Return again and again and again!

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.