Travel Italy and Become TEFL-TP Certified with A.C.L.E.

You want me to share just one story? I honestly think it's impossible to only share one story about Acle because I have so many positive things to share.

In general I'd have to say that my experiences with Acle have been some of the most important that I have ever had in my life. My first time teaching with Acle I was only 19 years old, had never been to Europe, never been away from home for longer than 2 weeks, and I travelled alone. Needless to say the whole plane ride there I was thinking "IS this real?"..."IS this all a scam?".."THIS seems way too good to be true". In all honesty though as soon as I landed and met the Acle staff at the train station in San Remo, my fears and apprehensions were taken away pretty quickly.

First of all, Acle is super organized. From their staff in the main office, to the staff at the orientation week, to the camp directors/ host families. Everything is organized for you. You don't need to be thinking of how you'll get somewhere or where/when you'll have your next meal. All of that is taken care of and that takes a lot of the stress off of you. The only thing you'll need to focus on is being the best that you can be for your students.

Speaking of the students. I would have to say that my first experience with Acle in 2010 was the main reason I decided to focus on teaching as my career path here in Canada. It was the most real and raw teaching experience I had had to date. I had my own students, I had my own learning space, and I had to plan my own lessons. I also had to assess my students progress at the end of our time together. All of this combined had me realize that THIS, THIS was for me. Every challenge, every moment of uncertainty made me realize that it was the first of many rewarding teaching experiences.

If I was to focus on on camp/location to highlight it would be the City Camp I was a tutor at in Bari-the heel of the boot-in southern Italy during the summer of 2014. I mean, I could talk all day about the beaches and sun in this region, but this camp tops my list of ultimate teaching experiences. This City Camp was different from most of Acle's traditional camps. At this camp the students spend half the day with the English tutors enjoying the regular Acle program (songs, games, arts/ crafts and activities in the Acle work books) and the other half of the day is spent playing sports taught in English by Olympic calibre athlete coaches. Oh and did I mention that the camp location was at an Olympic stadium? Well...it was!

I first heard about ACLE through school mates who have done the program. Over the years I've met about four people who have done the program and I only have heard AMAZING stories about their experience. I decided to go to the most beautiful place in Europe (according to me) and do what I love most - teach children and travel. I can't express how much fun I had in my 1 week of orientation, 3 weeks teaching and a couple days afterwards to travel. I learned so much about myself and will never forget the experience I had from the program. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to do it. I can stress enough how smooth, fun, life changing this journey was for me. If you have the chance to do this, do it!

I taught for ACLE in the summer of 2011, and then again this past summer of 2015. Before heading to Italy this June, I thought perhaps the ridiculously high opinion I held of ACLE was due in part to nostalgia - surely I had forgotten certain hardships of the program, or had just gotten exceedingly lucky with the people I had worked with before. Then I arrived in my first camp of the summer and realized, nope, it wasn't just nostalgia. Working for ACLE was just as wonderful and rewarding as it was four years ago - the people were just as lovely, the kids just as fun, Italy just as stunningly beautiful.

ACLE is the perfect program for you if you're looking for a summer job that will be an amazing experience and also give you a bit of pocket change with which to travel if you're planning to explore other parts of Europe after your time with ACLE is finished. It's also the right place to be if you're looking to make some stellar friends to to do that exploring with you! Both times I've done ACLE, I've ended up traveling onward and having some fairly grand adventures with another counselor I met through camp.

Basically - ten out of ten, would do again. (And again, and again.)

I would (and have) recommend this program to anyone interested in discovering beautiful Italian cities while working with amazing people. I signed up for ACLE last year after a classmate told me how much she loved her own experience, and I was not disappointed. The camp directors are some of the most supportive, caring and helpful people I have ever met (especially the camp director in Mestre, outside of Venice). As for the host families, their genuine love and care for you is one of a kind. You are only with this family for one or two weeks at a time, and they will do everything in their power to ensure that you have the best possible time during your stay. As for the relationships you will make with your fellow tutors, it is something similar to life changing. Even within the few short weeks you will be working together, these friendships will last far beyond this limited time frame. Last but not least, ACLE TAKES PLACE IN ITALY!!! There is nothing more beautiful than the quaint Italian villages I was given the chance to see and the INCREDIBLE gourmet cuisine I experienced daily.The Italian culture can best be described as artistic, lively and loud. Chances are, you will fall in love with it.

What better way to see a country than by making its children laugh while teaching them? When ACLE say 'Emotion Generates Learning' they mean it. ACLE’s experience and positive philosophy combine to train you to deliver games, songs and exercises that the participants enjoy so much they often forget they are learning. You’ll often come out of a workshop feeling like a rock star, with participants asking for your autograph. You’ll need to work hard and be adaptable to different ages ranges and regions and be able to read the room. If you put in the energy, the kids will give far more back.

I’ve done both Camps and Theatrino. Camps are mainly workshop based. Your day goes like this: warm up circle (songs and games), then sessions with your own group (all kinds of stuff), and then camp wide activities to finish the day (such as treasure hunts). Of course there are some more formal language aspects to teach, such as bits of grammar, but whenever possible you’ll teach through something creative. You’ll be amazed how you can you can teach comparatives through a drawing, game or football chant, or whatever suits your style. You normally help your group put on a short performance at the end of the week. The younger ones are super cute, and the older ones are often surprisingly competent. I had one group ask if they could make a film, and they did it all themselves. I ended up just checking the English. Camps give a nice balance of seeing different places, but have a week or two to settle into each one. Staying with host families is one of the best bits—many Italian families will spoil you rotten!

Theatrino is more performance based, as you put on two or three shows each day, normally followed by a short workshop. The shows are well pitched for each age, are larger than life and you play for laughs. From January to June, you will see a good chunk of Italy, getting to know the different cultures of each region, and eating amazing food. Like any long tour, you need to be prepared to share personal space—make sure you get yourself some ‘me time.’ You will genuinely make amazing memories in and out of work. Certain schools, children and teachers will stand out, and you will see incredible places. We had a school in Pompeii, so popped over to the ruins after work. Months later I still keep saying ‘when I was in Italy…’

I really enjoyed working with acle, it was a lot of work and absolutely exaughsting but fantastic ! The day starts with a coffee and then a circle of students all staring at you, the moment you start "the lama song" and the children's faces light up, you feel more than awake! The energy bouncing round these camps is fantastic and everyone is there to learn English and have a great time! My host families were fantastic and one in particular was hard to leave, we shared a few tears upon departure as we had become so close over my two week stay. I have been traveling about 3 years in Europe, climbed mountains, saw beautiful things and still this was on of the best experiences I have had. If you get the opportunity, get involved! You will never regret the summer you spent teachibg incredible kids English by having fun and traveling a beautiful country at te same time :)

My first Italian adventure with Acle was in summer 2013. I was hooked to say the least! I've come back as a return tutor since and I am strongly considering coming back again for summer 2016.

Some negative reviews make the point that Acle does not care about its tutors. I think that this couldn't be further from the truth. In summer 2014, I was assigned my last camp in Northern Italy, but had to go back home due to an emergency two days before the camp was due to start. The Acle team were quick to hear me out and understand my situation. I was not "blacklisted" and they paid me the same day, even though finding a replacement for the camp probably cost them extra resources but nothing was deducted from my study grant. I have since been invited to come back as a tutor on multiple occassions, thereby showing that Acle valued me and my deducation to all the children I worked with.

I have lived with three host families so far and I can say that they were all wonderful in every single way. I was never taken advantage of (in terms of babysitting), but was in fact treating as a honored guest and even family. My last host family lived in a small two-bedroom apartament and had three kids (which all shared a room), the husband and wife were so kind that they let me stay in their bedroom for two weeks while they slept on a pull-out couch. In terms of food, they catered to me as a vegetarian and often insisted on paying for me when we went out for gelato.

I could go on forever about how wonderful the programme is but I would encourage everyone reading these reviews to try it for themselves instead of just reading about it. Hard work and dedication is necessary from tutors but what we gain back is much greater. I'm still in touch with tutors I've worked with and my host families who have invited me to come back on several occassions.

Participating in ACLE was my test the waters experience. After finishing college I thought about going abroad to teach. However, I could not see myself committing to 6months or a year in doing something I had no real experience in. Then I heard about ACLE and I applied. I was notified that I was accepted into the program whilst writing my thesis in my University's library. I was excited that I would have something to do for nearly 3months after graduating and I was also terrified because I was not 100% sure of what would be happening while I was in Italy.
Although, they try there best there are just somethings orientation cannot prepare you for. There is also a lot that they do prepare you for, but once you're in it seems a little more challenging. Either way the staff was always a great resource and very helpful. You work a lot with people who are teachers year around and they are great guides if teaching is something you wish to do. In addition your co-tutors are also there. Surprisingly many people have previous experience working abroad, meaning they have some of the best tricks and tips for getting hard to get ideas across. Besides the amazing assistance and support you get from your peers ACLE is a great source for travel and just getting there. If you are staying for the 3week minimum or the whole 3month + shabang there are a lot of opportunities to see and truly get to know Italy. One you are staying with host families and they are usually game for cultural exchange. Two you make friends along the way that take you, drag you, and call out for you to come, go, explore and see different places. My time made it so I have the opportunity to stay with people not only from Italy, but from around the globe.

Anyway, I loved my time with ACLE and my experience tutoring. Now I am exploring degrees to teach English as a Foreign Language while preparing to take several trips to see dear friends I during my time in Italy.

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