What's included?

• Pre-departure information and advice
• Host family search, screening and placement process
• In-country assistance and support
• 24-hour emergency contacts
• Accommodation: homestay
• Food: all meals included and provided by host family

What's NOT included?

• Flights
• Insurance
• Visas
• Sightseeing activities
• Monthly stipend
• Transportation: airport pick-up, airport drop-off, local transportation

Dates and duration

• You are welcome to join the programme at any time throughout the year. The exact dates will be agreed and confirmed by your host family.
• Christmas time and August can also be offered, as long as we have your application well in advance
• The minimum duration is 4 weeks. Maximum duration is 12 weeks

Eligibility

• Be minimum 21 years old
• Have a basic knowledge of Italian
• Formal teaching qualifications are not necessary. Relevant experience is a bonus and will strengthen your application
• Be a European citizen or able to get a visa “waiver” that  allows a stay in Italy for 3 months
• Have travel insurance covering sickness, accidents, repatriation and third party liability

Please understand that your admittance onto the Language Assistant Italy programme ultimately depends on you being accepted by an Italian host family.

We operate a firm equal opportunities policy that prohibits any unfair discrimination of our travellers based on their race, religion, sex, age, physical/mental disability, sexual orientation, or any other facet that we feel should not have an effect on quality of their work or their ability to carry it out.

Location

Project life

Your teaching responsibilities: When a host family offers you an invitation, and you've accepted, it's then time to discuss what form they anticipate the lessons taking. It is also important to agree a schedule so everybody is clear about when you will be teaching and when it’s your time off. This is an important stage of the process and will avoid any confusion on your arrival. It will also enable you to prepare yourself for the type of teaching/lessons you wish to provide.

As the teaching is likely to be tutoring the kids for school, the chances are that you will follow their course books. We'll supply you with a starter pack with some great ideas of activities, but we also recommend you buy a good learner's dictionary and grammar book to refer to. DVDs, books, magazines and newspapers in English help you plan fun and interesting lessons. There are many free web resources available with useful teaching tips and printable worksheets etc.

Please note that your responsibilities are as a Language Assistant and you will not be requested to perform duties akin to a domestic help or an au pair - namely cooking / cleaning or child-minding. However, you will be expected to take a reasonable role with day to day household chores, such as helping to prepare meals, washing up, general tidying etc. It is also important to remember that you are visiting someone’s home and be willing to fit into their lifestyle and culture.

Developing your Italian language skills: This is a great opportunity to develop your Italian. 
Although you will be providing 15 hours of English lessons to the family, there is still plenty of opportunity to speak Italian in your free time. Discuss your aspirations with your host family and agree when English is spoken.

Depending on the situation, whilst you're over there it may be possible to find a part-time paid job to enhance your experience. You may even decide to enrol in an Italian course to improve your language skills.

Free time:

How you spend your free time is course dependant on the location you are visiting in Italy. Activities will differ from location to location.

When applying for this project, please consider what will be on offer at the destination you apply to visit. Rome is a popular destination thanks to its amazing must-see art collections, numerous ancient sites of archaeological interest and plenty of museums.

Maybe you will choose Milan, the second largest city in Italy and recognised by many as the “world capital of fashion” - where Milan Fashion week is held! The city is also an important centre of the international arts and musical scene, with several renowned institutions, theatres and museums, as well as important monuments such as the Unesco.

Or perhaps a more rural destination such as Tuscany would be of interest? With its natural and architectural beauty, the slower pace of life may be more appealing to you. Tuscany attracts tourist throughout the year and as a result the services offered in this region are highly organised. The added bonus of having the beautiful city of Florence as the region’s capital seals its attraction for many travellers on the programme.

Accommodation and Food

• Living with your host family, you'll have your own room, and in some cases your own bathroom, however the majority of the time you will share facilities with the family.
• Meals are taken with your host family.
• Full details of the accommodation will be provided with the placement offer.

Flights, Transportation & Visas

• International flights and travel to your host family are not included, however, your host family will offer guidelines on the cheapest and most effective way to travel to their home.
• There is generally an efficient and regular public transport system across Italy allowing you to explore the local area with your time off.

Visas:

• European Union Citizens do not require a visa
• *Non European Union Citizens may participate on the programme for up to 3 months on a tourist visa. You may extend your stay if you have a study visa.

Safety & Insurance

All of Twin Work & Volunteer's placements are in partnership with recognised and established local organisations, run by or employing local people. These organisations, depending on the nature of what they do, might be small-scale NGOs, family projects, schools or orphanages, or local initiatives with environmental or social goals.

• We often use local businesses to provide logistical and support services to volunteers such as transfers, pick-ups, accommodation and so on. In this way, we support the local economy through helping independent local businesses to thrive. We take our partnerships very seriously and work extremely closely with all our partners.
• We provide 24-hour emergency support from the UK and our partners provide support locally.
• We have an agreement with the crisis management service Tranquillico, should the very worst situations arise.
• If any wider safety concerns arise in the destination, such as civil disturbances or natural disasters, we seek advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and implement their recommendations where appropriate.