Program Reviews

Last Spring with my retirement looming I decided that maybe what I needed was a retirement adventure. After all, every year for the last 52 (one way or another), when Fall came around I was starting school. And in the coming year, the fall of 2019, I would be starting... nothing. So I did a little research and came up with the perfect solo adventure.

I had heard of a program called Angloville, where native English speakers traveled to other countries to work with adults who wanted to improve their conversational English. Angloville has programs in several European countries but the country that captured my imagination was Hungary. Shortly before WWII my fathers family immigrated to the United States from Hungary; I had always wanted to see "The Old Country" so working with Angloville seemed like a great fit.

My trip to Hungary coincided with the first week of the new school year. I was too excited about my upcoming adventure to miss any of my old routines. I planned to fly to Budapest where I would spend a few days on my own and then meet up with the Angloville group and travel to the Varga Tanya Hotel in the heart of Hungary, near the Kiskunság National Park..

After a few days on my own I joined up with the Angloville volunteers and our fearless leaders Astrid and Kornél . The other volunteer English speakers were from Northern Ireland, Scotland, The US and South Africa. Early on in this adventure I knew I had found my people, funny, talented, kind, open hearted and irreverent, because of course, I am funny, talented, kind, open hearted and irreverent. The Hungarians were a bit more nervous at first, but soon they were open to the experience of living outside of their comfort zone.

During the week each native speaker was assigned one Hungarian to mentor. The mentoring would culminate with a 5 minute presentation, in English. Additionally the native speakers met with other Hungarians in a variety of sessions including one on one discussions and group activities. Each night ended with a good glass of wine and folks just sitting around chatting about life. Language camp, with wine, for adults, how could life get any better!

I was seeking an adventure to begin my retirement and that is just what I got. The Angloville program helped me kick-off this new phase of my life and blessed me with a host of new friends. I'm ready to go boldly into retirement and live my dreams. :)



I did 3 programmes and they were awesome! To Help others is incredibly rewarding, these kids are eager to learn and it is a great opportunity to participate in their learning experience and impact their lives just by having conversations with them.
Thank you Angloville and Poland! I will see you next time.

It was so amazing to connect with people from other cultures, to see the world from their point of view. Instead of just reading about world events I got to experience them up close and personal. Being a foodie I loved experiencing the centuries of food traditions from the making of cheese from goat and sheep milk to the timeless pierogie. My biggest aha moment came when I saw that the people in all these cultures loved, laughed, took care of their children, fell in love, and celebrated life like every one else on the planet, it became so clear that we are all one. No matter who you are, what you think, what color your skin is, what food you eat, or where you sleep we are all one. It was wonderful meeting people with whom I will be friends for rhe rest of my life.

This was my first experience with Angloville, and I enjoyed it very much.

The programme was well organised and participants and volunteers were enthusiatic and motivated. The atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to participate again next year. The volunteers were of different ages (from their 20s to their 70s) and the participants had different levels of English (from basic to excellent knowledge); some were participating for the 3rd or 4th time, so they must get something out of it. The coordinators were also very friendly and they ensured smooth running of the programme. We were very lucky with the weather too. What else can I say - I think this all covers it, no? Besides, I think it's the quality and not the quantity of words that describe the experience.

Angloville was a unique experience and lots of fun. The location of the hotel was beautiful and very peaceful. It was a 2 hour drive out from the city of Brno into the hills near the Slovakian border.
The highlight has to be making friends with the local Czech people who were delightful and so eager to learn it made the conversation classes a pleasure. Angloville provided excellent course materials and all the arrangements ran smoothly. The facilities in the hotel were satisfactory, though the menu was rather repetitive. Evenings were spent socialising together which included games, a campfire and live music.
The city of Brno was a real treat to explore and an opportunity to learn some of the local history and culture. I would definitely book another course next year.

Its important to remember that you are bringing the English language to them in context which includes your native culture, idioms, special usage of words from your country. It was a unique experience and really enjoyable to work with folks from another culture. I enjoyed every minute of it but it was not always easy work. You are, after all, in a teaching mode for many hours per day. We enjoyed one of the exquisite venues chosen by Angloville. This was a pre-WW1 Palace in the Country. Classes were held in the large rooms within the Palace. The food was plentiful and delicious and organized efficiently. Interaction with the mentorees was valuable and an opportunity to make life-long friends. I was very happy to have completed my first Angloville experience and hope to participate in a future group.

Angloville was a truly awesome experience with loads of great people - participants, fellow volunteers and staff were all enthusiastic, excited to be there and super interesting people. The accommodation was nice enough, with comfy beds and plenty of food, and the countryside location was stunning. It helped that during the week I spent there, we were I credibly lucky with the weather! The programme as a whole was incredibly immersive and such a great way to get to learn more about Poland and Polish culture while working hard to give something back! I was lucky enough to have some amazing conversations with the Junior participants, and genuinely looked forward to speaking to them each day. Will definitely be coming back, for much longer next time!

I loved being able to help the participants & found it very rewarding. I could tell they were really determined to improve their English. The accommodation in Hungary was great, the food was delicious & apparently quite traditional which I liked. I definitely recommend the experience for anyone wanting to help others and explore another countries culture. They provide a free city tour at the beginning of the trip, overall I absolutely loved Budapest and again found the program rewarding to be able to help others and meets some amazing people along the way. We all had lots of opportunity to be social and enjoy ourselves whilst putting work in during the days.
I would love to do another program in one of the other countries they have on offer

At first I was hesitant, but getting to Slovakia I met the most amazing mentors and most importantly the most amazing young kids. Without realising, i started to develop bonds with each if the kids through asking them questions and soon we would always end up in full blown conversions about common interests. Not only do they practice their conversational English but you make friends with people you never though you'd encounter. Late evening get together and games that weren't even planned gave us the chance to get to know the kids and the mentors really well. there were tears shed on the last day as I believe the effects of the programme had really impacted not only the kids but all of us native speakers as well. I would definitely do this again

My husband and I volunteered in the Czech Republic and in Hungary with Angloville. We had done some programs with another company so found ourselves comparing...and Angloville ranked high in fun and effectiveness of their program. Thank you for the opportunity to join you and we look forward to doing more.... Poland? Malta??
The communication was good, all the way through from signing up to the finish. You do need to ask for your refund, though.
The leaders were professional and added their own unique flavour to the experience.
The food was amazing and so were the accommodations, with friendly staff and ease of checking in, etc. We enjoyed running in the mornings and walking with the students conversing through the beautiful surroundings.
We recommend this program.