I spent the last two summers teaching English at summer camps in Italy, and have been lucky enough to travel around the north of the country, including Milan, Florence, Verona, Pisa, Venice, as well as lots of beautiful little towns that you may never have heard of but will instantly fall in love with. Since returning to the UK things haven’t been the same, so I realised it must be ‘amore’. Now that I have almost finished my i-to-i TEFL course, I am looking to start my next Italian adventure as soon as possible!
Why Italy?
First of all – the food!
Italian cooking is popular the world over, and with delicious fresh homemade pizza, pasta in all shapes and sizes, and more flavours than you could imagine of the most appetising ice cream in the world, you’ll be hard pushed to find a tastier nation!
Here we are in an award winning pizzeria!
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When you are feeling tired in the morning from enjoying the Italian nightlife (they love a good British pub too!) nothing will perk you up better than a classic espresso (or two, or three) or the native cappuccino. But be prepared for a few culture shocks – while we Brits ‘do coffee’ as a social occasion for a long lingering conversation, in Italy you down your shot and go! I also found myself eating cereal from a mug, but when in Rome…
Another reason to teach in Italy is that the Italians really want to learn English! I barely turned a corner in Milan without seeing a poster for English lessons, British School, or one of these beautiful billboards... in the true Italian accent, of course!!
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Our students were so happy to go to English camp that they would turn up to school in a variety of ‘English’ t shirts with slogans such as ‘As the saying goes: A cat in gloves catches no mice’, ‘I know ALL what I want’, and my personal favourite, ‘Boung girl scat forever you’. At least they’re keen!
One of my most amusing moments with my class in Milan happened when the kids were making posters and chattering away as they coloured in, so I listened to their conversation thinking they’d be having the usual debate, ‘Which is better, Harry Potter or Winx?’, but was surprised to hear them discussing the latest situation with Berlusconi. I soon realised I had a class of very mature six year olds on my hands, but they forgot all their political worries as soon as I introduced them to the Hokey-Cokey!
You might also find yourself having a few misunderstandings… on my first evening in lovely Iseo this year, I was invited out to a party at a ‘camping’ with my host’s daughter Elena and her friends, and as there were a lot of mosquitoes I was told to dress appropriately, so I obediently donned my leggings, trainers and jacket, then Elena arrived to pick me up, in her little black dress and sparkly high heels. Turned out the ‘camping’ was in fact a hotel. Ooops!
All in all, Italy is a fantastic choice for teaching English – the lovely people will instantly make you feel at home, the language is fairly easy to pick up and you’ll find yourself adopting the notorious Italian hand gestures in no time at all, and the weather and food is divine. A country so steeped in history and culture, but still unmistakeably European, it is so easy to adapt to the dolce vita.
The only really difficult part is having to come home!
I leave you with this picture of me gallivanting on a gondola... And if you enjoyed my blog and would like it to be in with a chance of winning the Come TEFL With Me competition please leave a comment - "I vote this one"!
Thank you! :)
Grazie mille! Ciao!!
http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd479/KatieAmandaS/?action=view¤t=italy2177.jpg
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oh Daniela there is another company who do a similar scheme in Italy, called 'Lingua senza frontiere', so might be worth a look at that. I can't tell you much about them as I don't know anyone who worked for them but it looks like they do a pretty similar thing to Acle but are possibly a slightly smaller organisation
:)
Hi Daniela,
That's ok, glad you enjoyed my post :) absolutely happy to give you info, I worked with the company ACLE for the two summers, you can find their website here - www.acle.org where you will find loads more details and info on how to apply. I would suggest getting in quick to be sure of a place for the summer! Well worth doing :) I'm off to teach in Brazil in January for five months, but I have applied to acle again for a third Italian summer after I finish my job in Brazil!
What and where are you studying?
Hi Jonny, thanks for your vote and nice comment :) I love the dog!!!
I would say have a search online for jobs but I know a few people here have moved to their tefl destination and then looked for work. I guess if you are comfortable doing that then it's a good option, I don't think I'd be confident finding work that way but plenty of schools don't advertise online so they might only hire you if you were already resident in the country and had gone directly to them. Have a look online first, try tefl.com and google search 'tefl jobs' or esl jobs italy.. good luck!
Katie
Hi Katie,
Sorry I'm reading this too late to vote for the Come TEFL With Me competition! I really enjoyed your post. Also, I wanted to ask for some more information about the summer camps you taught at previously - I would love to do the same thing as I am yet to complete my degree, and may have to hold off doing a full TEFL course until i graduate. The camps sound like great fun, and really good experience.
Thanks! Daniela
Oh and I VOTE THIS ONE :)
Hi Katie, I just joined this website as I'm thinking about taking a TEFL course soon but just want some inspiration first really! First post I saw was this one, funny as Italy is one of my top choices to go and work, Czech republic and Spain being my other 2. So you did summer camps, do you know how to get placed in a school or do you think it is best to find somewhere to live first then find work? :s
Any help appreciated!! Jonny C
Hi Sophie!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Teaching in Italy was a brilliant experience, but like you I was considering teaching in Spain next. After I finished this summer I kind of felt like I'd 'done' Italy and wanted to go somewhere new but I do see a lot of job adverts for Italian schools so I am considering going back, especially as I can speak fairly good Italian now, and after a long weekend in Barcelona I really want to explore more, although I would also like to go to Latin America, so I'm looking for jobs in all of those places.
I think it's a good idea to stay in Europe to begin with as the culture shocks are probably less major and you feel closer to home. Also the visa business is a lot easier. Definitely start looking for jobs as soon as possible, a lot of employers are happy that you are working towards your certificate when you apply to work with them so it isn't necessarily a requirement to have already completed your TEFL qualificiation.
Which TEFL course are you doing?
Also, if you would like to vote for my blog to be in with a chance of winning the Come TEFL with Me competition, please comment with 'I vote this one'! :)
Katie
Hello there, I really enjoyed your blog, teaching in Italy sounds fantastic. I am in the early stages of my TEFL course. I plan to start my adventure abroad at the beginning of March once I have worked my notice and saved some funds. I had set my sights on teaching in Spain as I wish to stay in Europe and I know Spain well from many travelling holidays a year, however upon reading blogs I am feeling very tempted to be a little more adventurous and just go where the wind takes me. Do you plan to relocate after your two successful summers? Thanks, Sophie
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