A great experience!

As one of the youngest teachers ABCi have ever taken on, I feel privileged at having been given the opportunity to teach and volunteer for them. In general, it is an excellent programme, if you don't mind early mornings, and hard work! The opportunity to work with loads of different kids, all of different ages and skill levels, is one that I think will be hugely beneficial to me in the future! The training we got during the first month of the placement was invaluable, and has been really useful in all of the teaching I have done since. What I would say is that following on from the first month, once we had grasped the basics, there was too much time devoted to training, which I think was because the programme that they were teaching was changing-it meant that, with the long days travelling, things did at times become very stressful!
Apart from that, though, there are only good things to be said about ABCi. The staff are really friendly, helpful and make you feel very welcome when you arrive. The country and the people you meet on the job are amazing, and the different places you stay, in Gmunden, Vienna and then roaming around, are at times breathtaking. The teaching itself is really enjoyable, as long as you take some classes with a pinch of salt, and are a fairly confident person! Some days, you get nightmare classes, but that's just to be expected, and my advice would be to do your best while you are there, reflect on it afterwards and then move on! Most of the time, it's not your fault.
Overall, it's a great volunteer programme, where you get to meet lots of lovely people, see lots of great things and gain some incredible experiences along the way!