Program Reviews

WorldTeach Ecuador was great for training. Orientation can be tedious but is very informative, it runs all day (8-6) five days a week. Afterwards, you return, exhausted, to your Quito homestay families. Or, on some days, go and get a Pilsner with some of the group. By the end of it, I felt over prepared. I felt like I knew how to teach, plan without a curriculum, and had a wonderful support group of friends. I think Worldteach Ecuador is a great organization until something goes wrong.

Less than three months into my year I was terminated. Not because of my actions, but because WT had problems within my school. My university is slightly corrupt, like most places in Ecuador, and I understood the decision until I wasn't given another placement.

Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, was my only option. A person from my group terminated because the situation at the school was so terrible there, he was unable to teach. I was not willing to give up my dream of living in the Andes to move to the big and sweaty city (not to mention dangerous) and have to fight to be able to teach. When I said no to Guayaquil I was terminated.

I paid over $5,000 for those three months. I got to keep my return ticket back, and luckily, found a job on my own. I stayed in close contact with my WT friends and watched as they attended midservice and end of service. I have been in Ecuador for 1.5 years now, living and working at a school without the help from WorldTeach.

And I wish this was an isolated incidence. I have watched as this has happened multiple times in the new WT groups.

I would have never come to Ecuador without WorldTeach , and for those who didn't have problems, it was a great program. For those of us who did, however, it was $5,000 for a month long ESL course.

It's a statement only one who has been to the country can make and understand. If you look at the geographical shape of Namibia, it does look like the back of a hand with a couple fingers tucked in.
My summer teaching in Namibia was an experience I cherish, one of the proudest and most memorable delights of my life (I've since been married and had a baby, so Namibia competes with a lot of personal accomplishments and life highlights).
Looking at Maddie's pictures and reading her story brought me back to the summer of 2007. The images from her village mirror the images of the learners from my village of Talismanas, on the border of Botswana. I befriended one of the teachers, who introduced me to the livelihood of those in my village, and the students came to my room daily to practice sudoko, play scrabble, or enjoy extra snacks.
No, teaching was not easy, and I am a high school teacher of English. I can say, without question, that I would give up my job in suburban Massachusetts to return to Namibia if I could. Life there is so much simpler. Frustrating, yes, but simple.
What I remember most besides the beautiful smiles of my many learners was the evening sky. Never had I seen so many stars. I had to pause while writing this because I got swept away in the memory of its true awesomeness.
WorldTeach is a wonderful program, and the experience of being able to affect the lives of learners around the world is undoubtedly rewarding, but you will be more impressed by what you learn about yourself and your perception of the world if you have the courage to partake in this journey. Register now! There is no better place to spend your summer, your year, perhaps even a few years (or longer) of your life!

I was a WorldTeach volunteer in northern Namibia during the 2006 school year. I taught high school biology, physical science, and HIV prevention classes. It was a challenging but wonderful experience. I am still in touch with many of my former students and colleagues from the school. I will never forget my experience in Namibia, and I hope to go back. I highly recommend WorldTeach; their level of support for volunteers is excellent because the number of volunteers in each country is relatively small, so it was easy to stay in touch with the field director and get help whenever I needed it. I felt valued by the community, which was wonderful as a newcomer.

I went to Namibia in 1993, thinking I would have an adventure and help a few people. It turned out that I did all that, plus learned an amazing amount about myself, about a fascinating community, about the world. It completely changed my life goals and set me off on a new career in international development, which I have pursued and stuck with since that time almost 20 years ago. I have had many amazing adventures and experiences, in Africa as well as other parts of the world, and I trace it all back to my experience as a WT volunteer at a rural school in Namibia.

My official role was to be an English teacher for 7th and 8th graders, but I ended up doing much more. I taught an evening class for teachers (the language of instruction had just changed to English, but many of the teachers had very little English skills); taught a literacy class for the dairy workers who were laborers across the street; established the schools first library; started a hiking club with a Namibian teacher so we could get kids out into the surrounding hills and visit and appreciate the ancient rock paintings; and much more. I learned a completely different way of looking at life, of living in the moment, of thinking how to use existing resources creatively.

Plus, I made life-long friends with other volunteers, fellow teachers and students.

I could not recommend WT Namibia more strongly!

The time I spent in Namibia was some of the most rewarding and happy times of my life. The students were SO eager to learn. The school I was at was isolated from cities and roads. That just made the school more tightly knit. I felt that I was fully accepted by the Namibians I met. I also felt like I made a real difference during the time I was there.

I still look back fondly on my time there even though a whole decade has passed. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at kanmullen@yahoo.com with Namibia as subject line.

I hope you take this opportunity. I am sure that you won't regret it.

The staff at WorldTeach China make the effort to make sure you're a successful teacher. The program starts off with a 3 week teaching process where you get to interact with the other 40 or so volunteers in Hunan Province. Becoming friends with the other volunteers is definitely one of the highlights because these are the people that you'll visit on weekends, travel with during Spring Festival, and share lesson ideas.

I'm about 6 months into the program in Hunan and we recently finished our mid-service in February where all the volunteers met in Changsha and got to share their experiences so far. Changsha is also a blast. If you want the city life, it's a good mix between old and new china. But if you want to completely immerse yourself into the culture, the rural sites will definitely give you an authentic taste.

I had a phenomenal experience as a volunteer teacher in Namibia in 2005. WorldTeach provides pragmatic, context-specific training with a corps of fantastic volunteers and in a truly dynamic country. I also particularly like that they seek out volunteer support and English is the national language and the system is sorely in need of support for English instruction, particularly in the more rural areas. The experience changed my life and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested.

Most challenging and rewarding experience of my life, giving me a sense of immense personal fulfillment, perspective and confidence in all future endeavors. The best part was the mutually beneficial relationship with my community. I encourage everyone to have an experience like this one and WorldTeach is the best in cost and in their relationship with the Nambian government.

I am a current WorldTeach volunteer in American Samoa. I teach English to 105 high school juniors and let me tell you - each and every day is a new, exciting, and challenging adventure. Upon arriving in AmSam, I was nervous to start teaching and to become part of the Samoan community. Now that I have lived here for almost three months, I feel as if I have been here for many years. While the island is extremely small, I always know someone wherever I go and the Samoans are always quick to help or even just say hi. The WorldTeach program has been incredible. Our Field Director and the home office keep in contact with the volunteers and make sure that we are comfortable and happy with our teaching placements and with our living arrangements. No question goes unanswered and there is always someone to talk too if we need to ask for teaching tips or resources! Besides teaching, American Samoa has a lot to offer. I have already climbed mountains, snorkled in turquoise blue water, eaten delicious food from the Samoan umu (the underground oven where they cook their food), and met many friends that I will keep for the rest of my life. What better way to spend a year of your life than on a tropical island in the South Pacific? You won't regret it!

I feel WorldTeach is a really wonderful option for someone wanting to go abroad and volunteer in a 3rd world country for the first time. The support of World Teach is outstanding in the US and then out in the countries where the vols are. The orientations you are a part of really prepare you for all that you are about to witness and interact in. They truly prep you and continue to support you with checkins throughout. And even after your stay is over, the WT Alumni group is very close knit and well organized, updating you on new countries WT is working with and even announcing jobs that are available in WT's US offices and abroad. WT was my first experience in a 3rd world country and I continue to be so grateful for them. I met some really incredible people in Ecuador thanks to them.