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Location
  • Mexico
    • Isla Mujeres
Length
2 to 44 weeks
Project Types
Arts Childcare Community Development Youth Environmental Conservation Education Teaching ESL Professional Development Tourism

Program Details

Age Min.
18
Timeframe
Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment Host Family Hostel Hotel

Pricing

Starting Price
700
Price Details
Teacher Training
2 weeks: $700 usd *
3 weeks: $1,050 usd *

TEFL Certification Program
4 weeks: $1,500 usd
Additional weeks: $250 usd each

GAP Year Program
5-month program: $7,211 usd
10-month program: $11,1134 usd
6-month Scholarship: ALL FEES WAIVED. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree, upper-intermediate Spanish level, experience with children, 6-month commitment.

*2 and 3 week program volunteers receive an accreditation certificate for teaching hours earned. The TEFL Certification requires a minimum of the 4 week program.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa
Oct 03, 2018
Jan 13, 2017
Wish List
20 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

VolunQuest is proud to be the only private organization that allows volunteers to participate as teachers in the public school systems in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Our volunteer teachers teach the national English curriculum to students during regular school hours, and work alongside the full time teachers of Isla Mujeres. We offer a 2-3 week Teacher Training, a 4-week TEFL certification program or a 5-month and 10-month TEFL Gap Year program.

All of our volunteers go through an orientation, professional teacher training, have continuous supervision, are given access to materials and resources, as well as are provided with a teaching certification from the Secretary of Education, accredited by the Mexican Ministry of Education. This is a unique opportunity for volunteers to gain invaluable experience and references, all while seeing that they are committing themselves to a project that is truly sustainable and making a real difference in the community.

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Program Highlights

  • A Teaching Certificate through the Mexican Ministry of Education (4 week program minimum) or Accreditation certificate for teaching hours earned (2 or 3 week program)
  • Full immersion into the local community
  • Collaborative lesson planning and material creation
  • Access to office materials which include school supplies, a printer/copy machine, printer paper, teaching materials, etc.
  • A letter of recommendation upon successful completion of the program

Program Impact

Our goal is to provide an exemplary teacher training experience abroad that mutually enriches the local community and the lives of our program participants. We accomplish this by fulfilling the need for English teachers in the public primary schools of Isla Mujeres with aspiring teachers looking to gain valuable experience and an unrivaled TEFL teacher certification abroad. For the children in this popular tourist destination, learning English is a necessity, not a luxury. Our students need to learn English in order to become successful members of their economy and society.

Program Reviews

4.43 Rating
based on 14 reviews
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  • 5 rating 85.71%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 14.29%
  • Impact 4.6
  • Support 4.25
  • Fun 4.45
  • Value 4.25
  • Safety 4.75
Showing 9 - 14 of 14 reviews
Default avatar
Julie
32
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Teaching on Isla Mujeres

Jun 21, 2014

Teaching in Isla Mujeres was an amazing learning experience for me. I had never done anything so rewarding for myself, as I had teaching ESL to the students. Everyone that we worked with was incredible and helpful. The people on the island were accepting to us. I enjoyed being on the island, and you are able to fully immerse yourself in the Mexican culture. The program director was very kind in everything that she had planned for us, including dinner with the mayor, which was an honor to have attended. I am also thankful for the supervisors that helped us through the teaching process.They were very informative and helpful in the classroom. Everything that was organized for our group, I am truly thankful for. This experience was rewarding and and I would highly recommend it to other volunteers.

69 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
sarah
32
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Isla Mujeres

Jun 21, 2014

Teaching for VolunQuest is one of the most incedible experiences I have had in my lifetime. Because it is a relatively new program, I didn't really know what to expect before I arrived. Once on the island I was immediately in love. There were a few hiccups with training, but I would not count that against the program. Our stay was shorter so we had a shorter training. The people in charge of this company are very dedicated to making it work and making all volunteers feel welcome and appreciated on the island. This program offers amazing opportunities to all volunteers and I feel confident in saying once you go to Isla once, you will want to return again and again.

What would you improve about this program?
The program could use more English books in the library.
75 people found this review helpful.
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Response from VolunQuest

Sarah, we are so happy to hear about your positive experience in our program and on the island. We too agree that Isla is a place that you visit once and will return many times after. We also agree that a longer training is more beneficial to the volunteer. In the normal 4-week TEFL Certification program, we have a full one-week training and for the following three weeks there is constant teaching supervision in the schools. Unfortunately, when we do the group program with the University of Maine, the volunteers are here for a shorter period of time. We realize this stood as a challenge when your group came, so we have since worked with the University of Maine to improve the program for everyone. As we are entering our fifth year working with the university, the group now only comes for a short two weeks. In this two-week period, the university has expressed they would like for the teachers to have as much time in the classrooms as possible. In order to make this happen, they have agreed to offer the in-depth training beforehand and then we offer the access, guidance and supervision to enter in the schools. They complete this pre-training in a semester long course where they will pre-plan lesson plans and go through the National English Curriculum. We believe this agreement is beneficial for everyone because the volunteers will feel more prepared and they will gain the teaching experience necessary for their course work. We feel fortunate to have a great working relationship with Professor Julie DellaMattera to collaborate and make the experience better for both sides.

We are happy to share that over the last several years, our English book collection has grown immensely due to the generous donations of tourists who travel to Isla Mujeres as well as the incredible support from the foreign resident community. It has grown so much that we will be opening a public library in the new Project Rescate community center opening this fall, which is part sponsored by VolunQuest.

By VolunQuest VolunQuest on August 8, 2018
Default avatar
M
32
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Good Experience, but not with out its challenges

Jun 11, 2014

Working with Volunquest was a very rewarding experience. I highly enjoyed being with the kids on the fine island of Isla Mujeres. I loved the culture and the people there and I think part of me will always belong to the island. As far as the program goes, things had a rough start. The supervisors Heather, and Rania, were very helpful and supportive and went out of their way to make our time in the schools successful. Unfortunately, the first several days of our experience were confused and challenging because the expectations were not clearly given by management. It was frustrating to be working so hard for the kids on the island and not to know entirely what was expected of us. It seemed, at least at the beginning, that the manager did not have time to be truly present and to give us the information we needed to be successful. The supervisors were not given the correct information either. After perhaps 3 days of floundering and not knowing entirely what we should have been doing, we were provided with the curriculum and the precise expectations that Volunquest had of its teachers. From there things became exponentially better and far more rewarding. It was much easier to teach in the schools when we had a standardized plan to do so. Heather and Rania made this experience successful for me. I think I have said more than once to my classmates on this trip that "Heather is a saint." She was very patient with all of my questions and concerns and helped me to reach my full teaching potential. Although Kristen is a very intelligent and driven woman and her work on the island is invaluable, she was intimidating and demanding at first. I think this was as much a learning experience for her as it was for us. I hope she too learned how to teach others and that this experience will cause other people's experiences to be more fruitful.

What would you improve about this program?
The program could be improved by having more detailed "nitty-gritty" training days before we are sent to work in the schools. In addition, I would say it could be improved by a more openness between management and volunteers and having clear expectations for the get go.
72 people found this review helpful.
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Response from VolunQuest

M, we are happy you had a rewarding experience working with VolunQuest, because it is always a pleasure to work the University of Maine volunteers. We completely agree that a more detailed training before heading into the schools is crucial for the teachers. In our regular 4-week TEFL Certification program, there is a full week training and orientation before heading into the schools. The University of Maine group is a unique situation because the trip was only 3 weeks. We do acknowledge the bump in the road with training for your group and in order to make it more successful in the future, we have worked with the university over the last four years to develop a better agreement.

The university has expressed that the goal for their teachers is to gain more experience in the schools and less time in training. Since it is one of our main goals to have more training time for the teachers, in order to make this work, they have decided to make a semester long course where the volunteers pre-plan lesson plans and go through the National English Curriculum. They receive an in-depth training before heading to Isla Mujeres, and once here, we supplement this training with supervision and guidance in the schools. We agree that the expectations of responsibilities from the University and VolunQuest should openly be communicated with the volunteers. We are always striving to improve to build upon the success of our program and to provide the best experience for our volunteers and students.

By VolunQuest VolunQuest on August 8, 2018
Default avatar
Taylah
32
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Isla Mujeres 2014

Jun 1, 2014

More training could have been offered, but luckily everything worked out fine. We were here to teach the children, but we also learned a lot. It was one of the best experiences in my life and I would definitely do it again.

What would you improve about this program?
The only thing I would change is to have more training at first.
69 people found this review helpful.
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Response from VolunQuest

Taylah, we are pleased to hear you enjoyed your experience and learned a lot in your time in the program. It has always been VolunQuest’s mission to be as mutually beneficial to the volunteer as it is for the children learning English. We definitely think a longer training period is more beneficial for the volunteers as well as the students. In our regular 4-week TEFL Certification program we have a longer training period as well as extended supervised teaching hours. As you know, when we have the group program from the University of Maine, the volunteers are here for a shorter period of time. We agree that just because a group is here for a shorter time, more training is still important. Since we are now entering into our fifth year working with the University of Maine, this has been addressed and we have established an agreement to make sure the volunteers receive a more in-depth training in the class with their professor before arriving in Isla Mujeres. From there, we supplement this training with advice, support and supervision. We have agreed upon training before arrival with the university because they now only comes for two weeks. VolunQuest’s goal is more teacher training, which the university provides and the university’s goal is more physical time in the classroom for experience, which VolunQuest provides. We are grateful for the awesome working relationship we have with Professor Julie in order to make this a successful experience for everyone. We hope things are well and that life brings you back to Isla Mujeres someday!

By VolunQuest VolunQuest on August 8, 2018
Default avatar
Ellina
27
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An exceptional experience

Oct 12, 2013

From the feeling of safety to the great outdoor activities that its location has to offer to the amazing learning experience of working in the classroom to the kindness and warmth of my host family, this program provided me with an altogether exceptional experience!

A unique, sustainable program with incredible potential!

76 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
Julie
50
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Isla Mujeres' main income is from tourism. Therefore they NEED to know English.

Oct 7, 2013

The ladies that run Volunquest are great. They are very helpful and easily accessible. They want to make sure that you have everything you need and also have a good time while you are on the gorgeous island. Isla Mujeres has tourists from all over the world and English is often times the language that connects everyone together. The children will have much greater opportunities making a living here if they are taught English. They are fantastic and so eager to learn that they even spend their 30 minute snack break in the library learning more English.

What would you improve about this program?
They need to put a fan in the library because it is extremely hot. There is no a/c in the schools. Also, they could use some more books that are in both English and Spanish.
78 people found this review helpful.
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Questions & Answers

Are there any retired teachers? Do teachers share accomodations and expenses? Are children eager to learn and disciplined?
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Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Tara Woessner

Program
Teach English in the Public Schools of Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Job Title
Director of Marketing & Recruitment
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Tara lives and works locally in Isla Mujeres as a member of the VolunQuest team. She is in charge of Marketing and handles program inquiries and applications. Having been a VolunQuest intern herself, she adds a special dynamic to the application process, helping applicants pursue the same adventure of Teaching English abroad in the Caribbean!

What is your favorite travel memory?

In Isla Mujeres, my favorite memory was when I swam with manta rays and whale sharks. I felt like a mermaid, and was in awe swimming next to these gentle giants in their large, ocean home. It was a memorable day as I was reminded of the amount of beauty and adventure Isla Mujeres has to offer beyond its sandy beaches.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Since working for VolunQuest, first as an intern and now as a Director, I have grown in so many ways. As a teacher, I became more creative – whether that was for lesson planning, or impromptu moments in the classroom when a lesson didn’t go as expected.

As a Director, I have gained confidence and adaptability. I have been given leadership opportunities and taken on tasks I never thought I’d be able to handle. I enjoy my role in the recruitment process because I get to help an adventurous spirit take on the same journey abroad that I was lucky enough to experience.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

Being in charge of hiring, I get to learn how people heard about VolunQuest. I often hear of applicants being recommended by a friend who has previously volunteered with us. It is extremely rewarding to know that our past participants are just as passionate about our programs as we are, and that they wish the same special experience for someone close to them.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

As a previous scholarship recipient to the VolunQuest internship, I feel a little bias toward this program. Not only did I learn and grow as a teacher in the classroom, but I gained so many unforgettable memories.

The island is a special place, and you truly immerse into the local community. I was working in the public schools, but would see my students every time I left my house. I enjoyed the length of the program because after being abroad for five months, I felt confident as a teacher, learned about the culture, and improved my Spanish immensely. Above all, this internship has purpose – you feel and see that you are making a difference every single day.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

VolunQuest is unique because we are the only volunteer program in Mexico whose teachers are allowed into the public elementary schools of Isla Mujeres. We work side by side with the local teachers and government, and teach Mexico’s National English Curriculum. Our program works with around 1,500 students on the island, and all of their families.

This is why I feel I am a part of the community. I am especially proud of our team every time I step foot in the classroom; this is where I see the progress of our students as a result of the hard work and dedication of our volunteers and interns.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I believe a company is successful when there is passion and purpose. We are successful because we are passionate about the work we do for our students. Our company believes in the programs we offer and our purpose here as educators in Isla Mujeres. We seek this same passion when hiring interns and those eager to volunteer with us.

About VolunQuest

VolunQuest's volunteers are all professionally trained, supervised and given a certificate of teaching hours completed from the Secretary of Education of the state of Quintana Roo. Our goal is to provide an exemplary volunteer experience that mutually enriches the local community and the lives of our volunteers. In addition to teaching English...