Program Reviews

This was seriously a life changing experience. I got to live and volunteer in another country for year. I got placed with an amazing host family and got to experience and be a part of the Costa Rican culture. I loved working with the kids each day. It was challenging but so rewarding. I learned a lot of Spanish and was able to make lots of friends that I will have forever. Costa Rica is such an amazing country and I feel blessed I got a chance to live and volunteer her for a year.

I lived in Quito and worked at the university as a volunteer English teacher. I loved my experience all around- I learned so much about myself through the process that I finally figured out what I want my future to look like and the career direction I want to pursue. My host family was amazing and I really improved my Spanish during those five months. The second half of the year I lived in my own apartment with some other teachers and really got the full Quito experience. There was a ton of time to travel because every two months you have at least a week break between cycles. You have a huge responsibility to your students so you should definitely come into the program with a desire to teach and learn how to teach well with help from your field staff and other volunteers. Field staff were great and always available to help us with whatever we needed! Very approachable.

I spent 8 weeks teaching in a rural community in Ecuador. I was placed with a fantastic, welcoming host family who made me feel very comfortable and eased my anxiety about my language level. The community, while small, was also very nice. I was placed near three other volunteers and was able to plan excursions on the weekends with them.
On the teaching side, I'm not sure how much of an impact I had. First of all, the school had a hard time placing me. I didn't know what grade levels I'd be teaching and what my schedule was until I was in the town for at least a week. Then, I had no idea what previous volunteers had worked on with the students, so I had no idea where to begin. As the community was remote and didn't really have a store, I didn't have many materials. Internet was available at my host family's house but otherwise was limited. I am a math teacher in the States, so I really had no clue how to begin teaching a language. I basically worked on greetings, colors, food, animals, etc. I do not think that my teaching the students helped them learn much English.
While I think I learned way more than my students, my experience was awesome, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about other cultures!

The year I spent on Majuro teaching 3rd graders for WorldTeach truly changed the trajectory of my life. I met my husband and the father of my two boys while volunteering in the Marshalls. While I wouldn't recommend you apply for the program in hopes of meeting your true love, I would say that the relationships that I fostered with my fellow volunteers continue to be some of the most treasured friendships.

The program was a wonderful opportunity to become fully immersed in an environment, culture and community that is like no other. The work itself was frustrating and overwhelming at times, but also fulfilling, inspirational and downright fun! The Marshallese people are generally very kind and welcoming which really helps to get you through the hard times.

I participated in the WorldTeach Colombia program two years ago, and it was a marvelous experience. If you are looking for professional and personal growth, and are looking for an opportunity in which you get to be independent, but which also offers more support to those who want/need it, this is the organization for you! The 11-month program starts with a 2-week orientation in country, so by the time you finish orientation you feel confident in understanding expectations and have a better understanding of the culture, school system, and you get a crash course in teaching (because most participants do not have prior teaching experience). The program is well organized, with a coordinator in every city with placements and an overall in-country director, whom you meet with regularly. I loved living with a host family - it was the perfect way to be further immersed in Colombian culture. However, I'd recommend having at least a solid level of conversational Spanish before coming to a program like this, because it's necessary in daily life and English is not spoken by the general population. The transition to life in Colombia was rockier for those who arrived with zero Spanish. Unfortunately the Colombia program isn't offered anymore, but this was due to no fault of the program! I have friends who participated in other WorldTeach programs and had similarly great experiences. Also, getting a TEFL certificate through a program like this is totally worth the extra work. It helped me significantly in getting a similar teaching job after the program ended. WorldTeach is a great way to shift careers, or test the waters living in a new country or teaching internationally, if that is what you're interested in. If you just want a change of pace for a year, it's perfect for that, too. But don't think that it won't change you (for the better), because it absolutely will!

Teaching on the island or Tutuila, American Samoa was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, but what I learned through that year continues to shape me now, 8 years later. My backyard was a mountain, front yard the ocean. The breathtaking views were coupled with neverending heat, sunshine, and humidity. Still, people spent time together in the open spaces of the villages, at church buildings, and around tables both indoors and outdoors. Food, dancing, singing, outdoor play, and church life were components of daily life in Samoa. School was less of a priority, which created obstacles for me as a teacher. Although I still believe deeply in the significance and value of education, I now have a greater appreciation for the things of life they see as normal, which I tend to rush past or deem unnecessary. I now realize I should have taken it less personally when kids missed class for days or weeks at a time for church practice or mourning the loss of a loved one. Because it was common for meetings to start an hour or more late, I learned to take a book or work to do so that the time didn’t seem like a waste when the meeting never even happened. By the end of the year, just a month or so before we left, I had developed a better command of the language, which allowed me to integrate more fully into the community. For all the invitations we received, I wish we had taken the time to stop and eat with people and practice Samoan more and earlier in our stay. While it’s good and helpful to spend time with other Americans, the local experience is more rich when you take an interest in the local people, learning their customs and language.

I would highly recommend volunteer teaching with WorldTeach in American Samoa. I taught English and Language Arts to 2nd graders. Check out my blog that I kept during my year on the island for a more detailed description of my experience. http://maggieamericansamoa.blogspot.com/

The island, the culture, the people, the views, my students.... words really can't do it justice. I made amazing memories and friends that I will have for the rest of my life. I joined a paddling team, hiked in the only US National Park south of the equator and swam in the South Pacific Ocean every week for a 11 months. You will face many challenges but will grow and learn SO much about yourself and the Polynesian culture.

I volunteered with WorldTeach in American Samoa the year after graduating from college. I taught science to high school students at Manu’a High School on the island of Ta’u, which is one of the outer islands of AmSam. It was one of the best (and most challenging) experiences of my life, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Living on an outer island with no restaurants, sporadic WiFi, and occasional boats from the outside was quite the adventure, especially when surrounded by ocean and jungle. The high school I taught at was incredibly supportive, and helped me through teaching when I did not have much experience. While some of WorldTeach’s requirements for “development” were silly and unhelpful (turning in reflections and lesson plans etc), it was very helpful to have WorldTeach at my back to deal with any issues and to be able to rely on. My advice: if you choose this program, go into it with an open mind and a lot of flexibility, and you’ll do great!

Majuro volunteers faced a whole different set of problems, but as an outer island volunteer, I loved life! It is definitely remote, but also a wonderful experience if you embrace that. Be prepared to live life Majol style, and be up for anything. A lot of the experience depends on the quality of the field director, and no one had stayed in that position for very long in awhile, so that is a bit of a gamble. I did expect much from WT, and therefore was fine with not having a whole lot of contact. If you want to be hand held, this is not the program for you.

I went to Ecuador with WorldTeach back in 2004-2005. My plan had been to find a program in South America so I could learn Spanish, but everything would cost me money ("volun-tourism"), even for short programs. Though WT does charge an administrative fee, this includes in-country support and I did receive a small salary while working. WT is great. It's a lot like the Peace Corps but (1) it's only a 10-12 month commitment and (2) it allows you some choice in where you're assigned. Once I settled on the program in Ecuador (my choice), I was assigned to work in Guayaquil (not my first choice). Initially I was really apprehensive about everything I had read about that city, but the Field Directors who knew the country so much better than I did, were great in making that assignment. Guayaquil was fantastic. WT set me up with a host family, whom I loved. There were a couple of other volunteers in Guayaquil with me, and when one wanted to change families (she didn't like the location), they helped her find a new residence. WT also provided another volunteer with a monetary advance when his school failed to pay him on time. The first month consisted of a country and teaching orientation and then we went out to spend the rest of the time in our host cities/schools. Some people had more remote locations (eg, the surf city of Montanita) and some, like me, were in big cities (eg, Quito, Loja, Ambato, Cuenca), or near them (eg, Vilcabamba). We had access to teaching supplies, but the level of support while actually teaching varied by school. We had 2 Field Directors in country with us who provided constant support and visited us/our schools every so often. We had mid- and end-year retreats to reconnect with our other volunteers and compare stories (and have fun). Great program. Felt supported. Totally recommended.