The Basics Of Volunteering With ILP


What Happens First?
Each volunteer will start the application process online and will then be in touch with their specific ILP representative (who works from our office in Orem, Utah). Their ILP rep and our ILP Support Team will help them with every step of the process from getting ready to go, all the way through the experience until they’re headed back home. Everyone on our team has volunteered with our program before and we’re to help answer any questions (yours included!).

How Long Is It?
Most semesters are about 3-4 months and follow fairly closely to university semesters.

What Are The Costs?
The tax-deductible program fee starts at $2,970 (cost depends on the location and is on average around $4,000). All program fees include roundtrip international airfare from the U.S. departure airport, in-country airport pick up + drop off, visa, housing, at-home meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), WiFi, Pre-Departure + In-Country Training, and support throughout the entire experience, as well as language and cultural experiences.

We suggest volunteers also budget around $1,500-$3,500+ for activities/vacations and personal purchases throughout the semester (this range depends on their goals for the semester, spending habits, and destination country).

We have several customizable zero interest payment plans available so that volunteers can find the right plan that works for them, whether they’re signing up in advance or right before the trip departs.

How Does It Work?
The majority of our service focuses on helping children learn English, with one location where volunteers work to help nurture children in an orphanage program. Volunteers do not need teaching or foreign language skills. Lessons are more like structured play using a skill they already have: speaking English!

Will They Succeed?
Volunteers complete a detailed training before departure. This training is centered on introducing our teaching methodology, talking about safety and overall well-being while abroad, providing insight about their country’s culture, and more. Training and support continues in-country, too. Head Teachers hold weekly meetings as well as team-teaching, coaching, and offering feedback to help each ILP volunteer and each ILP student succeed.

Health + Safety On An ILP Semester


Safety And Political Stability
ILP uses 3 watchtowers to determine the current stability of each location: other organizations and universities with programs in similar locations, the State Department, and Local Coordinators.

Nearby Facilities
Medical care is available in every city.

High Standards
Do you wonder about the values of the other volunteers your son or daughter will be with? All ILP volunteers agree to follow our Code Of Conduct.

In-Country Support
We don’t just send volunteers abroad for a semester alone. Each group has a Local Coordinator in-country to take care of questions and needs. A group Head Teacher communicates weekly with the office in Utah, and ILP Directors visit the volunteers and the school once each semester.

Safe Living Arrangements
The type of housing depends on the location, however, volunteers live either with a local host family or with a group of other volunteers. Dorm living is located either on or near the school and is always with the other ILP volunteers. Host families are picked by a Local Coordinator and often are parents of the students ILP volunteers are teaching.

Parent Support


Stay Connected
Communication is easy! All volunteers have access to WiFi either at their home, their school, or cafes around the area. Many volunteers opt to purchase a data plan in-country (through a local SIM card) if they don’t already have an international plan, but it’s also possible to stay in touch for free via WiFi calling apps, social media, email, and more.

Make The Trip
You’re welcome to visit your daughter or son in-country. Come enjoy the sights with them — hike to waterfalls in Costa Rica, visit the beaches in Mexico, and go on a safari in Uganda. Volunteers love showing you places that mean so much to them.

What Can I Do?
Volunteers need support from home. As you can expect with any experience (especially a challenging one like living in another country), there will be ups and downs. Something as simple as a phone call can be immensely helpful as they navigate this adventure.

FAQs About Their Volunteer Trip

Duolingual Education is a methodology developed by the late Dr. Trevor McKee, Ph.D., professor of human development and psycholinguistics at Brigham Young University. Several students put this methodology to work during a 1992 semester abroad in Russia. Those students realized how impactful this teaching method was, and later formed International Language Programs.

As a quick glimpse, in our Kindergarten program, classes are kept to just 8 students or less, so ILP teachers can spend more one-on-one time with their students. Each ILP lesson is taught by ILP volunteers who speak English as their native language. Each lesson (a fun activity planned by the teacher) is around 25 minutes — there is typically a block of several ILP lessons the children will rotate through, to receive a block of several short lessons, all using our immersion teaching methodology. Our program also includes elementary classes.

There is also one location where volunteers aren’t teaching English, but give one-on-one support, love, and encouragement in an Orphanage Program.

We do not require any previous teaching experience. In fact, most of our volunteers have never taught before! We train all ILP volunteers to use our methodology and provide support as they learn how to be effective teachers. In ILP classes, the learning environment is similar to that of a birthday party: children will play games, sing songs, hear and act out stories, or participate in creative expression in each of the six teaching areas, using activities designed by ILP for teaching language. Children learn English similarly to how they learned their native language: through experience and activity while interacting with a loving adult. A child may make a snack in the kitchen, or make a paper rainbow in art classes, all while speaking English. The social environment created by exciting activities, loving teachers, and a peer group is ideal for learning the language.

ILP Representatives

Our reps will be working with your son or daughter throughout the application process and getting ready to go. They’ve recently volunteered themselves and are there to answer any questions, including yours! Just schedule a call here and we’ll reach out.

ILP Directors

In 1992, our two ILP Directors, Jared and Steve, were part of the very first group that went abroad to teach English using our teaching methodology which was designed by a professor at Brigham Young University. At that time, it was a BYU study abroad in Russia. They had such a meaningful experience that they developed ILP as a way to provide other young adults with that same opportunity.

They now have 30+ years of experience helping volunteers have their own successful experiences abroad. They’ve also each had children who have been ILP volunteers in multiple countries and understand the perspective of being on the parent’s side of things.

We want you to feel comfortable with the decision to volunteer with us and would love to talk to you if you have any concerns. If you’d like to schedule a time to talk with an ILP Director, please email Steve — steve@ilp.org to arrange that.