Teach English in Caribbean

It was very easy to go through the application process, complete all the steps, and be ready to volunteer in Costa Rica. All the support we received throughout the process made sure that we felt safe, prepared, and were making an impact on the local community. I would highly recommend IVHQ, and hope to do future volunteer missions with them.

I had an amazing experience with International Volunteer HQ in Ecuador. Everything was well organized from the beginning, and I felt supported throughout the entire program. The local team was welcoming, helpful, and always available when needed. I especially appreciated the opportunity to immerse myself in the local culture, meet wonderful people, and contribute through volunteering. It was an unforgettable experience, and I would definitely recommend IVHQ to anyone looking for a meaningful experience abroad.

My experience in Hua Hin teaching children was truly amazing. From the moment I arrived, I felt welcomed and supported by a wonderful team. Special thanks to Hannah Yule, Tukkie Khudseesai, and Noah, the coordinator of my teaching team, who made the experience even more enjoyable and well organized. Teaching the children was incredibly rewarding, and the environment was positive, friendly, and motivating every day. The accommodation provided was very comfortable, and the food was also excellent throughout my stay. Overall, this was a memorable and enriching experience that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in volunteering and teaching in Hua Hin.

I spent three weeks volunteering at Salariin Kampuchea Learning Center in Siem Reap, where I helped teach English to younger students and supported the development of their social media presence. It was one of the most enriching experiences I’ve ever had. Some days were more challenging than others—adapting to a new environment and finding ways to communicate across cultures. But what I’ll carry with me, more than anything, is the deep sense of connection I felt with the people. I can confidently say I’ve grown and learned so much, and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for. Living and working within the local community gave me a complete perspective shift. I was struck by their warmth and generosity, and the quiet strength with which they face life. From the very beginning, I felt welcomed. The children, the staff, and my host family made me feel included from the start, making it easy to feel at home throughout my time there

The programme insured that whilst getting my teaching experience, I learnt loads about the history of the children in this area. It has been the most eye opening experience and I am so grateful to have been part of it, I will be back!! The team were super supportive and ensured we were safe at all times. This was my first time solo travelling and I felt confident to flourish and be adventurous in the beautiful South Africa!

I volunteered along with my girlfriend to teach English at Emerging Voices in Cartagena, Colombia from Nov-Dec of 2019. The experience overall was amazing. We got to work with lots of different groups of people, from young children living in a poor neighborhood to teenagers learning skills related to the hospitality industry, to adults whose English was very good, but they just lacked the confidence to use it. I also enjoyed the ability to visit other projects at Emerging Voices such as the project to feed and spend time with the homeless and the sports development project that worked with kids living in a Drug Rehabilitation Centre. One of the highlights was definitely meeting all of the other volunteers. Programs like these bring out great people and we had a ton of fun hanging out with people coming from all over North America. My other highlight was definitely the food! Sophie was our local Colombian chef and she made the most amazing meals every day. I was always excited for mealtime! She also kept the house impeccably clean and even made our beds every day; what an amazing lady! I also enjoyed working with Monica who is the program owner. She is a very inspiring woman and a kind soul. We happened to be there during a transitional time for Emerging Voice so that meant we had lots of different volunteers, but also lots of different coordinators. We had three different teaching coordinators during our 4-week stay. One consistent throughout though was Lao. He worked with the childcare program, but he was the only constant in the volunteer house for the entire time that we were there and he made our experience that much better with his kindness and light-hearted nature. The last thing that I really enjoyed was the location of the volunteer house. It was located in the safe neighborhood of Crespo; it was only a 5-minute walk to the beach and only a 10-minute cab to downtown so it was truly perfect! All in it was an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to give back and also push themselves a little out of their comfort zone!

I volunteered in the Teaching Program with IVHQ in Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa for 2 weeks with my girlfriend. For the accommodation, I was placed with 4 other boys in the room where I had my own bed and closet space. A girls room was next to us and each of the boys and girls had separate bathrooms. Also a kitchen and common living room were available. On the weekdays, we were given 3 meals per day from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food was carbohydrate heavy and sufficient for the stay as enough food was available for everyone with specific diet requirements cooked accordingly upon request. The housekeeper was very polite as well. For a volunteering program, it was really more than you need and a great place to stay. For the volunteering program, we were placed in Steenberg Primary School assisting a teacher with 30 Grade R kids. The kids were very cute and super fun as they are hyper all the time. We would help them with the class assignment, play with them in the playground, and assess them basic color matching and mathematics numbering exercises. The classroom had the basic amenities needed for the school year. We even left our mark with a painting on the classroom wall! It was an amazing experience and one that we will definitely go through again. A driver from the program picked us up and dropped us off back to the accommodation every school day. He was usually always on time. For the city, there are abundant activities to choose from. We were lucky to have done shark cage diving, a safari, and skydiving as main attractions. Other activities were hiking Table Mountain through the Skeleton Gorge trail, visiting the beautiful city of Cape Town and exploring it, surfing, visiting Boulders Beach where penguins are found and the most South Western point of the African continent in Cape of Good Hope as well as many other activities. This experience is truly one that will be missed and I hope to have a similar one next time!

International Volunteer HQ [IVHQ] responded to this reviewMay 09, 2019

Hi Ralph, it is great to hear from you and that you really enjoyed your time in South Africa. It is always pleasing to hear that you got along with the children so well and took part on some awesome tourist activities! Thanks for volunteering with IVHQ! Acacia - IVHQ Program Manager.

I've had an amazing time volunteering with IVHQ (and the green lion) for two weeks in the Philippines. The location is remote (2h from Puerto Princess City), but that adds to the experience of disconnecting completely and helping the local community of Tigman Village. There are a few different programs, and therefore quite some other volunteers - nice to meet people for sure. I've taught English, Maths and Science at the local school in Tigman Village, at grades between 2 - 6. The kids are great; they love your attention and are eager to learn.

International Volunteer HQ [IVHQ] responded to this reviewNovember 21, 2018

Hey Colin, thanks for taking the time to provide your review of the Philippines program. It's awesome to hear you embraced the remoteness of the program and enjoyed disconnecting from the world. I hope you can volunteer with IVHQ again in the future. Sean - IVHQ Program Manager.

I was super nervous before going on my solo adventure to Antigua, Guatemala. However, as soon as I arrived I felt anxiously excited and yet still very peaceful. Everyone involved in the program was nice and welcoming. They set me up in a great home with great people and I really enjoyed my project. I learned so much about myself and really grew as an independent person. I can't wait to go on another trip with IVHQ!

International Volunteer HQ [IVHQ] responded to this reviewJune 25, 2018

We very much appreciate you sharing this review about your time in Guatemala. It was nice to read that you felt so welcomed on your solo adventure and that you were set up in a great homestay with friendly people! Also, thank you for your suggestions on how we could improve the program, we certainly do our best but love volunteer's insights as this helps us make our programs even better! Once again thank you for the awesome review and just as you can't wait to go on another IVHQ volunteer trip, we can't wait to have you join us again! ^Aydan - IVHQ Guatemala Program Manager

I can not say enough about this experience. The Green Lion organization that I worked with through IVHQ were incredible. The placement was great, small village that was very accepting of foreigners, students that were hard to leave, and our residence was relaxing with incredible food. I would highly recommend both IVHQ and The Green Lion!

International Volunteer HQ [IVHQ] responded to this reviewApril 09, 2018

Hi Karin, it's great to hear you enjoyed your time in Laos and the true Laotian experience you receive there! We're looking forward to having you return to Laos or maybe one of our other destinations! ^Will - IVHQ Laos Program Manager