rugby is the sport of southern France), visited different cities such as Carcassonne, and visited Spain. We have also stayed at home and entertained guests or have just had a chill weekend.
A couple highlights would be going to Carcassonne because it has such a rich history and exploring other small villages in the area with my host mom, getting to know different kids and not being isolated at home all day, and becoming part of another family in a different culture. One huge difficulty I have encountered is the language barrier. I had four years of French in high school but I graduated three years ago and even if I hadn't it is totally different living in a French speaking country than having a class one hour/day. Duolingo and GoogleTranslate have been immensely helpful and my host family has been very gracious with any mistakes I make while speaking their language.
I really have loved my experience and my host family and I'm already planning when I can return to France!

It has been an amazing program that has helped me grow as a person. I also believe I have had a positive impact on the kids I have worked with. Even just teaching the kids every day greetings and courtesy words such as hello, goodbye, please, and thank you feels like valuable progress to me. Highlights include those small breakthroughs when a kid who usually is lazy or who has a bad attitude has a change of heart and puts effort into the material. I love when they have lightbulb moments and when they are proud to show me their work and tell me they understand the lesson.

The best part for me was the host family experience. The program pairs you with some of the most generous and welcoming people and you feel like they truly want you to be there and have the best experience possible in their home. I often heard "You're our guest" and when Italians say that, they usually mean it in a traditional sense... that all your needs will be taken care of. I found the teaching part the most challenging. I taught at 4 middle and elementary schools over 3 months so there were a lot of teachers to coordinate with and the kids weren't always well behaved. However, my two designated coordinators were so nice and helpful. They ended up being two of my closest friends there. The region we were placed in was breathtakingly beautiful and though it was almost impossible to get around with a ride, I was very pleased to be placed in such an authentic location. I loved that there were other English speaking foreigners in towns nearby. They become my friends and travel buddies. Overall, it was a great experience!

My experience with this program was 100% positive. The only negative aspects were out of the control of the coordinators, so I don't consider them when I judge InterExchange. Overall, teaching was a challenge, but rewarding. I had to be very flexible as I taught ages 3-13, with each age containing a full spectrum of English knowledge and skill. Some of the Italian teachers were more helpful than others, but the schools as a whole were welcoming and warm. My host family was incredible, and I have zero complaints about them or the region in which I was placed. Through this program, I was given the perfect home-base from which to travel, and I was able to meet many other amazing people also participating in the program who have become travel buddies and true friends. This was my first time to live and work in a country other than the US, and I think it was the perfect bridge to a lifetime of travel.

I'm so happy here! My family is a very good fit for me. They treat me like their own daughter. I was expecting to be homesick by now but they have made me so comfortable. I would like to be closer to Madrid but I wouldn't trade my location for a different family.

It has been great meeting other tutors. I also went on a trip with the program Be Madrid and met many people through that too. This has been a wonderful experience so far and I'm so glad I took this chance.

From the time I applied with InterExchange for this program, there was a representative with me through the placement, departure, and arrival processes and everything else in between! I felt so at ease knowing that there was always someone there if I had any questions or concerns. I was placed in a preschool/kindergarten placement where I lead English lessons, helped write curriculum (my background is in Education), and created learning stations for the students. I was even offered a summer job in Italy from this experience! Living in Italy with a host family is the best way to immerse yourself into the culture, and I absolutely loved my experience with my placements thanks to InterExchange.

I had the best time in my stay as an Au Pair in Melbourne. Adjusting to a new family's schedule can be really difficult. I had a really hard time the first 3 weeks. When you are in another country (not knowing anyone), and trying to assimilate your lifestyle to the family you are living with, things can get overwhelming quickly. My time in Melbourne was really overwhelming at first. I had a lot of support from Au Pairs in the area, and Interexchange helped me join groups to help me meet people. I had a great experience with my family. I ended up extending my stay and moving to another family in another state to get more out of it. It's true, travel changes you. And traveling with a family and kids changes you in an even better way than traveling alone would.