Teaching at an Agriturisimo School in Italy

So, you just read "Eat Pray Love" or finished watching, "Under the Tuscan Sun" and are trying to determine how you can quit your life and move to the land of spaghetti carbonara and beachside umbrellas.

Italy is packed with history, cuisine, and the kind of hospitality that makes us call everyone "bella" long after we leave. My love for Italian culture stemmed from my mother's heritage and the italian neorealist films I studied in high school.

Without citizenship or a completed TESOL/TEFL/CELTA/DELTA (or any other professional pairing of letters), my chances of going abroad to the land of gesturing Nonnos was slim to none. However, as with most things that appear as roadblocks, that didn't stop me from trying.

How to sell yourself to Italy (without taking off your sun dress):

I drafted up a lavish and personalized cover letter that briefly discussed my love for Italy by weaving in my desire to learn the language and discover my Grandmother's roots in Sarnano. I also included more in-depth information about my experience working in ESL classrooms in the U.S. and Canada. Specifically, I discussed my teaching philosophy and provided an example of how I utilized various strategies to help ESL students access the content. I then translated the cover letter into Italian using Google Translate, in case any part of the wording was confusing, and pasted it to the bottom of the English letter.

I coupled my cover letter with a Resume or Curriculum vitae. I ensured that my resume included all relevant work experience related to ESL, including summer camps I worked at or students I tutored from other countries.

Lastly, I embarked on the greatest lurk session of my life. I found EVERY English Language school and camp there was to be found going on in Italy that summer. I went to each website, scrolled through endless spaghetti-like Italian words (to which I did not understand, BUT hoped to eventually know by the end of the summer) in order to find "contattaci" - contact us. I sent off about 200 emails. Copying and pasting the cover letter into the body of the message and changing the "To Whom it May Concern" with their personal name or business, along with attaching my resume.

I heard back from less than ten. Deflating? Not at all! I was thrilled! However, the most common response back was;

a) "Do you have Italian citizenship?"

b) "Do you have an Italian work visa?"

To which my reply was, "Nope! Neither. Nada. Nessuno. Ciao!"

How to nail a Skype Interview for an English Teacher Position?

The list soon narrowed to 2. One of the camps began in June before I finished my Canadian teaching contract, so I was unable to attend. However, the second was from a private school that ran an English Camp in July. Perfetto. This was the one.

After a Skype interview with a beautiful British boss (where I showcased my playful and patient personality), I was in! I made sure the company was reputable by checking their legitimate website, student and parent reviews and social media accounts aplenty to see that they had active posts and pictures. I even did a google search of my boss and found her social media to ensure she was a real person (she ended up being as REAL as ever, a true gem).

After the Skype interview, I provided three references from my previous workplaces and included one supervisor, who I was positive would say great things about me. Ahem. I also called all three in advance and told them to say good things.

The biggest risk in accepting this offer was that there was no contract involved, just a stranger's word. However, I was dead set on going to Italy that summer and had enough saved in case the English camp plans fell through.

Fortunately, everything worked out and the camp experience was one I will forever cherish. My July was filled with bellissimi bambini Italiani (beautiful Italian children) screaming and laughing at an English theatre camp on an idyllic agriturismo (which is an independent farm that accommodates and feeds its guests).

What would I have done differently for the future?

Looking back, here's what I wish I would have done differently, just ask more questions.

- Ask the boss about a daily schedule: I should have explicitly asked about a breakdown of what each day looked like at camp. This would have prepared me for the amount of energy and sunburns I would be exposing and exerting myself to. It also would give me an idea of how early I should go to bed to prepare for long hours and little breaks.

- Ask about lesson plans: I would have liked to know about whether lesson plans were collaborative or individual, in order to start brainstorming how I could contribute or know what to bring with me, or save to my drive.

- Ask about what to bring: I should have asked what the agriturismo and surrounding city included (pool, farm animals, mountains, etc.) in order to know what to pack. Some major items were a bathing suit, sunblock, running shoes, comfortable and light shorts, and a good camera for the scenery.

- Ask about transportation: I should have received detailed and clear instructions on how to get to the camp - starting from the main bus terminal in Rome to the target destination. I should have also google mapped this and saved screenshots on my phone in case I did not have access to Wi-fi (which I did not, and I ended up being 5-hours late!) The city was slightly remote and required multiple trains, so I should have known that prior.

- Ask about contact: I should have asked for phone numbers, emails and other contact information of teaching staff in case I got lost (which I did! I ended up hitching a ride with a random boy whose friend worked at a cafe, after an older man on the street grabbed me and tried to kiss me! It was quite scary! Luckily, this young man gave me a lift to the address I needed, but that could have been dangerous as well). I didn't anticipate so few of people to speak English and wasn't able to communicate with them very well. I should have written out ways to communicate "I need help.. Where is this address? Can you call me a taxi?"

- Ask about Payment: I should have explicitly asked what was the payment for working, when it would arrive and how it would be distributed (cash, euro, paypal, etc.) Women get nervous about money, but it is absolutely our right to know what's going on with our livelihoods. I also should have been more upfront and just asked, my boss was a real sweetie who would have answered without hesitation.

In all, Italy is the ultimate sensory experience and is available for anyone bold enough to tackle it. Do you see yourself there? Sweating in the Mediterranean sun and teaching adorable, boisterous children vowel sounds?

Then make it happen, rapido!

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