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When I first signed up on this program, I felt that it was too good to be true from a volunteer perspective. Nevertheless, I decided to risk my investment of initial funds into this program. Having completed 3 programs, acquired a certification in TEFL and gotten my refunds from Angloville on time, I can certainly assure you that it is what it seems - very good. The value it adds to participants (who sign up to improve their English speaking skills,) is visible, real and much valued by participants.

Great conversations about a range of topics, mostly good food and nice accomodation. Let me see, what else can I say? I have another 600 odd characters to use before I'm entitled to my deposit back. That's a lot of characters. Let me think of something really useful and informative to say. Well I guess a good idea is to check if the accommodation has a pool or jacuzzi facilities. In that case, I would advise bringing a swimsuit. Yes a swimsuit is a great idea. Definitely bring a swimsuit. Now if its cold, a coat would be a great addition to your suitcase. So there you have it, a swimsuit and a coat. That's the best advice I have. Also, be kind, ask questions and treat the experience as an opportunity to learn from others. Enjoy the Angloville experience!

I was nervous and unsure at first, as the program are well organised that help me a lot gained more confidence thought the program. Excellent location in Slovakia 🇸🇰. There is 15 native speakers paired with 14 participants, because 5 native do not show up, if not there will be more breaks for us. I spent most of my morning relaxing, enjoy my breakfast and hiking around near by area. I Brought so much foods and drinks with me, but I was fed well, so ended up kept eating my snacks on my ways back to my next destination. The best meal of the day is breakfast and is all our favourite and the view of the location. I loved the coffee, tea served though out the day and cake in the afternoon. I can see the coordinates tried they best look after everyone and ensure the right meal have be delivered to the right person.

This was my 2nd Angloville experience and a great improvement on the 1st one. The programme was very well organised beginning with the tour round wonderful Prague to the train and coach journey to our spa hotel in Velke Karlovice not far from Ostrava. The coordinators were extremely efficient and professional providing both volunteers and participants with a variety of fun activities, all the time encouraging great interaction between native and non-native speakers. The mentor system was so humbling and rewarding and I was fortunate to see at close quarters the improvement in my very brave mentee (a novice English speaker of 5 months only). Thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and the wonderful people I met and can't wait for my next adventure.

This programme included a lot of talking with native English speakers. The Hungarian participants' English improved noticeably over the 5 days together. The Sarlospuszta hotel was a pleasant setting for it all, and generally it was quite well managed. Both the Hungarians and the English speakers learned a lot about the culture of the other group.
The course was run by Angloville, who could be encouraged to use Managers with more experience in dealing with people and running the programme. The most successful part was each participant giving a Presentation, which produced a varied and engaging sequence of ideas. There was a pairing up of teachers and participants in a Mentor programme, which worked well; the Presentations covered a wide variety of topics and brought the participants to life, from their enthusiasms.

Angloville was a very enjoyable programme. My first time working with them was as a Native English speaker at an adult weekend programme near Warsaw, Poland. It was well organized and I did not feel nervous at any point. The coordinator had a complete schedule for the weekend and made everyone feel comfortable. The location allowed for easy socializing between the mentors and the participants. I enjoyed the games and group activities. It was very rewarding to help participants who were eager to speak English and learn as much as they could. The program helped boost my confidence as a native English speaking teacher. Not only did the participants learn, but also, I learned so much from fellow mentors. I would definitely consider joining ther programme again when my schedule will allow for it.

The time spent here was amazing! Everyone was so friendly and so many funny stories and new friends made. I have recommeneded it to a lot of people already. I left with so much respect for the 3 countries I did it in: Poland, Hungary and Romania. The other teachers were friendly and adventurous and were keen to hang out afterwards. For people travelling by themselves it would make for a nice change of pace. The workload actually isn’t that bad if you are helping kids you find really friendly and fun and the days go past so quickly. You will be wishing for more days by the end of it. After just a week, people were crying by the end and the letters written were very touching. So many great memories made! The venues I stayed at were definitely much better than any hostel too!

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. :)