Program Reviews

ABCi is a brilliant, emerging company which seems to be going from strength to strength, and hopefully has a very exciting future ahead, as English is integrated into every class room in Austria by 2020. The staff at ABCi are very hard working, particularly Ben, Frank and Helen who create a great family atmosphere within the company and work long days (nights and weekends usually included).

I would highly recommend this company to future applicants, the surrounding area of Gmunden is beautiful, there are stunning lakes, mountains to climb, and places to visit.

So I was was working as a volunteer for ABCi for three months and just returned a couple of weeks ago in April. It was great fun, learnt a lot, became a much better teacher and made some good friends. At first it was certainly a lot of work! However after the first week things began to get a bit easier, by the second month it was much more chilled and the third there was lots of chilling.
You travel around with two other volunteers and we had a really good time together, even though I was sharing a room with one of them for three months. The programme you teach seems a lot to take on board at first, but you get used to it pretty quickly and at the end of the three months you will feel a very confident teacher and it will be pretty easy to go into a classroom and be creative. Generally speaking the kids are really sweet as well, there are naughty ones, but you develop your ability to deal with those kids, so it offers that side of teaching development as well.
I got given a jar of honey from one school which was great, because it sorted out my souvenirs for when I returned home!
Oh and that's not to mention the total of ten bottles of wine I secured from schools over my time there.

Austria is a really beautiful country, if you haven't been to a mountainous country before, then it is mind-blowing. The office is in a lovely town with some pretty big mountains and so its pretty easy to get straight into nature.

Overall it was a great experience, try it out!

I worked for ABCi for a three-month placement from December through to the end of February, and really enjoyed my time with the company.

The general work day was approximately 6 hours at a school (taking 6 50 minute periods), which, when combined with travel time and training later in the day, often resulted in some pretty long days, particularly in the first month. Over the course of the placement, the post-school training sessions become less frequent and we had more leisure time in the afternoon.

The lesson plans/activites are all provided by ABCi and are clearly explained, and are a lot of fun to run with a class of Austrian school kids.

As a relatively inexperienced teacher, I found the placement very useful for several reasons. Firstly, you get a lot of teaching experience with kids from different schools, of varying ages (between 6 and 16). Because you run the same activity programs regularly, it allows you to focus on different aspects of teaching (such as behaviour or time management). The head teacher will often observe you teach and provide useful feedback both during the class and later in training sessions. Finally, you get experience running a large variety of activities, including songs, theatre and sport workshops.

I found the staff to be friendly and supportive, and the accomodation comfortable. Overall, if you are happy to work hard and looking to get some teaching experience, I thoroughly recommend ABCi.

A great way of seeing the real Austria and a very good introduction to teaching as you are thrown in at the deep end. Social scene was good as you will be sharing your experience with at least 2 people.

The hours are very long in the week with 6 hours teaching during the day often followed by 3 hours training along with some long (but very scenic) commutes. A very central location in Vienna which is fantastic.

Friendly staff and beautiful surroundings!

I volunteered with ABCi recently and had a very positive experience. I would highly recommend this program. Ben and Frank are fair and very hard working. The staff thoughtfully listen to concerns and respond appropriately.

The program is great. ABCi is taking Austria by storm and becoming a nationally recognized non-profit. The teaching is fun, active and easy to learn. I am very happy I completed this program.

As one of the youngest teachers ABCi have ever taken on, I feel privileged at having been given the opportunity to teach and volunteer for them. In general, it is an excellent programme, if you don't mind early mornings, and hard work! The opportunity to work with loads of different kids, all of different ages and skill levels, is one that I think will be hugely beneficial to me in the future! The training we got during the first month of the placement was invaluable, and has been really useful in all of the teaching I have done since. What I would say is that following on from the first month, once we had grasped the basics, there was too much time devoted to training, which I think was because the programme that they were teaching was changing-it meant that, with the long days travelling, things did at times become very stressful!
Apart from that, though, there are only good things to be said about ABCi. The staff are really friendly, helpful and make you feel very welcome when you arrive. The country and the people you meet on the job are amazing, and the different places you stay, in Gmunden, Vienna and then roaming around, are at times breathtaking. The teaching itself is really enjoyable, as long as you take some classes with a pinch of salt, and are a fairly confident person! Some days, you get nightmare classes, but that's just to be expected, and my advice would be to do your best while you are there, reflect on it afterwards and then move on! Most of the time, it's not your fault.
Overall, it's a great volunteer programme, where you get to meet lots of lovely people, see lots of great things and gain some incredible experiences along the way!

This offered a chance to see and experience many parts of Austria, promote and teach english in a variety of schools, and lived up to its billing. From unforgettable car journeys over mountains to waking up in a ferienwohning high up and finding there was a lake underneath and mountains across the far side, obscured by the mist the night before, you will experience living in Austria, working in out of the way schools in Alpine Valleys and engaging with excited schoolkids. You will also experience commuting to work in and around Vienna, and have the chance to explore the city and country on weekends. Almost always, you will be warmly welcomed by the director and teachers of the school for the day or week and find that the kids faces light up when you engage them in the activities. It will challenge you but you will also learn much more about Austria.

One of the things I loved most about ABCi's program is the authenticity - real native English speakers immersed in Austrian schools. Since many of the schools at which ABCi teaches (at least, in my experience), are in semi-rural to rural areas, I felt that I was benefiting as much from the local Austrian culture as the students benefited from my American culture and English language abilities. Austrians are so hospitable and welcoming. At the end of my first week with ABCi, a student gave me a jar of his mother's homemade strawberry jam as a thank you!

Frank and Ben were fantastic to work with, providing logistical support, motivation, answers to questions inside and outside the classroom, and fun. Their passion and enthusiasm are contagious for both the volunteers and the students. Who can resist smiling when a burly 6'3" man is dancing like a moose?!?

I particularly liked the team atmosphere that ABCi promoted and the nightly prep meetings to make sure we teachers knew what to expect the next day. I also liked the daily recap with the students to discuss what they enjoyed. It helped me continue to advance my teaching skills.

Austria is beautiful, no matter the season. The snow covered Alps are gorgeous in the winter, and sitting along a river bank enjoying a Radler in the summer is as good as life gets!

I would definitely recommend ABCi as a fantastic place to work abroad!

As an experienced trainer who has been with ABCi for over a year now, I have taught in a variety of schools around Austria, with diverse groups of students, classroom organizational structures and teaching staff. That in itself is extremely valuable for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of and competencies in being an English teacher to non-native speakers.
Being on the move week-to-week is both exciting and challenging. It is exciting because I have worked in completely different settings all over the country - from villages to big cities, and from primary schools to high schools. It is challenging because I have been frequently away from 'home' while moving from place to place and have had to take on a new form of adaptability. The weekly programs are also subject to change even a few days before they begin, so it definitely has required me to remain flexible and accept a certain level of unpredictability in scheduling.
Even though each week is the same in terms of the program and general schedule, I have never had the same experience once. There are plenty of opportunities to give and receive feedback on the program, which has allowed me to improve my own teaching, as well as give my advice on how to adapt activities when I have felt it was necessary. I think you must adopt a particular teaching style with ABCi, but you can still adjust some activities as seems fit.
The best moments are on Friday's, when students present their work of the week to their parents, teachers and peers. Through songs, theater and workshop demonstrations, all in English, I have been consistently surprised by the unique personalities and capabilities of each student. All the hard work of the week pays off on Friday when you see the students up there on stage, glowing with nervousness and excitement, and then radiating with happiness and pride when you give them their certificate of completion at the end.
I think that moment captures the value of the ABCi program for young students throughout Austria. And, if someone truly cares about being a teacher, there is no better confirmation of the value this work has.

I completed my month-long voluntary training period with ABCi in February 2013, and was then offered a full-time position with the organisation, until July 2013. I only ever intended to stay for a month, and then to look for jobs at home in England. However, 6 months down the line, I am still here and still loving every single day! I have recently been able to extend my time at ABCi for another year, and I am incredibly excited about the further opportunities and experiences that are waiting around the corner!
I am a trained primary school teacher from England, and originally applied to ABCi because I wanted experience teaching abroad. During my initial voluntary training period, I was given the opportunity to observe other teachers, and when teaching, feedback on a daily basis in my first week. The support I received from senior teachers during this time and throughout my experience has been to the highest standard; positive, constructive feedback and encouragement goes a long way! During this time I saw my confidence in my own classroom skills develop massively.
When I returned to the organisation as a full-time teacher, they offered me full room and board, lessons to improve my German, lessons to improve my driving, opportunities to contribute towards their programme development, and opportunities to observe and give feedback to newer members of staff. My experience and qualifications as a primary school teacher were acknowledged, and as a result, I have been able to use my training to help develop the school programmes.
ABCi is a great community to be a part of. The teachers are positive, friendly and sociable, which makes the occasional early morning starts a lot easier to get through! In the past we have had many ABCi social events, including a BIERZELT CHALLENGE, an end of term dinner, a very interesting ski tour experience and a team mountain hike! The standard of accommodation and board provided is very high, and I know a great deal of thought and care is put into making these arrangements for teachers. The office apartment in Gmunden is an ideal base for experiencing Austria during the volunteer period; close by there is a beautiful lake (5 minutes’ walk), shops, restaurants, cafes, swimming, hiking, skiing, mountaineering, and numerous weekly community festivals!
My time so far at ABCi has been a truly rewarding experience, and I’m incredibly grateful to Ben and Frank for the opportunities they have given me to develop my career and confidence. I’ve had quite a few jobs since leaving school, but in none of them have I laughed so much, or felt so valued as a teacher, as at ABCi!