After spending an enriching and enjoyable week in Spain volunteering at an English Immersion program I was hooked. It offered the perfect mix of travel, teaching and volunteer work that spoke directly to my retired soul. Many of my fellow volunteers understood as they have completed numerous such programs with different organizations throughout Europe.
I wanted to learn more from those with more experience than I so here are their tips for making this the best adventure you can. Stick around to the end for a list of English Immersion programs available to you.
- Since flying to Europe is the biggest expense for those of us in North America you can make it more affordable by combining weeks together with your own personal travel.
- Take advantage of the cheap European airlines like Ryanair (https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en) and Easy Jet (https://www.easyjet.com/en) to move between countries. Check out train travel as another option as the train systems in Europe are excellent. I use Rail Europe (https://www.raileurope.com/) to book all my train travels.
- Consider planning your personal travels after the program. You will learn so much from your hosts and the other volunteers about where to go on your own and how to do so economically. Be flexible and don’t book too much in advance so that you can take advantage of their recommendations and experience.
- Apply early! Submit your applications this fall for next year’s programs. You will get the calendar first and choose the dates and locations you prefer. Some programs run year round and others are only in the summer months (like the teaching program I did in Spain). All of these programs fill up fast.
- The administration and organization of the Immersion programs are fairly similar so you can move between them easily. If you are flexible they all have last minute vacancies or placements and will call you in if you are available or already in Europe with flexible or changeable travel plans.
- Most importantly you do NOT have to be a teacher or speak the native language of the country you attend. In fact they prefer you do not as it would be too easy to lapse back into another language instead of speaking only English. Your accent does not matter as these programs love the diversity. I was also happy to find out that age does not matter either. We had volunteers still in university and other well past retirement age.
If you are intrigued please get more information from going to one or more of these websites. I can only personally speak to Pueblo Ingles but the other volunteers I met had done many of them.
JustSpeak – Poland
JustSpeak is an English language immersion programme based in Poznan, with the ambition to raise the level of spoken English throughout the country by way of conversational English courses. Their courses are held once or twice a month all year round. Transport to the course venue leaves from Poznan for all dates. More information: https://justspeak.pl/just-speak-english-native-speakers-info/
Angloville – Poland, Malta, Greece, Germany, France, Hungary, UK
Angloville has grown to be the biggest provider of immersion programmes and is now active in several countries in Europe. Most of their programmes are held in Poland and Hungary but they have a selection of dates in the summer for other countries on their junior programme. See https://angloville.com/calendar-2/ for their full event calendar up to August.
Speak – Italy
Speak is the first company in Italy to offer English language immersion summer camps. They offer both an adult and a teen programme. More information: https://www.speakinitaly.com/anglos/teens
Englishhausen – Germany
In 2023, Englishhausen is running its programmes from February up to November 12. More information: https://www.englischhausen.de/volunteers-english.html
Pueblo Ingles and Villaggio Inglese – Spain & Italy
Englishhausen is part of Diverbo, the same group as Pueblo Ingles, which has similar volunteer opportunities for adults and teens in Spain. Their full calendar for 2023, including for Englishhausen, can be via https://www.volunteerspuebloingles.com/calendar/
Villaggio Inglese, is the Italian arm of the business, but what we assume is their page for Anglos is, oddly, in Italian only. The only exception is the words “If you are a native English speaker and you want to volunteer with us for our Italian programs please request information here: volunteers@puebloingles.com”
EnglishStay – Czech Republic
A non profit organization in Prague, EnglishStay aims to raise the English language literacy of Czech students by enabling them to interact with native English speakers in a multicultural exchange. Information on volunteering to give one on one conversations with their students can be found on their dedicated website at www.praguevolunteer.com with programme locations and dates at https://www.praguevolunteer.com/terms-and-program-location/.
The above list is from https://www.jobsabroadbulletin.co.uk/upcoming-english-immersion-programme-dates-for-volunteers/.