Volunteer Teaching English in Italy & Austria Summer 2025

Working for The English Camp Company was the best summer experience I have ever had. Ashleigh and Nate welcomed us with open arms. Orientation with the other tutors was fun and informative. I had never made friends so fast in a 3-day period. The orientation camp was a great way to get the ball rolling and see what the summer would be like. Take advantage of this week because it is the only time you get to work with all the tutors at the same time! The actual job didn't really feel like work because you're having so much fun teaching the best kids ever. You get so attached to your campers and host families that you never want to leave. But worry not, you are always a train ride away from the next best camp and family. The experience I received with the ECC far exceeded my expectations. I would work with them again anytime.

Organization: Extremely organized. If you have a question it will be answered. Either by e-mail before you get to Italy or by phone calls when you are there. You never feel lost when travelling from camp to camp because they provided you with more than enough information with your itinerary and how to get there. Camp directors are always one step ahead and making sure everything is planned and ready before we welcome the campers. If we were missing materials the camp director was on it right away. I can honestly say that I never felt at a loss.

Travelling by trains: One of the best parts of travelling in Italy and Austria. You get to see amazing sceneries and spend time getting to know fellow tutors. You are also getting the full Italian experience of train travel.

Host families: I was blessed to have amazing host families. Not one host family made me feel like I was not included. The families are kind hearted, open to learn about you and where you come from, have the best intentions and want to show you around. Leaving host families at the end of each camp was one of the hardest things because you didn't want to. I personally, am still in contact with some of my host families and this proves that they make it feel like a home away from home.

My first time out of the United States was my summer with ECC. As a first time traveler, I was apprehensive to leave home for such a long time. However, Nate & Ashliegh, along with the other tutors, host families, and kids at camp made me feel right at home. Nate and Ashliegh are the best bosses I've ever had, they are so organized and on top of everything. Traveling from town to town was a breeze, and their camp orientation had me extremely prepared to teach the kiddos at camp! Every tutor I had the pleasure to work with was on top of their game, and colaboration was easy an fun! We even traveled together after camp, some of the tutors will be my friends for life! can't say enough good things about my host families, these wonderful people went out of their way to make me feel like a part of the family! They cooked amazing meals and brought me to cities such as Milan and Rome. The days at camp were alway fun and well organized! Everyday I was amazed by the kids and their excitment for English. You will work hard, you will meet amazing people, eat wonderful food, see beautiful place, and never want to go home.

My experience with the English Camp Company was absolutely incredible. Nate and Ashley are great and they definitely make sure that you are well prepared to teach english efficiently at all the camps. The training week is a blast and very informative. Everything is set up perfectly: the host families, the various camp locations, the train tickets. Every new location was a new adventure and getting from one place to another was very simple. This is an excellent way to see the country. I was able to be in the very south of Italy, as well as up north. And then the transition to Austria blew my mind. Each culture was fascinating and there is plenty of time outside of the teaching hours to discover the food, people, and country. Finally, the children at the camps were a joy to work with. Their energy was constant!

I genuinely cannot express how much I loved working with The English Camp Company! The weather is generally glorious, the campers are so much fun and I personally befriended people who I hope I will know forever!
Although the days are long at camp, they fly by and before you know it, you'll be devastated that camp is over and you have to leave the kids for another town! :)
The host families are soo sweet and will go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable and well fed! Similarly, Ash and Nate (the company directors) take good care of you from day one of your application and are always just a phone call away!
If you want to have an amazing summer and meet plenty of interesting and hilarious people, then work with The English Camp Company! :) :)

Many adjectives can be used to describe my experiences in Italy, and pretty much all of them are positive.

This experience not only gives you the chance to put some work on your CV it gives you something I think a bit more important than that, memories, and friends which can last can last a lifetime.

There are I would say 5 things which make this summer job special

1. The orientation where you meet people from all across the world, share stories, play games, learn camp songs, and also gain professional advice and experience in teaching English as a foreign language. An absolute blast.

2. The host families. You would have to be VERY unlucky to have a host family who doesn't take excellent care of you. In my experience my host families were bordering on perfect. The food was exquisite, and the general level of hospitality is something I have never experienced ever before in my life. They always take care of you, no matter what. Just make sure you respect them and don't take them for granted. I couldn't express my appreciation enough.

3. The work. If you love working with kids, and that's important, you couldn't find a better job. You start the day with singing camp songs, and go into lessons which you can make your own, just as long as the kids can understand what you are doing! Making the lessons fun is paramount in my experience, as bored kids = a bad experience for them. When they have fun and enjoy what they are doing, you have fun. But make sure they are learning English at the same time.
The afternoon activities are also a blast, and you can get involved yourself, just don't be too competitive! It ranges from sport to crafts to water games, and you might be terrible at one activity, so just as long as you can explain WHAT they have to do and give them guidance, you don't necessarily need to get involved, as you might be worse than the kids are! But even at the end of the day you are tired, and the first thing you do when you get home is sleep, in the morning you won't have a problem getting up and going to work I promise. If you do then you're in the wrong job.

4. The people. First our bosses (Nate & Ashleigh) were tremendous in giving us help and support both in orientation and when we were at camp, although at camp you usually liaise with your camp director if you have any issues. You get the opportunity to know them a little, and talk to them which I think is great, as in some workplaces you can feel a distance between your employers.
Then secondly is your fellow staff members. These are the people who I think make the experience what it is. You are all there for the same reason, so you should all at least have something in common. I had so many laughs with the people I met, they were the greatest people, both as professionals and as friends. I can't emphasise how fun it was to spend time with these people.

5. Travel opportunities. Not really work related, but if you are lucky enough to go to a camp which is near some famous sights, your families might be willing to take you there, and also if you are financially stable you might be able to see some of the many gems which Italy has to offer. In my time in Italy I saw, Pisa, Florence (twice), Venice, Milan (where I saw AC Milan play), Cesena, Cinque Terre, and many other beautiful places which I'm sure you will have never heard of. Italy is probably the most beautiful country in Europe.

So if you're thinking about applying just do it. You won't regret it.

First, Nate and Ashleigh set up an amazing orientation program that takes place in the beautiful town of Assisi. I had little experience with teaching, but had a lot of camp programming experience (coming from the Canadian "camp scene"). During orientation there was ample time to learn and employ all of the new skills necessary for the upcoming weeks. During orientation week, I met an amazing group of people that I had entirely too much fun hanging out with. The orientation week was an awesome way to do teambuilding and to have a ton of fun before starting camp.

During the next 6 weeks, I lived with many amazing host families that I learned so much from. They were incredibly welcoming and ECC had definitely spent time looking into the families to make sure they would be suitable.

The experience is amazing because you get to move around to different parts of Italy and see interesting sites in different places. The company pays for your train tickets from one town to the next, Nate and Ashleigh truly have every detail worked out for you. Usually you live close to other tutors, so you have the chance to hang out with them and their families as well.

I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone! This was my first time travelling (ever), and the experience was amazing for sightseeing, as well as for learning about the culture through the amazing families and people that you meet. Nate and Ashleigh were great to work with and were really well organized, which made the entire summer in Italy run smoothly, truly amazing!

I feel extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to work for the English Camp Company. Nate and Ashleigh are extremely friendly and supportive and make sure every tutor feels prepared for camps, as well as there being lots of opportunities to socialise. The organisation is very well organized, from very useful inductions, to travelling to camps, to working at camps, etc. This is a great opportunity for exploring new places and experiencing the real Italian culture. I was fortunate to work at two very different camps; one large camp in a fairly big city, and a small camp in a tiny village. This was great as it means you get to experience different lifestyles and this is an enriching experience. The camps are very fun and I would recommend this programme to people who enjoy exploring new cultures, working with children, and enjoy variety, as every day is different. The kids are a pleasant to work with and get really involved with the activities. Other tutors and camp directors are extremely friendly, and everybody seems to work really well in a team and become good friends. There are also chances to go to places some nights and on the weekend, so it’s a great social and travel experience as well as a fun working one.

Amazing company! All the support you could wish for and more. Locations vary so much, right from the south of Italy to the centre of Austria, means that every camp is completely different, in children, ability level in English, host families and surroundings.
The training you receive prepares for all aspects of the job, leaving you with no queries or doubts about the job.
The host families are selected with a lot of care, the tutors safety and happiness always being at the top of priorities.
The English Camp Company is a small business, meaning everyone works as a team, and becomes very close over the summer. Because of this community feel throughout the summer, it often resulted in a much higher work ethic at camp, everyone was on hand to help you, make you laugh, socialise after camp, help you plan lessons... The list goes on!
I cannot rate this company highly enough. If you are looking to travel and earn money at the same time, this rewarding, humbling experience is perfect!

Best summer of my life, all down to Ashleigh, Nate and The English Camp Company!