Do I need teaching experience?
No! You do not need prior formal teaching skills to participate in Learning Enterprises. Many of our volunteers have experience teaching and tutoring, but each summer we send a large number of people with no prior experience. LE publishes its own teacher's manual and before arriving in your village you will have a four day training and orientation session. You will need an enthusiastic personality, a love of children, an ability to improvise, and a lot of energy!

Do I need to speak the language of the country I'm teaching in?
Please see the program of the country you are interested in or check out Which Program is Right for Me? In most villages many people, especially the children, will speak enough English to help you get around. If you have questions or concerns about your language ability, or your willingness to travel in a country where you do not speak the language, please bring up these concerns during your interview.

Where will I stay?
In all of our programs you will be hosted by a local family who will provide lodging and meals. Our families do not receive compensation for hosting you with but a few exceptions. Consequently, they are having you in their home out of the goodness of their hearts, not the well being of their pocketbooks. We believe that our host families benefit from hosting volunteers in the same way that you benefit from having a host family.

Living with a local family provides the best way to live like a local and be integrated into the daily life of the village. The families will worry over you, and we ask that you always keep them informed of your whereabouts. All of our families are interviewed by Country Coordinators and/or alumni of the program. They are eager to have our volunteers, often because they want someone in the family to have daily practice speaking English. The families will welcome you with open arms.

What will my expenses be?
Learning Enterprises is unique because we do not charge volunteers to participate in our program. Your major expense will be the plane ticket to your destination. You will also cover the cost of orientation (food and hotel, the amount varies from program to program) and incidental costs while living in your village. Because of low costs of living in the countries where we operate, you will not spend much money outside of your plane ticket. We recommend bringing approximately $300-500 to cover your incidental costs for the entire period, depending on your program. If you have any questions about cost, check out Our Programs for an itemized budget of your program of interest.

What happens if I get sick during my stay?
Medical care is available from local doctors in all of our villages. The community that hosts you feels a strong obligation to care for and help the volunteers in their villages. They will do everything in their power to make sure you are well cared for. People with serious health ailments should take into consideration that healthcare in places like rural China and Mexico is not what you would expect in the United States . Since our inception, we have not had anything more serious than colds and minor stomach ailments. Should you feel travelers insurance is the best option for you, we recommend STA Travel for their reasonable rates and excellent coverage.

Can my parents visit me?
You shouldn't plan on your parents being able to visit you. First, many of the communities our volunteers teach in will not have any place for the volunteers' parents to stay, and we cannot ask our host families to house someone else. Second, having your parents visit may disrupt your teaching and cause homesickness. If your parents insist on visiting, we suggest they only do so at the end of the program.

When do the programs start? How long do they go for?
Please see the page for the country in which you are interested for program dates.