EDUCO: Teach English in Italy at Summer Camps

I just completed my second summer with Educo and it was, in a word, amazing (see: title)! I can’t recommend this experience enough; you’re able to travel to and explore Italy, whilst being able to be a tutor at a camp- with is incredibly rewarding and a lot of fun too!
Every host family I’ve stayed with has been warm and welcoming and eager to show me the area. Every part of Italy is full of its own culture, food, and sights; it's an incredibly diverse country.
Tutoring at the camps is its own experience. Being part of a great team, all with the focus to make the camp as fun as possible, whilst being educational and teaching campers English, is unlike any other experience I've had. Play games! Teach songs! Direct a play! Film a Zombie Apocalypse video (a personal favourite memory)! Every camp and place you leave you take with you; you really do make memories for life. If you’re in any way interested in travelling and education this is absolutely the role to apply for!

I had the pleasure of spending a month in Italy with Educo. I spent one week in training, and three weeks in camps. I spent two days in Bologna prior to meeting the team I was very nervous and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but once I met the team I was instantly at ease. Three of the tutors met me in Bologna train station and drove me to the place we were staying. On that night I met with the entire team and everyone else and everyone was so friendly at welcoming.

Initially when the training started initially it was a bit awkward but we were given an amazing amount of support and training that after two/three days, it was fine! Once training was complete, I was feeling pretty emotional! If you decide to do this, you will bond with people and you will make some great friends, even though some of them you may only be with for a week. The next day I went to meet my first host family and Educo organised all of this (including transport). It was the same with all three of the host families I stayed with.

Within the camps, you may be with some tutors from your training, but you may be with return tutors, or both. For your first camp, you will probably nervous but after an hour or two, you'll start to feel at ease. After a couple of days, you will start to feel comfortable with what you're doing. Educo give you everything you could possibly need and they even give you a big manual which has planned lesson examples for every different level you could possibly teach. You will be teaching a class (usually of 8-12 kids but it can be bigger or smaller), but you will most likely have a helper with you (who is Italian) so you get stuck or need help, they are there. The only thing you have to be aware of is that not all kids behave nicely all of the time.

If you're thinking of doing it, DO IT! It's not something I ever thought I would do but it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. Overall Educo will help you feel at ease, everybody is super supportive, and Educo will give you everything you need any more. Also if it helps anyone with dietary requirements, I'm vegetarian and Educo catered for this and let the host families know as well.

It was extremely rewarding Traveling around to some amazing places around Italy, while living with host families during your teaching weeks. It creates an authentic experience for you and families you get to stay with. The food is amazing and the group of people you get to work with is exceptional and so unique.

It’s also great that you create wonderful relationships with your other co workers. You eat together, laugh together , sing together and act utterly and wonderfully silly together. It leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction and togetherness that you share at the moment with people you work with. All that mixed with amazing food and wine and beautiful scenery creates bliss.

So I would highly recommend this for young adults and even older ones looking for a change in scenery and pace.

Having only started my Educo journey this summer, I already can’t wait to come back next year! Educo is the perfect answer to anyone looking to work travel and have a fun and rewarding experience over their summer. You get to meet such interesting and fun people, brush up on your Italian language AND experience delicious home made Italian cuisine every evening! What could be better?! My favourite aspect is that you get to embrace Italy in such a unique and authentic way. You can feel more like a local than a tourist, and your host families honestly treat you like one of their own! You have the opportunity to visit the most beautiful locations that you’ve probably never even heard of and really feel like part of a wider family. The Educo team are always fast to respond to literally any request or concern and are reliable and supportive in every way. Educo is honestly the best way to make not just professional connections but friends for life and the best stories to tell. You can earn AND save money whilst simultaneously gaining incredibly rewarding experiences with kids, getting a qualification as a TEFL teacher and discovering the delights of Italian culture! Can’t recommend enough!

Working with EDUCO has been one of the best experiences of my life. To be able to spend months travelling around beautiful Italy, enjoying the culture, the cuisine and the climate has been an incredible opportunity.

For me, there are so many positives about the Programme I could write for hours, but I'll keep my review to the most important 3: the families, the friends and most importantly the kids. (I'll save the best until last)

1. The families are incredible, it is easy to think that they are just people who give you a room in a house, but they are so much more than that. Every family I have stayed with have been incredible, they invite you into their lives and into their family. They treat you to all of the best food and drink Italy can offer, in fact, my last host family who lives 10 miles north of Vicenza asked what my favourite foods were and made an effort to cook it for me. (The Italian version of a Roast beef dinner is very special) .

2. Over the course of summer, you work with a number of other tutors from around the world, and for me, making theses new friends was one of the best parts of working with EDUCO. I have since travelled to the USA, to Ireland and to France explicitly to see some of my old colleagues. The friendships you make with EDUCO are friendships for life!!!

3. Lastly and most importantly are the kids / the campers / the Italians / the crazy and energetic bundles of joy that keep me coming back year after year. The students are absolutely brilliant, they are so full of joy and energy and wonder that it makes me wonder why I say working in the UK for the rest of the year. Of course, working with children there are challenges and tough moments, but the smiles and laughter on the children's faces makes it all worth.

I love EDUCO any everything they do [I am already planning on returning next year]

Working with Educo is wonderful. You have one week of training with a beautiful team who are there to support you as much as they can! You then get to travel around Italy and get paid for it! The teaching can be daunting but once you realise the kids are there to have fun and learn English you end up having just as much fun as they do! Staying with host families that look after you and are so welcoming and accommodating, I’m vegan and Educo informed all my host families before hand of my dietary requirements and the families definitely made sure I had enough to eat! You will hardly ever travel alone and you get to form some really strong relationships! Wonderful company to work for! I would definitely recommend this programme if your looking to explore Italy, meet some great people, teach some beautiful kids and eat some awesome food!!

I heard about Educo through a friend who lives in Italy, and I’m so grateful to have had this experience!
I was at a loss here in the states as to how I should spend the summer months, so I did some research and discovered this opportunity to teach Italian students English through drama while traveling and experiencing authentic Italian life! Needless to say, I didn’t hesitate to apply!
For orientation, Educo set us up in a really nice hotel on the Adriatic Sea! I met other English speaking tutors from all over world and I made a ton of new friends and connections. During orientation, they fully prepared us with all of the information that we needed before we were off on our own. After orientation, I was ready to meet my first host family, travel Italy and teach! During my summer with Educo, I had the opportunity to work in camps from Parma in the North to Napoli and Senise in the South of Italy and I ended my summer camp experience at a camp on the beautiful Lake Garda, near Verona. It was really great to see different regions and experience different customs and traditions across the country. During my teaching experience, I also was able to take a week off and travel Sicily! I can’t think of a better way for a teacher to explore this beautiful country while doing what you love!
The schools in which the summer camps are held were all very different but the camp activities were universal! Educo kept every camp fully stocked with supplies for teaching and with materials for the final show. Italian kids are really affectionate and warm, they make you feel welcome and they’re so excited to have a native English speaker as their teacher! There is a final show that your class performs at the end of every camp which is a great way for campers to get creative! Their families are so excited to see them speaking English and having fun while they do it! It’s always sad to part with your camp at the end. I still have artwork and letters that my students made for me! Also, don’t worry about speaking Italian! The camp directors prefer that you only speak in English and there is always enough support in your camp, you’ll never be left in the dark.
The host families that you stay with will always have a kid attending the summer camp that you are working, so they usually will drop you off in the morning with their kids at the camp. Every host family that I stayed with were so incredibly hospitable and welcoming! They will take you out to eat and sometimes coordinate with the other host families for events, trips or parties! Also, be prepared to stuff yourself on authentic Italian cuisine during your stay! Italian families love to feed you and take care of you. Its equally hard to leave your host families when the camp ends. On Facebook, I’m friends with every host family that I stayed with while traveling!

This company was a pleasure to work with! Educo staff are personable and always available for questions or concerns while you are at the camps. I met the Educo staff during orientation, and I kept communication with them via Facebook or email for the entire summer.
I cannot recommend this program enough! It was an experience that will stay with me for forever!

I heard about Educo through a friend who lives in Italy, and it was such an incredible experience! I plan on going again next summer! I was at a bit of a loss here in the states as to how I should spend my summer. My friend, knowing my background in both Theater and Education, informed me of this opportunity to teach Italian kids English through drama while traveling the country and experiencing authentic Italian life! Needless to say, I didn’t hesitate to apply and once I did, I knew I was in for a lifechanging experience! For orientation, they set us up in a really nice hotel, on the Adriatic Sea! I met other English speaking tutors from all over world and I made a ton of new friends and connections. During orientation, they fully stocked us with all of the information that we needed before we were off on our own. After orientation, I was ready to meet my first host family, travel Italy and teach! During my summer with Educo, I had the opportunity to work in camps from Parma in the North to Napoli and across the South of Italy. I ended my summer at a camp on Lake Garda, near Verona. During my teaching experience, I took a week off to travel Sicily as well! The camps were incredible and well stocked with supplies. Italian kids are really affectionate and warm, they make you feel welcome and they’re so excited to have a native English speaker as their teacher! The play, in English, that your students perform at the end of every camp, was the best way to end a week or a two week stay! Your students families are so excited to see them speaking English and having fun while they do it! It’s always sad to part with your camp at the end. I still have artwork and letters that my students created for me while I was their tutor! On facebook, I’m friends with every host family that I stayed with while traveling. Also, don’t worry about speaking Italian! You are given a helper with each group of students and they are fluent Italian speakers! The camp directors prefer that you only speak in English anyway! The host families that you stay with will always have a child attending the summer camp that you are working, so they usually will drop you off in the morning with their kids at the camp. Every host family that I had were so incredibly hospitable and welcoming! I stayed on a luxurious vineyard by the biggest lake in Italy! Also, be prepared to stuff yourself on authentic Italian cuisine during your stay! Italian families love to feed you and take care of you. As if this isn’t incredible enough, you are paid weekly by Educo with room and board and travel costs accommodated for! Educo staff are personable and always available for questions or concerns. I met everyone in the Educo staff during orientation, and I kept communication with them via Facebook or email for the entire summer.
I cannot recommend this program enough! It was an experience that will stay with me for forever!