EDUCO: Teach English in Italy at Summer Camps

It’s going to sound cliche but working for Educo over the Summer of 2014 really changed my life. I not only had an amazing experience learning to become a teacher, teaching incredible Italian children & teens but I also met my husband whilst being there. Thank you Educo! :)

I was fortunate to make the transition from working for Theatrino - touring Italy for 6 months doing educational theatre in schools using didactic teaching methods through play, performance & workshops, before working at the Summer English camps.

First of all - the orientation program is a blast. You get to meet like-minded people who want to have an awesome Summer and make friendships that will last a lifetime. Then you get sent off on a train to your first host family and first city and first awesome experience of working at an English camp. That’s when the fun really begins...the fully-immersive experience of staying with an Italian family, becoming a local for 1-2 weeks and creating bonds with your team of tutors, camp directors & staff and of course the students which is a recipe for a true cultural exchange.

As you move throughout Italy seeing beautiful sights, tasting authentic Italian food and being an ambassador for a great program and your country; you learn not only more about yourself but the benefits of inter-cultural exchange.

The friends you make are such a bonus from doing this program. I was able to do several camps with one friend in particular and it lead to us travelling together on our time off with others as well. Of course once you’re in Europe travel becomes so easy & accessible. So I’d highly recommend taking advantage of this program that gets you to an already beautiful country but also allows you to include travel to other great destinations before, after or during your time off.

My advice would be to have an open-mind, be ready and happy to adapt to the different situations and challenges thrown your way. It’s all about your attitude - and when it gets a little tough and you haven’t had enough sleep (because let’s be real - travelling and working and dealing with a different culture can present it’s own challenges) you have to just smile, get enough rest and be flexible!

Have an awesome Summer in my favorite country! Be a great inspiration to those kids and a great ambassador of your country and culture to your host family and above all have a blast! It’ll be a Summer you won’t soon forget.

All in the title, this is the best job I've ever had. I heard about EDUCO through a friend I met while traveling in Southeast Asia and she couldn't stop telling stories of her experience. It sounded bogus with all these amazing benefits. I was genuinely interested to see if I could work for this company. Sure enough, 2 summers later and I'm still just as stoked to be apart of this program. When I was hired on I had the best tutors in the company training me and giving me expert advice on what I would encounter during camp. It proved so useful to me in facilitating effective lessons and crazy fun afternoon activities. Finding endless resources for songs, games, lesson plans and activities in the 'Bible' they gave each tutor. Meeting and working with international tutors to make a solid foundation for camp. Helping each other better themselves and seeing your team flourish is so rewarding. Going out after work for dinner and drinks or maybe a long swim on the Amalfi coast. Being hosted by the sweetest families in Italy. Host families have taken me around their amazing cities, cooked me dinner, made me laugh till I've cried, letting me stay on their private hotel beach. This is how you travel in Italy. I have never had such an experience in any of the countries I've traveled, like this. One of the best parts of this job are the kids. I mean, tiny little Italian kids are so interested in what you have to say and they're so adorable! They take information in like no other child I've taught. Seeing them excited to learn English will further your passion to teach better that will in turn build your resume. On the other hand, eating some of the best fruit and vegetables the world has to offer, fresh everything, eating local dishes in each part of Italy, and don't even get me started on the gelato...

This is the best opportunity you can create for yourself. I'm so thankful for the experience EDUCO has given me. I can't recommend this program more. I'll never forget this as long as I live. See you next year!

I've been working in Educo's English-immersion summer camps for 5 consecutive summers now. My friends find it funny to ask me if I'll ever spend a summer elsewhere, now that I know what it's like to experience summer in Italy Educo-style. The simple answer is no. Just can't seem to get enough. Once you experience the ever-growing love for the kids you teach, the comeraderie of the international teams you work with, the kind hospitality of the host families that welcome you in as one of their own, and spending your days under that Tuscan sun you've heard so much about, you won't be able to get enough either. Take it from someone who looks forward to summer all year around, in order to repeat this experience again and again.

Contemplate this for a moment if you will: endless pasta, pizza, and gelato straight from the source. Need I say more?

Don't let us have all the fun though (because we will)! Come join us. Come see for yourself. Come build your resumè. Come make meaningful new friendships with people from all over the world. Come create priceless memories you'll never forget.

Come see if the rumors are true. I guarantee you will not leave disappointed; you'll be asking when registration starts for the next year!

This program provides you with life skills and builds your character. It also gives you the opportunity to try new things, learn Italian and explore beautiful places. If you want to make fantastic friends and memories that will last a lifetime you‘ve come to the right place. It only takes energy and passion. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of students and make learning English fun.

I was first introduced to EDUCO's Summer Camps during rehearsals with their theatre programme, Teatrino, some of their recruitment staff came to introduce the programme to us. I knew that really wanted to stay in Italy once my tour had ended and they made it sound like so much fun so I thought why not?

I completed my orientation a few days after I finished my Teatrino tour in the first week of June, this in itself was a great experience. We were provided accommodation in a beautiful hotel in Sanremo which also included all our meals with endless amounts of coffee available. We participated in tonnes of activities and games that we would later be facilitating in camps. I got to know so many lovely people from all over the world, unfortunately you don't always get to see everyone again during camp but I did bump into a few people I made friends with at orientation.

I would say that my favourite part of Summer Camps was the host families. They make you feel so welcome, providing authentic Italian cooking and being so excited to show you around their hometown. You leave feeling you've become part of their family - I can't tell you how many times I cried when leaving my host families as it was so difficult saying goodbye.

Life at camp is a whirlwind experience, you arrive on the Saturday and meet your camp director to discuss the week's activities and before you know it you're saying your thank yous at the end of your classes final show. The italian children are so full of life and can't wait to learn English. Their enthusiasm is crazy and you fall in love with their little faces. You are given a wealth of information during your orientation and are also provided with access to endless amounts to lesson plans/games/activities etc so you are never stuff with what to do whilst at camp. If you ever have any problems from missing your train connection to feeling home sick, EDUCO are only a phone call away and do everything they can to resolve your problem.

It's a great way to travel around Italy, I had already see a lot of Italy due to my Teatrino tour however I got to see so many other places by doing camp. I also got to eat endless amounts of pasta/pizza/gelato, I could never get bored of Italian cuisine.

I would definitely recommend this programme, without it I wouldn't have fallen in love with so many of the beautiful cities I experienced and I wouldn't have been able to meet so many incredible people. I am so thankful for EDUCO for giving me this experience. I'll never forget it.

If you would like to see what camp life is like, I filmed my entire experience and uploaded the videos to my Youtube channel. My youtube name is thatsutherskid where you will be able to find a playlist dedicated to my time at EDUCO camps. Enjoy guys!

https://www.youtube.com/thatsutherskid

I originally started with Educo 6 years ago, as a way to spend the summer in Italy, 6 years on and I can't get enough. What an experience it has been. More than a job, working with Educo has been an experience for me. By far my best experiences have been focused around the host families I've met here. One took me on a 3 day boat trip around Capri and the Amalfi Coast on their sail boat, others have fed me to the point of exploding, others have taken me on holiday to the most stunning corners of Italy, all have opened their homes to a stranger and made me feel super welcome. If you want to experience the real Italy, there is no better way to get fully immersed than through Educo camps.
The camps are summer camps organized for kids of all ages in all parts of Italy. Running around in parks, putting on shows in the town piazza, random flash mobs, all these have been a part of my "job". 6 years later and I'm still excited every single time for a new camp.
Educo as a company has treated me super well, they've been quick to respond to any issues that have ever come up, made sure that I had everything needed for camps and have been well organized. The staff there are simply brilliant. I came to Italy without any training in education and the staff were great at getting me set up and ready.
So I'll be back next summer, and I highly recommend that you do as well.

I first heard about EDUCO's Summer Camps whilst on tour with their theatre programme, Teatrino. I knew that I wanted to stay in Italy once my tour with Teatrino had finished and this opportunity was the perfect way to do so.

I started my orientation in June and completed a full summer with a two week break in between where I explored some other cities throughout the country. I'd already explored so much of Italy during my tour so I was a little worried that I'd spend my time at camps in areas already visited, but the great thing was that I was lucky enough to work in completely new cities/towns in every single camp, so it was a great way to explore even more new places.

Overall, I had a fantastic experience, and I learnt more Italian and more about the Italian way of life from living with host families than I did during my first 6 months touring with Teatrino. You are completely immersed within your family environment who are always so enthusiastic to show you around their home town and get to know you. You really do become a part of their family during your time with them, and it's always pretty hard to say goodbye at the end.

Camps are great fun. You get to try your hand at teaching english as a foreign language through theatre and play and you gain so much experience, whilst having so much creative fun. Italian children have a lot of energy and such huge personalities, so you'll be constantly smiling.

There's a huge resource of games, songs, and activities to keep your camp jam packed so you are never left feeling like you're not sure what you need to do - and a one-week orientation prior to starting camps really helps you prepare for your role. And, if you have any questions or concerns, you have so many people around to support you, whether that's fellow tutors, your camp director or the EDUCO staff who are just an email or phone call away.

This experience is a fantastic way to travel some of Italy and get paid to do so. I would suggest trying to complete a whole summer because you see so much more and you get more of a variety of camps hence more experience. Also, go explore as much as you can in your free time. Your family will understand the days that you want to do so, and will also be happy to give you the grand tour. Hang out with your tutors, helpers, camp directors too - organise aperitivo, dinner, and enjoy the process of meeting new people and learning new things.

A great experience in one of the most beautiful countries in the world... What are you waiting for?