Italy

This past summer, I was fortunate enough to volunteer at GeoVisions' Italian summer camp in Macerata, Italy. I had an amazing experience and I owe it all to the support I received from the people at Geovisions. Before departing, the company made sure to send me several packets of information regarding the transportation they arranged for me from the airport, cultural differences to be aware of while abroad, and specific details about my role at the camp. I felt extremely prepared and comfortable about my trip and I know that my easy travel experience was largely due to the arrangements that GeoVisions made for me. While abroad, I was equally pleased with the support and accommodations that I received. My housing was safe, clean, quiet, and had the added bonus of an amazing view of the city. Our group was placed in a location that was close to restaurants, a grocery store, and the bus station, which made navigating the area an easy feat. Marybeth, my contact at GeoVisions, was always available to answer any questions I had. She also made sure that the staff at the camp were attentive and diligent about transporting our group to and from the location on time, providing meals and a detailed daily schedule, and planning fun trips for our days off. Overall, I would highly recommend GeoVisions to anyone interested in volunteering abroad. I had an amazing experience both at the camp and in my leisure time, and I know that this would not have been possible without the support I received from this well-organized company. The program is truly worth every penny and I am certainly planning on participating in another GeoVisions program in the future.

Where do I begin... I'd say the lack of communication after squeezing the program fee out of me was the worst aspect. Why, after shelling out a thousand dollars, did I have to grovel and beg for answers to my questions? I just got the general impression that no one cared. They were incredibly attentive at first, whilst trying to reel me in. No communication while I was overseas. One shoddy copy and paste email that got lost in my spam folder. Didn't see it til I got home, but never did they try to contact me again after not hearing from me. Sent an email about a week after getting home expressing my concern with their partner that I had to deal with in Italy... who honestly did some incredibly unprofessional things... and never got a reply. Why should they, when I'm not paying them anymore? Right? Also, I was switched last minute from the conversation corps to the au pair program, and paid the conversation corps price. And did not receive the weekly amount promised to au pairs under geovisions. After hearing other au pairs in Italy complain about them, and knowing others still that found their family through a free website and didn't have to pay anyone a dime, I can guarantee that I will never use, nor recommend Geovisions. An utter waste of money, time, and stress.

It was one of the best experience of my life!!!!! I strongly recommend Shake Hands to everybody! I took part in the Summer Program. I worked for two weeks in the Street Children Education Program. After that, we travelled for one week and we visited amazing places such as Agra, Amritsar, Dharamsala and we went trekking on the Himalaya. For the first 2 weeks I taught Math and English to 3 to 5 years old street kidz. All the programs are well structured and organized! The program coordinator (Asha) helped me to talk to the pupils, who knew only few words in English. Dealing with very young students is not easy but is extremely rewarding and is a very intense emotion! The travel period was well organized and we did exactly what was stated in the program on the website. The accomodation is clean and comfortable. Food is provided by the organization. It's vegetarian food and this can be the only problem if you are not used to it. There are no words that can properly describe this experience!!

The week was great. First day on the boat was hard because of the waves, but everybody was really nice and the crew helped with tips on how to feel better. Saw a big group of dolphins one day and followed a whale the next. The crew was really helpful and answered any questions we had about the animals or the equipment they were using. The rest of the volunteers were from all over and it was good to learn about different countries and their customs and communication wasn’t as big an issue as I thought it would be. Getting to the boat from the airport was a bit confusing so maybe a bit more detail on possible routes might be helpful, but other than that I had a great time and Frontier was great helping me get everything ready.

I participated in conversation corps program with Geovisions in Italy in May 2012. Before going to Italy, I applied for the same program in Brazil. For Brazil, everything was set up. I had an outstanding host partner waiting for me and I was incredibly excited. Being a Canadian, I had to apply for a brazilian visa. Geovisions knows I am Canadian but contines to send me links for American only websites, which is incredibly irritating. It was my first time to apply for a visa and I was searching for guidance from Geovisions and I didn't get any support. It was not particularly their responsibility to get a visa for me, no. However, I was 18 years old and in need of guidance. They are there to help you. Anyways, they told me to apply for a tourist visa. I sent Sara my appkication form before I sent it and asked her to review it. She said it looked perfect and it shold be fine. It turns out that Canadians don't have to register for a tourist visa and my application was rejected. This was a 3 month waiting process. I became discouraged and switched my program to travel to Italy instead because there are no visa requirements. The host family in Italy was not a good host. My host mother was very rude and continuously inconsiderate. She once told me I should leave her home and not return. This is incredibly rude. Why did she say so? Do I party? No. Do I drink or smoke? Not often. Do I teach english everyday? Yes I do. Do I attend dinner everyday? Yes. Am I polite? Yes. The deal was that I work throughout the week then travel on the weekends. My host mom didn't like that. I don't think she knew the situation from Geovisions. I don't think she is a good host. In Canada, if an Italian came to teach my child English, I would NEVER tell them to leave because I am feeling stressed. As she spoke these words, I wanted to cry. She "didn't mean it" but its rude and she knew exactly what she was saying before she said it. I don't know if I would travel with Geovisions again. There are no excuses.If you have the choice to speak with anyone, ask for Chris. He is a fantastic representative and is incredibly helpful. He will answer any possible question you have, as soon as possible. I dealt with Marybeth and she took many days to respond to my emails. At one point, I emailed Chris because Marybeth wasn't responding and I like to make plans effeciently. In my opinion, if I am paying you x amount of dollars, you shoud communicate with me and put me first. Geovisions is cheap for a reason: the service is low standards. They give what they advertise and nothing more. I really don't want another fellow canadian to stay with the host family I had. There's a difference between culture shock, culture differances and plain ignorance. Geovisions isn't a bad company but its very particular. Please don't arguw with me, I don't care to hear it. This is my opinion and the purpose of this website is to post a review, not get into some kind of jerry springer "I'm right your wrong" crap. My opinion. Take it or leave it. Everyones experience is different and in the end, I got what I paid for. It was worth every penny. However, I am slightly dissapointed with the service and chosen host family. I specified what I was looking for and I didn't get anything close. If Geovisions cannot meet specifications, they should not ask the question. If I fill out a form which labels me as a canadian cirizen, I should not receive "American" only forms; I have better things to do than sit on the computer and basically search an entire web page to find the Canadian version. Geovisions offers these programs to residents from: USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and South Africa. It there are no resources for a Canadian criminal record check, maybe the company should reconsider the countries they serve. And yes, after a few houra on the site, I realized I needed a zip code to fill out the remainder of the application, half way through. Perfect. This wouldn't be a problem with a well organized company. Not reccomended for good service.

I taught english for three months in three italian schools in Italy in the fall of 2011. The experience really impacted my life! The Italian children were so welcoming and loving . The Italian people and teachers were very friendly . I can honestly say that teaching in the village of Montecosaro impacted my life. The family I lived with was outstanding and went out of their way to make my stay the best experience possible. Especially my Italian grandma, Edera whose cooking was so incredible ! I would advise every english tutor that goes to Italy to learn some italian, that would have made my stay much easier. There are not many english books around so bring some books to read. Pack light as large and heavy suitcases do not travel well over the cobbled stoned roads of Italy or fit into Italian trains. I would take a laptop computor along . Remember to dress well in the schools, as teachers are judged by their professional appearance. Then after that I would say , go to Italy and enjoy the experience of teaching english as it will put a smile on your face for the rest of your life. Peggy Canada

My first and only experience with GVN, so far, was awesome! I was a participant of the Be The Change long week-end program in Tuscany last June. At the beginning I was a little sckeptical because of my age and because I didn’t really have a specific idea or project in my mind. The staff was so enthusiastic and dragging that I felt absolutely comfortable since day number one. The place was beautiful, a tuscan Vlla surrounded by vineyards, the house was clean and the food was extraordinarily good! The price was relatively fair considering 3 meals a day and a couple day-trips to Florence ans Siena. of In only one week I was able to develop personal skills and make up my idea to volunteer very soon in Peru. In addition to this I met fantastic people, who I had a deep connection and I’m still in touch with. I would strongly recommend the program to anyone is wanting to operate in the non profit world and make a difference in other’s lives. Be the Change is the perfect start.

When I was researching for a good program to go abroad, GeoVisions seemed like the perfect choice. I signed up for the Conversation Corps Italy program. When I first turned in my preliminary application, I was called personally by Chris Legrant (the program coordinator.) He was very helpful in answering all my questions and getting me set up with the application process. I sent in my application along with the 350 dollar deposit the first week of March and waited. I waited for about a month without any updates from Geovisions so I shot Chris an email where he then directed to Marybeth and Jodi who had me send additional documents. I called the office many times to make sure all the faxes went through and to see if they had received all the documents. I asked about the status of application many times and they said they had sent me information regarding what they needed but there would be nothing attached to the email that I could see (something to do with the format of the emails) Nevertheless, I sent in all of my information right away and had everything submitted by early April. No contact until mid May, but only to ask if I was flexible with my dates to go to Italy. I had signed up for the two week program, and put in my application that I would be free during the month of July. I wrote back that I would be flexible until August 14th. When you sign the GeoVisions contract terms and conditions, it states that they will place you 21 days before your departure date, or you will get your deposit refunded. When I sent that email that I could be flexible, they changed my program end date to August 14th, when I was planning to leave July 8th. I didn't receive placement with a host family until July 5th. By then, I had completely ruled out going to Italy that summer since no one from their office had contacted me through the months of April and May. Once I received the placement, I was shocked that they would place me 3 days before I was supposed to leave! They changed my departure date without even clarifying the misunderstanding, and I was then considered ineligible for the refund. Here's what to expect if you want to travel with GeoVisions: -You have to be proactive and call the office directly, because they rely solely on email to contact you. The only time they will call you or contact you first is to get your deposit and to fill out an application. Don't be fooled by how good the program coordinator is with communicating with you at first. They only use email as the primary mode of contact you after they get your money. -Expect GeoVisions not to place you with a host family until literally 21 days before you want to leave, even if you turn in all the information required of you months in advance. This means you will have to buy a last minute plane ticket at an escalated prices! I was not able to go because of this reason. -Sporadic communication. Even when they have important things to ask you or to clarify, they will only ask through email. Also, your emails are your word so be careful what you send because they will bring up those emails later to make their point if there is a conflict. -Expect to feel neglected. They kept records of the emails and phonecalls between you and GeoVisions. They used it against me to say that they did in fact communicate with me, when it was actually ME that initiated all the dialogue. Also, whenever I would call their office, it was a hit or miss on if anyone would pick up or not. Most of the time, it would go to someone's answering machine. Bottom line: If you can spare a $350 deposit and can dish out over $2000 in airfare + program costs, I say go for it. If you are willing to wait last minute to see if you have summer plans or not, take the risk. I'm sure the program would have been a good experience otherwise. However, they are inefficient in communicating, sell you out for your deposit, and take their sweet time placing you for a host family. I can only imagine what would happen if you were in trouble overseas and you had to email for help! You have been warned!

I cannot believe the program is over. I should start off by saying the staff of Learn and Play in , set up by GeoVisions in Porto Sant Elpidio is absolutely phenomenal. I would have never imagined that the staff would be so helpful, supportive and positive. It is truly a wonderful working environment. Essentially we go to work everyday and have so much fun; I really do not think you can call it work. Although we are given a fixed schedule and activities we have the freedom to alter the activities and lessons based on the needs of the students/campers. In fact, the staff is really supportive of us trying new things to see what will work with the campers. This was an incredible experience. I have never worked with non English learners in a situation where I was helping them learn the English language. It is definitely a challenge because I have little understanding of the language, but it was so much fun. I really see this as a positive challenge which has caused me to think of other ways to teach materials. I feel as though I draw upon my education background by using classroom management techniques and modeling new terms and activities. I think this is an incredible opportunity and I am so lucky to have been chosen to be apart of this awesome GeoVisions community. I think it is remarkable if you can wake up everyday excited to go to work and that is how I feel about the GeoVisions camp in Porto Sant Elpidio. The support from sending my application to the day I left has been there for me and I love the staff at GeoVisions. They are friendly and helpful. I was placed in six weeks, picked up in Rome and taken to the camp with our group. I would recommend doing this program to anyone.

I have been working with GeoVisions for the past three months and have been unhappy thus far with my experience. I begin my program with them and leave for Italy in two weeks with hopes of having a wonderful experience with the family I have been placed with. Along with other small problems, specifically there is a major lack of communication. I have discussed my problems directly with the organization recently and while they say they realize they have difficulties and are implementing a new communication system, I have seen no progress or improvement in my communication with them. My emails are rarely replied to, and phone calls have gone unreturned. I have yet to receive certain materials that I am supposed to, yet they waste no time in sending me a bill (which I consider rather high). It would just be nice to know how that money is being used. Overall, it seems rather disorganized. While I appreciate the help I have received so far, I hope they can to continue to get their act together.