Teaching English in Antigua Guatemala

I spent two weeks in Antigua Guatemala with International Volunteer HQ. While I did enjoy my trip, I have a few tips for prospective volunteers. 1st, do research on the company IVHQ has partnered with as well as IVHQ. IVHQ really only serves as the connection between volunteer and the organization, outside of that, they have little control over the actual volunteer experience. The airport pick up and drop off were truly a lifesaver, and the orientation was really nice. I was shocked upon arriving in the country to find that I was housed in a homestay as it did state explicitly on the website that volunteers under eighteen would be housed in a dorm style accommodations. Thankfully, our host family was absolutely wonderful and very welcoming. 2nd, I would look very closely at the tour add-ons that you book. We booked a Kayak tour at El Paredon Beach, but ended up spending the day at a resort and taking a one hour paddleboard tour that was essentially self guided. While it was enjoyable, it once again did not line up with what the website told me to expect. 3rd, what happens is very much up to chance. In a foreign country, working through multiple organizations and groups of people, it is very difficult to ensure anything. I loved my host family and still keep up with my host mom, but I also heard volunteers who had a terrible host mom who yelled at them for little things and whose meals were so terrible, volunteers chose to eat out instead. It really depends where you get placed and what that country's program is like. 4th, I did the teaching English Program, which was really wonderful. I loved interacting with the kids and getting to know them. I was, however, surprised to learn that we received almost no guidance on how to teach the kids. As a seventeen year old, who has never taught in her life, it was a little difficult to be dumped in front of fifteen children and asked to teach them English. While it was a great learning opportunity, lesson planning is very difficult, and I would have definitely appreciated additional guidance. Travel itself is incredible, and IVHQ provides a chance to really interact with the community off the beaten path. If this is your first trip overseas, I would highly recommend it, just make sure to ask questions about everything and push for real, non-vague answers. Be ready for the plan to change, and really take time to take in the local culture. For the price, IVHQ is a good program. It allowed me to do something I never dreamed I could and helped me make a real difference. I hope this information helps. I know when I was looking at the program it was really hard to tell what the actual experience would be like.