GeoVisions Blog

Why Do I Have To Pay To Teach Abroad?

It used to be "why do I have to pay to volunteer?"  These days, since more and more people want to earn a salary while they travel, we have more and more people taking Au Pair and teaching jobs abroad.  So of course we now hear, "why do I have to pay to get a job?"

During my 34 years in this business, I have met teachers who have had horrible experiences when they think they are going into a fantastic overseas teaching job only to find out they are not going to a real school, but a corporate school and not a true International school.  They have been caught in a signed contract without having visited the school or met the administrators.  Where do they turn without a support team who's only job is to look out for you?

At GeoVisions, we have pre-screened the school and the position and in most cases, we have placed teachers at that school before.  We make sure you're being paid the highest salary possible.  We provide a formal orientation, starting when we pick you up at the airport.  We help you with your visa, your formal documents and we make sure your new school is ready to receive you.  In fact, if your placement doesn't work out, we will move you to another school.

A few days ago I saw a great post on Business Insider called You Can Hire Someone To Help You Get A Job.  So I want to share some bits with you here.  You can also read the entire article by clicking here.

More and more people are unhappy with their careers and seeking the help and support of professional career coaches.  And traveling abroad to teach.

First, get clear on your goals.  Are you going to get out of the U.S. and become an ex pat?  Or are you going for a semester or academic year to get experience so you can come back to the U.S. and get a teaching job here?

Part of your fee includes helping you assess your strengths (and weaknesses) and how to get that on paper to get the very best job you can.

GeoVisions has the knowledge of what's out there and available, given your job history.  And we'll put your application packet together for you, highlighting all the great stuff.

Anyway, you can read the post here, because some of you may not be looking for a teaching job.  But after you read the post, if you have other suggestions, please add your comments below.

"The Path Less Traveled" Is Less Painful Today

Here we are on the evening of Passover, and it is also Good Friday.  It's Easter Weekend here in the U.S. as well.  Reflecting on these events happening this weekend, I wanted to update you on our teacher in Italy, whom I asked you to support last week in her deepest time of need.

First of all, thank you to all of you who took a moment to send her some positive thoughts.  Even if, when you read the post you thought, "that's awful," I want to thank you.  My wife was once asked if I am a religious person.  She quickly answered "no, but he is spiritual."  And I suspect that came out in my last blog post...I do think positive thoughts make a huge difference in life.

We received comments from around the world.  We received emails and phone calls of support.  Some from places I could not have imagined when I wrote the piece.

I have to share with you that our teacher was in Intensive Care (a term we use in America for a hospital ward with the most gravely ill patients) and she and her family had to take it a day at a time.

I remember talking to Lisa, who handles insurance matters in our office, and I simply could not hold back the tears.  Obviously I felt horrible for our teacher.  And I kept thinking about how devastated her host family was feeling, and about how the children in the family simply could not comprehend was was happening or how they would deal with all of this.  I felt all of this emotion for the host school and all of the students, who's world one-day was beautiful and exciting, and then next was uncertainty and not understanding how good things can go quickly wrong.  I felt horrible for her family here in the U.S. who would simply never think about Italy the same way again.

Today, as we start this amazing holiday weekend, I wanted to write and tell you that our teacher, after 10+ days of Intensive Care, has been moved into a regular hospital room.  The virus is responding to the medication and slowly leaving her body.  She still has a very serious bout of pneumonia.  So she is not totally out of the woods.  But each day there is small improvement.  Her host family has been to see her and have been able to touch her and speak with her, giving new meaning right now to Conversation Corps!

Thank you, each one of you, for your thoughts.  Your kind words.  Your support.  For your help, no matter how slight or far away. In banding together to mentally support this incredible woman and her family...immediate and hosting.

Have a wonderful weekend, no matter how you celebrate it.

"The Path Less Traveled" Is Sometimes Very Painful

I am going to write a post about something most Execs don't write about.  And I'm going to ask for your help at the same time.

Most organizations don't go public with information like this, but if you follow GeoVisions at all, we really don't fit the mold of "most organizations."

We have a teacher in critical condition in Italy. If you believe in prayer, she could use one.  If you believe in good, positive thoughts, she could use some.  If you believe in positive energy, she needs lots of it.  Please.

The volunteer teacher I'm writing about is 65 years old and she has done an amazing job.  Her community, school and host family just instantly fell in love with her.  She brought many years of teaching experience with her to Italy and a never-ending supply of love for children.  Her enjoyment of the English language was contagious and kids were so excited to get to her class.

Our volunteer teacher became seriously ill, and she is very, very critical.  To the point her family has now come to Italy to her bedside.

The community and school leaders I have spoken to do not have enough words to describe this teacher.  She went to Italy with the intention of making a difference in the community where she was to teach.  Her students love her and her host family goes to the hospital each day, hoping to see her.  But so far they have not been able to go to her room.  She is that ill.

We heard that "people in the community had to ask her 100 times what she needed, before our teacher would ever ask for anything for herself.  She never wanted to worry or bother others, or intrude in their lives."

I will one day write a post about making sure the organization you go with has the very best insurance to cover these things, and getting family to the bedside and intensive care.  But this is not the time for that.

These are tough days here in our offices.  But not nearly so as it is in a small hospital room in Italy.  And we cannot forget that there are students in a small school who miss their visiting teacher.  A host family that doesn't understand.  I'm writing about an amazing woman who left her family in the U.S. for a rural community in eastern Italy, to simply do good work.

I've been doing this amazing work for 38 years.  I, too, was a teacher in a rural school and community.  I know how attached you can get to students and their parents and the community in general.  We do this work because it is a celebration of life and cultures.  A celebration of a common passion, driven by unequaled core values.  Those of us who do this for a living, and our teachers and volunteers choose to take "the path less traveled."

Take just a minute, please?

Another Volunteer Blog In Spain

Kayla Walnock arrived recently in Madrid on Conversation Corps-Spain.  As a member of the GeoVisions Community Pages, she is writing a great travel journal about her experiences.  If you're thinking about Conversation Corps (or Spain--or both) give this travel journal a good read.

Kayla is having a great time.  You absolutely have to look at the photos of the two girls Kayla is tutoring (sample on the left).  When you open the most recent journal entry, look over on the right under the map.  As I write this, there are 6 photos.  As you look through the photos, you can see Kayla is having a great time and she has some great students in those two young girls.  Very precocious, I think!

We love to share travel Blogs and travel journals from our volunteers and teachers.  Just click here.  We have a lot of them to share with you!

We hope you will have a look, maybe subscribe to Kayla's pages and find out if Conversation Corps is for you!  We hope so.

A New Volunteer Abroad Blog From Costa Rica

We get a lot of questions about other volunteer and teacher Blogs.  We get so many of them, sometimes they fall through the cracks to be quite honest.

If you click on this link:  GeoVisions Volunteer and Teacher Blogs you will see all of the ones we have highlighted over the years (and more recently) and we hope you will see something you like.  If you do, let the author know by subscribing and commenting.

You can also go to our GeoVisions Community Pages and choose a country that interests you.  Read those journals if you like.  You'll need to join the GeoVisions Community if you want to comment.

So there are two places for you to go and read from our own teachers and volunteers.  We don't edit anything so what you see is exactly what we got.  And besides, if everything was perfect...like reviews...wouldn't you wonder who actually wrote that stuff?  I mean, seriously.

We have a new Blog from one of our volunteers in Costa Rica.  Named Costa Rica Kisa, you will find this Blog to be fun to read and very informative.  Plus, the Blog is full of great photographs.

Enjoy!

Conversation Partner Italy-Two Volunteer Blogs

Robin Vaughn is an amazing cook, an amazing teacher and an amazing traveler. GeoVisions is so lucky to have Robin in Italy right now living with a host family and helping Italian teachers there teach English. Robin will be in Italy February, March and April.

Robin is very active with her host family. She keeps them busy…and they keep her busy as well. She's a great teacher. She also writes a travel journal on the GeoVisions Community Pages. You want to click the link below that will take you to her travel journal and read her entries and look at her photos (and cartoons).

In addition to that she writes a cooking Blog, A Bird In The Kitchen. I have subscribed to the cooking Blog because the recipes for Italian cooking (which she's doing onsite all the time) are amazing and the photographs capture all Robin is experiencing these 3 months.

If you're interested to know how you can use the GeoVisions Community Pages, Robin has it going on. You can learn a lot looking through her journal pages.

If you're interested in Italian wine and food…check out that food Blog of hers.  I'm sure you'll be a subscriber, just like me.

And if you're interested in Conversation Corps-Italy or the program Robin is on, Conversation Partner-Italy…her two Blogs will help you make up your mind to choose one and put your butt in an airline seat.

And if you're interested in one of our THREE summer camps, being a counselor and teaching some English during camp activities…Robin is in the Marche region, exactly where two of the three camps are located.

Italian Summer Camp
This camp is on the ocean, you live in an apartment and bicycle to the camp each day.  You can view a video of last year's camp experience right here.

Italian Summer Camp-Macerata
This camp is a 30-minute train ride to the beach.  You live in student accommodations or shared apartments.

Coming Soon:  Italian Summer Camp-Naples

Robin's two Blogs are model Blogs and you can't go wrong taking a few minutes to look them over. We hope you'll be in touch and let us help you get to Italy.  Perhaps you'll add to Robin's recipes.  Or you'll start a painting Blog...or you might write your first novel.

Teach In Thailand--Our January 2012 Group Of Teachers

It all began on Sunday January 8th, 2012. The January intake group for GeoVisions' Teach in Thailand program met Kevin and Jaco in the lobby of the Ratchada Hotel in Bangkok for their debriefing. After a little question-answer session, the group headed back to their rooms in preparation for the journey to Hua Hin on Monday morning. All of the students shared 2 minibuses for the two-hour drive down the coast. As soon as they arrived, everyone had a choice between three different accommodations. 12 of the students chose the Hillside, while 3 chose accommodation closer to town. For the rest of the first week, the group had Thai language classes, culture and politics lessons, as well as getting bank accounts, sim cards, and scooters sorted out.

In honor of the group’s successful first week in Thailand, we held a Braai on one of the most beautiful beaches in Hua Hin. On their first Friday evening, the staff, our January group, and even some of our friends from the Wildlife Rescue Centre joined to celebrate their new adventures. Everyone was telling stories about home and anxiously asking questions about Thailand or motivations for coming here. After one full week the teachers are settling in well and starting to build the type of connections that will last a lifetime. As the night went on, the food was served, drinks were finished, and the conversation dwindled.

As a supplement to the practical portion of the TESOL course, students get to observe an English lesson at a local middle school. The class is currently working on their food module. The teacher, a native Thai woman, revisited vocabulary from the day before, and had the teachers create bubble charts (one main idea in the middle circle branching off to other ideas) for the various types of food. An example was “Brainy Foods” and vocabulary that fell underneath the category was blueberry, banana, strawberry, and milk. The students were divided into groups, but sent an individual to present the bubble chart to the class. Through observation, these soon-to-be teachers get to see different forms of classroom management as well as how to teach older kids.

Throughout the TESOL course teachers are given many opportunities to practice presenting lesson plans. We encourage our teachers to act as if the classroom is filled with Thai children, giving instructions and eliciting vocabulary much like they will in their teaching placements. There are three main types of lesson plans, but teachers can be creative with the activities that will help the children learn vocabulary and conversation skills. Our teachers this month are all doing very well, and we cannot wait for them to get out there and teach!

For more information about the "Teach In" programs offered by GeoVisions, check out our Teach in China, Teach in Korea, Teach in Thailand and our newest, Teach in Vietnam programs to learn how you can travel to Asia, become a teacher and earn a great full time salary with excellent benefits.

Our Volunteer Abroad Insurance Policy Will Not Cover This

At GeoVisions we pride ourselves in the insurance that comes standard on any program we offer.  $0 deductible.  $500,000 in coverages.  Political and natural disaster included.  You name it, our policy includes it and every programs from 2 weeks to 1 year has it included.

There are times, however, that we get questions about what is not covered.  This 4 minute video shows a few items that our policy will not cover.  But if you can do any one of them and live through it, our entire staff would like to meet you.

In all seriousness, if you have 4 minutes to spare, this video will leave you breathless.  And if you do any of this stuff, send us your video.  We will feature it here.  

Some Real Ideas To "Help Me Teach" Abroad

Guest Post by
Betsy Bruneau
Help Me Teach Desk
GeoVisions

So, you are traveling to a new country to teach conversational English as a member of the Conversation Corps or as a Conversation Partner! What an opportunity. If you don't already know, soon you will learn where you are staying and the age of your "students." Now it’s just a matter of figuring out what to cover while you are there.

My name is Betsy Bruneau and I am a teacher of English language learners. I have worked with children of every age and have also taught adult education. And I also run the Help Me Teach desk here at GeoVisions. I'm here to help you with very particular issues. All of the help I provide during your program is specific to your own situation. Feel free to email me anytime.

I can honestly say that there are advantages for teaching every age. Even if you are working with students in a capacity that you did not expect, chances are you can find your niche with them. Remember to have fun. This is an adventure in teaching conversational English so it is less formal and the possibilities are endless.

If you are teaching children of any age, be sure to check with their parents and guardians to determine what they expect from your stay. You can do that even before you depart your home country. Often, they will want you to work on a specific skill in order to prepare their children for an upcoming task, test or visit to an English speaking area. If you are teaching adults, the same applies. Several of the tutors who are teaching adults right now are preparing them for a component of their job or an upcoming test.

The first couple of days may be awkward but try to imagine yourself welcoming a tutor into your own home. They will want to know a lot about you. So bring some personal affects with you. They will, most likely, be interested in seeing pictures of your family and friends. They will also want to see the region of the country from where you come. Bring postcards of places you have visited or pictures of your hometown. Bring American magazines and newspapers. If you are teaching teenagers, they would probably love to see more about how American or Canadian teenagers live. If they are interested in sports, music, art, etc., bring media that
focuses on that area.

Be prepared to answer questions about your life here. They may want to know about government or politics. They may want to know what the fascination is with American sports or the Kardashians. There are so many possibilities. Be sure to brush up on the goings on of the country that you will be visiting. This will allow for some back and forth between you and your family and also reassure them that you are interested in their lives and their country.

A few years ago my family hosted a sixteen year old from Germany for the academic year. We spent the first couple of days just finding out about each other and sharing pictures. We talked about favorite meals, pastimes, hobbies, etc. We talked about the expectations that we had of each other. It was not awkward because we didn’t rush into anything. Try to take your host family’s lead. And when you arrive, arrive prepared to show your hosts that you are serious about this venture.

Most of all, have fun.

I hope to be hearing from you when you're on your project if you need any help.  And if you want to reach out before you depart, do that too.  I spend a lot of my time working with GeoVisions participants even before they leave for their assignment.  Don't be shy!

The Joy Of Quiet Conversation Volunteering Abroad In Jordan

I'm not sure where I found the Blog, A Little Adrift by Shannon O'Donnell. I'm glad I did. I highly recommend her travel Blog. She started traveling in 2008 on an around the world trip. Now she travels at her own pace and documents everything that happens on the road.

Shannon wrote a post about Feynan Ecolodge located in Jordan's Dana Biosphere Reserve. I was thrilled to see the post because GeoVisions has an incredible Conversation Partner program at the Feynan Ecolodge. We supply them with English tutors for the staff. And by staff I mean front desk workers, maids, restaurant workers and even the guides.

As the post points out, we need English tutors to live at the Ecolodge to help staff with their conversational English. And if you're looking for a place to recharge the batteries, look no further than Feynan.

If you any interest in Jordan, conversational English, ecolodges or finding a place to just "be" and have time to disconnect from the Internet, Feynan is a great place. I hope you'll read Shannon's post about her experience at Feynan. She posted some great photos too!

This is a great time to revisit Pico Iyer's NY Times piece last December entitled "The Joy of Quiet." Iyer writes, "Nothing makes me feel better — calmer, clearer and happier — than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It’s actually something deeper than mere happiness: it’s joy, which the monk David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”

If you read Shannon's post about her experience at Feynan and then take a look at Iyer's article, and if you have any desire at all to travel to Jordan, contact us. We can put you up at Feynan Ecolodge and make sure your room and your meals are covered. We only as 20 hours a week of your time to help all of the staff there speak conversational English. And as you see in these articles, you'll gain much more than you give.