Program Reviews

During my final week of camps I was lucky enough to be placed in Milan. I had the youngest group of children which I was initially really worried about due to the language barrier. However, my students were all absolutely amazing and an absolute pleasure to teach all week - and in some cases their English level was really good! During my free time I got the chance to explore the city and I very quickly fell in love. Milan feels exciting and like there is always something happening. We stumbled across Milano Film Festival one night which was an absolutely amazing experience; watching short films from all over the world on a big screen in the middle of the park was something that I will never forget.

Alright where do I start? I am 22. Just finished varsity. I was not enjoying the 'office' environment. I found ACLE. And the following happened; I received my degree, bought a flight ticket, resigned form my desk and off I went putting all my ambition, adventure, hope into a company I had never heard of. I have not looked back. This 3 month adventure became one of the most spirit filling, passion igniting moments of my life. I met beautiful people, from the orientation week, host families, directors, students and of course fellow tutors and ACLE staff. I found out that I am passionate about education and the revolutionary system of teaching that is encourages these Italian students to learn English. If there is one place I would recommend to enjoy a summer and perhaps jetstart your life...ACLE is it!

My First time in Europe! Who doesn't want to travel through the gorgeous Italy, experience the culture and living for free with authentic Italian families. The families go out of their way to accommodate you and show you the best time in Italy, the best food of that area, Gelateria's and more. Our Assistants at one camp was amazing, I am still friends with them. They organised a whole trip to the sea by Rimini where there was Famous Music Festival that weekend. I will never forget that weekend. I was also very fortunate to get placed in a 2 week camp in Sardinia, the beautiful Italian Island with transparent turquoise waters. Our family took us on a boat trip to all the famous beaches - it was breathtaking. BEST WEEKEND EVER! My time is Italy was unforgettable, it is hard work everyday and tiring. But it is all worth it when you can eat a mouthwatering gelato on the hot pebble streets of Florence or swim in the Mediterranean ocean by Sardinia and get paid for it.

I cannot put into words how much I loved this summer - the tutors, Italian people, families, helpers and children were all so amazing. I got to see so much of beautiful Italia and I am so grateful.

Overall I was at four camps - 3 two week camps and one 1 week camp. I was fortunate enough to begin camp up near Milan and was then moved down outside of Rome, then outside of Naples and then moved back up again to a small town outside of Milan.
I took the opportunities at the middle weekend of my two week camps to explore the amazing cities of Italy with my fantastic co-workers. I got the opportunity to visit Milan, Pompeii and even Venice where we booked hostels and stayed the weekend. My host families were more than happy to give me advice as to where to go and bring me to the train stations. During my one week camp outside of Rome my host family brought me on a grand tour to see all the major attractions and even to the Vatican. I was truly spoiled.

You need a lot of energy and enthusiasm to work at these camps. My biggest camp had 11 tutors and 115 children! I was crazy. The children are crazy, but it was so much fun. I bonded with my class and got to know so much from other tutors about their lives and culture. Of course there was different personalities and everyone was so creative and wanted their ideas heard, but at the end of the day it was about putting the children first and not fighting among ourselves, and we got on great and all the activities were fantastic (and were useful in draining some of the children's energy). Also, tactical 15 naps during our breaks also helped keep our own energy up to keep going during the day.

The hardest thing for me was leaving my families, especially when I was with them for two weeks. They were all so inviting and considerate. I didn't have one bad experience. It was sad to leave them and then open your heart to a new family, but the new families were always so good it was easy to fit in right away. Italian families live off of What's App and I am still in contact with them all.

ACLE always paid on time and I worked for a full seven weeks. We were asked if we needed a break in the middle to go on hold for a week, but I wanted to work so didn't take the offer. The camps are tiring, but so worth it. I like a good sleep in, but not once did I complain about getting up at 7 in the morning because I loved my job and I wanted to work.

I had a great social life - both with the families and my co-workers. The families sometimes paired up with another tutors family and would show us around together or go out for dinner. There was never a problem when I asked if I could meet up with the other tutors. Sometimes even the helpers and assistants would join us on a night out which was great because they knew where to bring us.

There is so much more I could write about my experience this summer. I didn't want to come home I loved it so much. I would and hopefully will go back next summer or the summer after. I now have friends all over Italy and all over the world after working with such amazing people. I recommend ACLE to everyone.

If you're an easy-going, open-minded, positive and enthusiastic person then this is the way to spend your summer. ACLE allows you to experience Italy in a way that no holiday ever could - by being totally immersed in authentic Italian life. The host families for me were by far the best part of the experience - all my families were just incredible. They will go above and beyond to ensure you feel comfortable, welcome and FULL in their family home. My families were eager to bring me to visit local sites of interest as well as take me to events, parties and family gatherings - you really are part of the family, but equally they understood if I wanted some time to myself or a night out with the other tutors. Some of them spoke little or no English which at first was daunting but as long as you approach the situation with a positive attitude it's fine - you'll be surprised how much Italian you pick up and how far their English progresses in the week or two you stay with them!

Camp life is .....exhausting but simultaneously amazing. One thing to stress is that you MUST love working with children! Entertaining up to 100 kids who don;t speak your language for hours every day is tough and you need passion to get through it. However it's also fantastic fun and the days fly by. ACLE prepare you really well at orientation with songs and games and you're always working in a team at camp so you have plenty of support from other tutors, helpers, assistants and directors.

In general I found ACLE to be very prompt and helpful in replying to any questions or queries i had about anything - they are always there on the phone or e-mail. Also all my camp directors (who speak English) were really helpful and there to help you with any difficulties you have.

Unlike some of the other posts on the forum, I enjoyed the social life ! Possibly it depends on the tutors you are working with but most days after camp we would go for a spritz....or two....and head to the local nightclub/beach party Friday nights. In general I think the ACLE experience is all about what you make of it. If you are the type of person who lets the slightest difficulty get you down, it's probably not for you. If you are adventurous, up for trying new things and tend to see the positive in challenging situations, you will learn a lot and have an incredible time. One of my favourite things about the program was that you never knew where in Italy your next camp would be until 3 days before you had to leave! It's all about making the most of the moment. And make sure you travel when you're finished in camp!

If you take this program for what it is, you can have the time of your life. No- you aren't going to be able to make much money,or any if you are traveling from afar. No, you are probably not going to have an amazing social life- most of your evenings will be spent with host families. There is not any flexibility in terms of where you go, who you go with or stay with, what you eat, your sleeping arrangements (I once shared a bunk bed with a kid...) your daily schedule etc. You have to be SUPER flexible. You also need endless energy and to genuinely enjoy working with kids. But it does offer you an opportunity to see the real Italy like no tourist possible could, and make connections (with Italian families and tutors from around the world) that last a lifetime. 5 years later I am still in touch with host families and fellow tutors. Here is the low down:

PROS
- they do pay, and pay on time. In Italy this is rare
- host families tend to be awesome and extremely hospitable
-you get to see the "real Italy" and small town life
- fellow tutors include lots of very cool interesting young people
- the kids can be very cute (but beware- see below)
- assuming you get work, you won't pay for a thing during your camp weeks.
- one of the only jobs in Italy you can have without a work visa (but tach out see below)
- I actually made more money with acle than I did later on working for a language school in Italy. That's not saying much, but still...

CONS
-some tutors can be obnoxious and immature.
-if you aren't a great tutor you will probably be put "on hold" with no work, pay, and often no place to stay (have money set aside to travel)
- if you do work the whole time, there is no time for a social life or travel- camp will be your life.
- sometimes you will feel like you are being held hostage by your host family. They will want to spend every waking moment with you,
- you will likely spend most of your summer around Milan and bergamo- that's where the work is.
- the are some camp directors who are genuinely crazy and make your life miserable. On the flip side there are amazing ones too.
- the company recently got investigated for tax evasion. This doesn't surprise me at all. They are very disorganized and claim that you are a "volunteer" to get around work visas. The whole thing is a little shady, but won't affect you if you are just looking for a fun, unique summer experience.
-the office definitely plays favorites- their favorites are clear at orientation, and those people will continually get the best assignments.

I would definitely recommend this, but only for those who are willing to accept the above conditions. For me it was worth it, but it's definitely not for everyone.

I enjoyed my first several weeks with ACLE and the host families were amazing. The little kids are super adorable and will fall in love with you immediately. Orientation was great and I felt quite prepared. However, I started having issues with the other tutors early on. I got along with most of them, but every once in a while you WILL get a tutor who will think his/her opinion and teaching style is superior to all other tutors. I only had one other tutor like this in my entire summer, but the other tutors, including me, did not feel like we were able to give the best week to the kids. It is difficult to work with domineering individuals with big personalities, but that does occasionally happen in this job.

During one of my camps, I was placed with a few other tutors who, for some reason or another, hated people of my nationality (I was the only one from my country there, as was the case in most camps). Starting before the first day, I was already subjected to the worst stereotypes of people from my country. The other tutors would use some pretty offensive words to describe me, my country, and my people but then tack on the obligatory "no offense," as if that made it okay.

It got to the point where the other tutors were shouting at me in front of the kids. This was often because they would plan afternoon activities differently than what we discussed and I, not knowing of the changes, would somehow manage to screw it all up. I do not want to get into the details but just know that I was both verbally and physically intimidated. In no way is it ever proper for another tutor to become physical with a coworker, especially the way these people handled me. It was dehumanizing and embarrassing. I don't believe that this was an issue with me, because the rest of my camps went perfectly. I was usually sent off with other people who were just like me. For some reason, I just landed with a couple of people with very strong prejudices.

Of course, as other reviews have said, ACLE does not take complaints very well. I think that they have gotten better than they have been in the past, but there is still no proper support structure for tutors having my kind of experience. To be honest, I could go way deeper into all of the issues I had with this group. I don't have to over exaggerate because what happened to me was completely and totally inappropriate and unprofessional.

I spent 6 weeks working with ACLE and had a great time. Overall I found the other tutors and the camp directors to be friendly and helpful, the host families to be very accommodating, and the country to be beautiful. I never ran into any problems with a lack of camp materials and the one time I had a serious problem at camp (we had a horrible camp director), ACLE staff were very supportive. It is exhausting work and if you're coming from far away, you're lucky to break even, but I had a wonderful time and would highly recommend the program.

On paper it looks great: travel around Italy, teaching English to cute children and live with host families. And when that's actually what's happening, it is wonderful. But ACLE have no qualms about leaving you in the lurch without work or a place to stay at the last minute and sometimes send you to camps with no host families and put you in a flat, miles away from where you're working, with hardly any supplies. Sometimes, as happened to me once, with no supplies at all. If you dare to say to the office that you don't think their treatment of you is unfair you will receive such a rude telling-off (you think you can stand up for yourself? This is ACLE, think again) as you've ever had in your life.
ACLE are not stupid, they know they're onto a goldmine with this scheme: there are always plenty of people who would love to come to Italy for the summer - and so they do not treat their employees with any respect whatsoever. Why? Because there's always someone else there waiting to take their place. Why treat someone well if you can easily replace them? I'm sorry to say this but employee satisfaction and happiness means nothing to these people and there are other companies who are much better. Stay well away from ACLE.

My one advice to you if you want to travel and work- get a work visa, pick ANY other company, anything but STAY AWAY from ACLE. This organization lures you in with the idea you will be traveling, but they do not have any intentions to follow through with what they say. I want to share with you my experience as an example of how horrible they were to me.

Before buying my ticket, I consulted with them and asked if I would have at least 8 weeks of work. I was told yes, definitely. So I purchased a flight and sent them my flight information (one of their requirements). ACLE knew that I would be in Italy for 10 weeks. I arrived, paid for one week of orientation, and I was off. First 2-week camp was near Rome and the host family was a dream. I was sad to leave them but I was sent to Sicily for the next two weeks. The train ride was 12 hours- and the train ticket ACLE gave me did not guarantee me a seat. I ended up sitting in the hall of the train and had to get up and move every stop so people could get through. I should have seen this trip as an ominous sign.

My camp in Sicily got off to a great start. First week was fine. That first weekend though I started feeling ill. I went to the doctor and it was confirmed- I had chicken pox. One of the children in my previous camp had had it, and although unlikely, as a 22 year old, I got this strain of chicken pox. Of course, I couldn't go to work that week, because I risked getting everyone sick. I called ACLE and told them that I couldn't work, but that the doctor told me that the following Monday I would be all clear to work with children again.

ACLE: Oh sorry, we can't offer you any more work.
Me: WHAT? I'm here for another 5 weeks. I need a job, how am I going to survive?
ALCE: We're very sorry but there's nothing we can do. We have no more work for you.
Me: You told me you had at least 8 weeks of work for me. I can work next week. I can travel to any camp this weekend.
ACLE: Sorry nothing we can do.

These people effectively left me stranded in Italy for 5 weeks. They knew I was from the United States and couldn't just hop on a flight back home.
I speak Italian fairly well and tried to get a job as a waitress, but of course couldn't because I didn't have a work visa- because they didn't require me to get one.
They never called to see how I was, or to offer me any camps. Friends I made in orientation told me they were told they wouldn't be offered work for several weeks, also leaving them stranded.
They effectively ruined a trip I thought was going to be unforgettable.
Don't let them do the same to you.

STAY AWAY FROM ACLE.