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About i-to-i What i-to-i trips and TEFL are, how and why we do what we do!
Teaching English in rural Ecuador brings you up close with the country’s two most precious resources; its children and the beauty of its environment. From the Andes to the Amazon public schools need you to teach, help with homework, organise workshops and sing the odd song. In most of the schools you will be teaching children from very poor backgrounds who have had very little access to education and certainly limited access to native English speakers, so prepare to be made the most of! Having someone who can speak the language means they can learn through conversation, games, sports and songs rather than just textbooks. We include our TEFL training before you depart, so you will have the confidence to enjoy your time in the classroom.
Project details:
You can choose to be based either in the Capital Quito or more rural based in the Amazon basin in the Province of Napo in the Amazon.
The Unidad Educativa Municipal Quitumbe is a school located in the south of Quito. There are approximately 1,400 students in the school, aged from 6 to 19. The children and youth who attend the school come from families with limited socioeconomic conditions. There are English teachers and a syllabus, however, the help of volunteers is needed in order to improve skills such as pronountiation, grammar, spelling, and communication.
Class sizes vary from 10 to 30 students per class. Volunteers will be able to introduce their creativity by establishing and helping in "speaking groups", different activities such as oral and spoken contests, writing.
In rural Ecuador there are a number of schools with anything from 20 pupils up to 250. The children are mainly from families who rely on agriculture and tourism to survive, English lessons will help to improve their chances or better paid jobs later on in life.
Please Note: If you choose a two or three week option you will be based at The Unidad Educativa Municipal Quitumbe.
Why the placement needs volunteers:
A large community of volunteers support all the projects ? their assistance is vital to the success of the scheme and will help ensure its sustainability. In the more rural locations they are popular tourist locations and place a great emphasis on their culture, and provide lessons in both Spanish and their native language, Kichwa.
These schools lack a native English speaker due to lack of funding and there is only a small team of teachers at each school. Therefore volunteers with English as a first language are needed to teach the children and in the long run allow the communities to benefit from foreign visitors and tourism.
What kind of skills you need to go on this type of placement:
We recommend that all volunteers applying to this project have at least a basic knowledge of Spanish and are very motivated to teach. Clearly a love of children will be needed, from younger children through to late teenagers. The children may range from extremely energetic, possibly slightly disruptive, to the shyer children that need more encouragement to attempt their English in class. Volunteer teachers also need to be well organised, as lessons will need to be prepared, and able to adapt as classes and timetables may change at short notice.
Your role as a volunteer:
Activities would include structuring and giving classes, evaluating daily activities, assisting English teachers (in Quitumbe project)
Working to a set timetable, activities will mainly be teaching English, but with the possibility of working on computer skills, social studies and even health issues with the students. You will need to work on preparing lessons and focus on conversation classes. There may also be the opportunity to organise workshops and extra curricular activities such as theatre, football, and helping the students to study and look after their agricultural plots.
Please note that you will be allocated to the project which is most in need of volunteers unless specifically requested.
Where the project is based:
The Quitumbe school is placed in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, in the southest area of the city. The trip from your accommodation to the school may take up to 1 hour and a half each way (depending on the traffic and the distance). Quito is a city with approximately 2 million inhabitants, and has all the facilities such as internet, electricity, stationary stores, photocopying, bars, restaurants, shopping centers, bus service and taxis.
All the rural teaching placements are based in or near Tena, which is 6 hours from Quito by bus. The daily journey to the school will vary depending on which school and homestay you are placed. In some cases, the schools are located in a walking distance from your house, but in other cases, there is a bus journey of up to one hour each way.
The town (population approx 20,200) has all necessary facilities such as internet, stationary stores, photocopying, bars, restaurants, bus service and taxis. It may be necessary to travel up to an hour by bus from your accommodation to the schools.
You will need to arrive at Quito (UIO) International Airport on your arrival date.
Date: 2008-07-01
After an uncertain start, I absolutely loved this project and was very sad to leave. The teachers are fantastic and the kids are lovely, despite some of them being noisy, overactive and badly behaved at times. I think the uncertainty was because I had not taught children before and I knew only a little Spanish. Everything was a shock and very different. I would recommend that people should know Spanish and have practical teaching experience. My drawbacks did not stop me from thoroughly enjoying my placement though. During the week, I taught two sets of eight classes from pre-kinder to 6th year, each containing different ages, abilities and interest in learning English - this was very challenging. You also have to be flexible because classes can be cancelled for football and dance practise or municipal holidays. In the classes, I followed on from what the previous teacher had done, trying to teach greetings, numbers, colours, animals, parts of the house, parts of the body, etc., but I also tried to introduce new subjects, such as time, months, seasons, weather. The kids have trouble with just the nouns, so adjectives, adverbs, etc. are out for the immediate future. I also tried to use my voice as much as possible to get them use to hearing the words spoken by an English person. They can recite numbers, etc. in order, but some have difficulty when the words are spoken and taken out of context. These kids are at a very basic level of English and there are a lot of them to teach, so you have to be very lively and have lots of stamina. The children love competition, so games involving teams works well, but some of the younger children need to be calmed down - so colouring and artistic activities work well for them. Apart from the school being great, Bilma and her family at the homestay are fantastic - I cannot praise them enough. The food is good and they are really welcoming, friendly and helpful. Also, the school is only five minutes walk away. To sum up, this is a great project if you're prepared to be lively and flexible, and if you're prepared to keep a smile on your face and get involved with the teachers, children and the school. I plan to return to San Jorge and Tena in the near future because I loved it so much. However, I will learn more Spanish before I do.
Date: 2008-07-01
The project involved teaching students between the ages of 5 and 15 at the Escuela Carlos Tomas Rivadeneyra, a primary school of approximately 150 students on the outskirts of Tena, a jungle town in the east of Ecuador. My original brief from i-to-i was to teach English. However, when I arrived, and spoke to the school's headmaster, I discovered that I would be teaching several different subjects, including English, singing, drawing and craft activities, which I did for the first three weeks. Most of my 4 hour teaching morning involved working with the Year One pupils, giving them an English and follow-up art activity, then helping their teacher to run her planned activities. (At all times and for all levels, I was accompanied by the teacher in the classroom.) The remaining sessions were 45 minute blocks, during which I taught the above-listed subjects across all levels except Years Five and Seven. When the second volunteer arrived, three weeks into my stay, he took over these sessions, and I carried on working with the Year One class. Six weeks later, my duties changed when the director asked me if I could devote the rest of my time to helping the Year Two teacher to teach the regular school subjects to her class. The class is large (40 students ranging in age from 7 to 10) and difficult for one teacher to manage. Accordingly, I have been assisting to teach them basic maths and literacy skills for the remainder of my stay. (The school has in fact requested another full time teacher, but may have to wait until some time in the New Year for them to arrive.) I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. The staff and students at the school have been open and welcoming and have genuinely appreciated the assistance that I have been able to offer them. While my actual teaching duties differed both from my initial expectations and my training and experience (I am an English language teacher at home), I feel that I have been able to contribute in a positive way to the children's learning, and have also learned a great deal myself through the experience, particularly in terms of my own Spanish language ability and knowledge of the culture and way of life. I must also mention my host family, who have been welcoming, friendly and supportive of me during my entire stay, as well as a good source of local knowledge. Their home is also situated a convenient 5 minute walk away from the school, so I was able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before I left for classes every morning. In conclusion, my i-to-i experience has been extremely positive and rewarding. I am grateful to have had this wonderful opportunity, and will never forget the beautiful town of Tena, Ecuador.
Date: 2008-07-01
I can't tell you just how fantastic the last five weeks of teaching in Tena, rural Ecuador have been. It has been an absolutely unforgettable experience, a real eye opener, and also incredibly rewarding, and I have made some really incredible friends, and met so many lovely people. Firstly, the family with whom I was staying were great. Bilma and her partner Raul, and their three daughters, Jess, Pati and Heather became like a second family! Bilma is like a second mum, a real help with everything, and also a great cook, but she's also like an older sister because she is a lot of fumn and is always laughing! I really enjoyed the meal times that I spent with her chatting to her about Ecuador and telling her all about England! Jess and Pati became like second sisters and best friends, we had a lot of fun together, teaching each other how to dance to their merengue and salsa and kichwa music! And also playing cards, chatting, and of course I did my fair share of helping them with their english homework. They are very welcoming, and I was very sad to say goodbye to them. Heather is also very sweet, and loves playing with the volunteers, so what with that and all the animals that live at Bilma's (the monkey, sloath, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs, rabbits, fish etc) there's always something interesting going on and never a second to be bored! There is also a friend of the family called Javier that lives in the same house, he had a room a few down from mine, and he was incredibly friendly, taking me around Tena in the evenings, and at the weekends we visited some local jungle towns, and a zoo et. This was the best way to get to know the place, by motorbike! It was lovely eating every day with the family, and living as they do, I really did feel part of their family and was incredibly sad to leave them, please pass on my thanks to them and remember me to them if you are fortunate enough to go and stay there! Teaching the children at the school was incredibly rewarding and lot of fun. They didn't really know a lot of english so i was teaching them all the basics such as greetings, how are you, names, as well as parts of the body, parts of the house, furniture, rooms of the house, shops, directions, colours and numbers. They learnt best by means of games and work sheets, as they are very rarely given sheets, and so when I donated them some felt tips, they really loved it asnd even stayed in during the break time to carry on with their english work sheets! The teachers are all very friendly, and when I wasn't teaching english I helped them with their lessons. The children's families are also incredibly welcoming and I was invited to a number of the children's birthday parties and first communions and just around for dinner, so they really make you feel part of the community there. The school is only 5 minutes away from Bilma's house too, and is quite literally in the middle of the rainforest, the view out of the classrooms is fabulous. The children don't have a lot, and they have to learn everything mainly by drilling and copying from the boards, so they really appreciated playing lots of games and all cheered when it was time for their english lessons! Tena is a fabulous place to stay, it's right in the middle of pure rainforest, and is stunningly beautiful. All the people are very friendly, and due to teaching in the school, whenever I went into Tena all the children would call out "hola senorita jenny!" and you get to know lots of people! It's a very relaxed atmosphere there, very safe and very friendly. You can go on various excursions from there too, but I preferred to spend the weekend with the family, and experience living truly like they do. One weekend all of their relatives came over and we killed a pig and had a big party! That was an experience I'll never forget. There's also a paradise swimming pool down the road where I went with some of my neighbours every day, when it got really hot, which was great fun. Overall, the placement was absolutely fantastic, I have had the best experience and will never ever forget it, and will certainly be returning in the future!
It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.
Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….
We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More
Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.
Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.
If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More
It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.
Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!
Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More
Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More
Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More
The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More
We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More
We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.
Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here
It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.
The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.
If you have already booked but still need insurance then you may still be able to take our tailored policy. If, however it was more than a few days ago then try the links below:
Australian customers - find out more here >>
All other customers - find out more here >>
As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.
If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night accommodation is included in this payment; if you require more than one night please inform the team.
The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 60.00
For thousands of years before the Incas arrived from Peru to expand their empire, advanced indigenous cultures made Ecuador their home. They fought hard to hold on but from the 1400s the Inca’s succeeded in developing its civilisation into neighbouring territories. The Incas were not immune from shifts in power and, during the same year the Spanish set foot on Ecuadorian soil (1526), the Inca Empire was divided for the first time when Inca ruler Huayna Capac went against tradition by leaving his empire to two sons rather than one. After years of fighting, Atahualpa defeated Huascar to become ruler of the empire. His position was short lived and the Inca Empire was all but confined to a place in history when in the 1530s the Spanish laid down the foundations to rule the country. Under Spanish rule, Indians and Mestizos (people of mixed indigenous and European descent) suffered forced labour and several uprisings ensued. Liberator Simón Bolívar helped secure independence for Ecuador, which was fully achieved by 1830.
Against a backdrop of violent rivalry between liberal and conservative factions, an unstable political climate dominated the 19th century and was marked by a quick succession of rulers. The 20th century brought mixed fortunes. The country’s development was hampered by the collapse of the coco market in the 1920s and the Great Depression of the 1930s but it achieved stable civilian rule and increased banana exports from 1948 to 1960. Recession and social unrest led to an anti-communist military government taking power in the early 1960s and it wasn’t until 1979 that democratic constitutional measures were put into play. Indigenous groups now have a voice and influence on politics but the country has a lot of economic ground to cover and high levels of unemployment. On an environmental level, Ecuador is rich in biodiversity but has one of the highest deforestation rates in South America.
The diversity of Ecuador does not fit neatly into four seasons. As a general note, it has a dry winter from June to September and a wet summer from December to April. For hiking in the highlands, the best time is during the cool winter. For exploring the jungle (the Oriente), there isn’t a temperate period as it’s often thick with humidity, while the sierra can get chilly and coastal areas are warm year round.
The Galápagos Islands experience hot, rainy weather from January to April and its waters are comfortably warm during this time, making it ideal for snorkelling. During the rest of the year the water is on the chilly side at around 20°C (68°F) or lower. The surfing season is typically December to February.
The biggest celebration days are Christmas, Semana Santa (Easter week), Inti Raymi (June 24), and Independence Day (May 24). Expect an influx of visitors during these periods and from June to August when the vacation season is in full swing.
There’s no better way to see the snow-capped Andes than to fly. The flight from Quito to Cuenco alone takes in the sight of volcano after volcano. With great views aside, flying in Ecuador is affordable and also convenient; you can get to where you want to go in usually no more than half an hour’s flying time. The country’s main airlines like Tame offer daily services to the main towns and cities, usually departing from Quito or Guayaquil. It’s also the best way to get to the Oriente, with other modes of transport unable to access the area. Flights to the Galápagos Islands, however, can be pricey and flying time from Ecuador is around 3 hours. Depending on your destination but particularly for flights to the Galápagos Islands and the Oriente, there is a system in place whereby foreigners are required to pay more than double what Ecuadorians pay. It’s also worth noting that seats are not reserved and are given on a first come, first served basis. Reconfirming a flight 24 hours before is imperative as it’s not unknown for airlines to refute your reservation if it hasn’t been confirmed ahead of departure.
Buses are a cheaper option and although most long distance journeys take a day or less, it can feel longer due to the road conditions. Buses usually leave from central terminals and it’s best to buy a ticket at least a few hours in advance to reserve a seat. Local buses are often very cheap but also very crowded. Taxis are a good option for short journeys or day tips out of cities if hired for the day and can be cheaper than car rental. Taximeters are in existence but not always switched on so it’s best to agree on a price before the journey begins.
www.tame.com.ec
National airline Tame.
Being part of an i-to-i project is a totally unique experience. You’ll join a global network of volunteers working side-by-side with local people and experience things that you’ve never dreamed of.
Be Part of this or any project and help us reach our goal of 400yrs combined volunteer help this and many other projects around the world.
We work in partnership with hundreds of established projects that are run by local communities. The information on our website comes directly from the projects and we work with them to ensure this information is as accurate as possible. However, due to the very nature of the projects themselves the exact details of what happens on a daily basis can change with little or no notice. If you have travelled with us and have any updates to this information, please let us know.
* We can be held responsible for any starry-eyed and amazing journeys of enlightenment, discovery and thorough enjoyment...
