Hungary/Slovakia

Quick Facts

Duration: 6 weeks
2012 Program Dates:

  • Arrival in Budapest: June 21
  • Orientation in Budapest: June 21-24 Teaching Begins: June 25
  • Midpoint Meeting: July 13-15
  • Instruction Ends: Friday, August 3

Number of Volunteers: 14-20
Language Requirement: None
Village Setting: Rural, small/medium size villages
Living Conditions: Modern (TV, possibly internet)
Students’ Proficiency Level: All levels and all ages
The Country Coordinator is Hungarian and is great help to the program
First established Learning Enterprises program

For questions not answered on this website, contact the 2012 Program Director, Lauren Apple at hungary.slovakia@learningenterprises.org.

Program Structure

Volunteers will arrive in Budapest, kicking off their journey with a group welcome dinner on Thursday evening. Friday and Saturday will be spent touring beautiful and historic Budapest getting familiar with Hungarian culture and have time to bond with fellow volunteers. Info sessions will be held in one of the many beautiful parks throughout the city to provide trainings that will introduce cultural norms, planning of lessons, and brainstorming for fun and exciting ways to teach English! On Sunday, volunteers depart together form Budapest and travel to Zalagerszeg, Hungary, where their new host families will pick them up. After three wonderful weeks of teaching, volunteers will travel by train to midpoint break, providing the opportunity to swap lesson plans, discuss village and teaching experiences and work together to improve teaching strategies. The next three weeks will be spent in either Hungary or Slovakia with the same teaching strategies. When the program ends August 6, volunteers are able to return to the states or are encouraged to meet up with other volunteers for any travel purposes.

The Ideal Volunteer for Hungary/Slovakia:

  • The ability to “go with the flow”
  • An open mind to new people, new languages, and an entirely new culture
  • An understanding that you are not going to be in the USA…you are in a new country with a new way of doing things
  • An excitement to teach English and make a difference in the lives of your students!

Your Host Community

Volunteers will be most likely be place in Zala County in Western Hungary and in Southwestern Slovakia.
While you may not be too far from your fellow volunteers, you may not be able to visit because of limited transportation. Inside the village, you should be able to walk to where you teach, though some families provide bicycles for an added convenience.

Each volunteer will be placed with a host family. You will most likely have someone in your host family who speaks English. Most host families will have moderate amenities, such as TV, landline phones, and showers. Internet is occasionally available inside your home, but usually you will go to a café in the village to check your email. However, you might not have air-conditioning and might have to share a room with a host sibling. Most host families treat volunteers as they do their own children, and are warm, welcoming, and protective. Get ready for lots of food and hospitality!

In your free time, you can walk through a sunflower field (carefully), enjoy a bike ride with your host siblings to their favorite spot or get ice cream with some teenagers in the village. You will spend two full weekends in your village, and we encourage you to spend as much time as possible in your host village. One weekend, you will spend with your host family; usually they will take you on a day trip to see the surrounding landmarks. The second weekend, you are free to travel or meet other volunteers in the larger cities, or remain in the village to explore more.

Teaching

  • Volunteers teach classes during the summer break.
  • Volunteers teach in nearby schools or community centers, which are usually a walking distance
  • Class size will vary, but will be separated by students level of English
  • Volunteers will teach from 4-6 hours a day
  • Students can range in age from 5 years to 75 years or older! All are welcome to learn!
  • Volunteers will be provided at least a black or white board and chalk or markers, but other supplies may be limited. It is recommended to come prepared with various teaching supplies.
  • Creativity is a key aspect in teaching English! Remember, it is summer for the students, so MAKE IT FUN! Laugh while you are learning!

Additional Information

Hungary_Slovakia_Addendum PY 2012, a field guide to life in-country.

Hungary Slovakia Projected Expenses PY 2012. Please note that all expenses are estimates and can vary depending on personal spending habits.