Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is it safe?
ELIC has been effectively sending teachers to Asia and caring for them on the field for 30 years. As in travel anywhere, participants need to be careful with their belongings, but the people of Asia are amazingly warm and welcoming and your host school will do everything in their power to keep you safe and comfortable.
2. Do I get paid?
Summer Teaching Program teachers serve as volunteers overseas, and raise the financial support needed to cover the costs.
3. Do I need to have teaching experience?
Some kind of teaching experience is helpful, whether from volunteer teaching, or on-the-job training of co-workers. You do not need to be a professional teacher to participate. ELIC provides excellent training to equip you to do an exceptional job in your classroom and each team is blessed with some seasoned educators.
4. Do I need to speak the language?
You do not. Your students will be English teachers, and while they may not be completely comfortable with spoken English, they do know it! Your job will be to help them be more comfortable using the English they already know.
4. What curriculum will I use?
ELIC provides an excellent curriculum written specifically for this program. However, there are also many opportunities for lectures and activities following outlines that allow for some creativity while giving sound structure to the program.
6. What is covered in the program cost?
Everything you need from the time you leave North America until your return. Room and board during training and while at your school, travel arrangements, curriculum materials, orientation, debriefing, basic medical care, medical insurance and visas are all covered.
7. Do I need to get shots?
No immunizations are required, either by China, Mongolia, Canada or the United States. We always recommend that you consult with your doctor prior to travel, along with reviewing recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov).
8. What if I get sick or hurt?
Your host school or ELIC program director will provide the best medical care available, whether at their own clinic or a local hospital. ELIC provides both medical and evacuation insurance to help with care beyond what the school is able to provide and what your personal insurance doesn’t cover. In the event that your situation requires it, ELIC will make arrangements to obtain the necessary medical care.
9. What if there’s an emergency at home?
It is ELIC’s expectation that everyone who commits to the summer program will complete it. However, ELIC recognizes that a death in the family or a life-threatening emergency may make it necessary for you to leave early. In such cases, we would help you make arrangements to get home.
10. Where will I stay?
In Asia, each school provides housing for its team. This is usually in a foreign guesthouse on campus, but may be in a nearby hotel. In Mongolia this may be an apartment or tourist camp facility. Housing is usually two to a room, and you should have a western-style toilet.
11. What is the food like?
You can expect to eat authentic Chinese or Mongolian food all summer. The schools have learned what their North American teachers like, and tend to outdo themselves in providing for nearly every meal.
12. What is the weather like?
For those serving in China, expect it will be hot and humid. Classrooms and housing typically have air conditioning. In China, the temperatures range from a daytime average of 90 degrees Fahrenheit for some places in the north, to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the south. Mongolia tends to be 8-10 degrees cooler than northern China. Mongolia and the far western parts of China are significantly less humid than other locations.
13. Can I sign up to go with a friend?
ELIC is delighted to see friends who want to go together and we have sent parents with adult-aged children, many married couples and friends who request to serve together. Requests for groups of more than three who want to go to the same city will be accommodated if possible.
14. How much luggage can I take with me?
You may take on piece of checked luggage, weighing no more than 40 lbs. This is due to the luggage restrictions determined by internal airlines following trans-Pacific flights. You may also take a carry-on piece and one small bag like a purse or small briefcase.
15. When will I know if I’m accepted?
Once we receive your completed application with all the references and transcripts, we will schedule a time to conduct a telephone interview with you as soon as possible. This generally occurs within a week after receiving your completed application. When the telephone interview is complete, we will seek to reach a decision within a week.
16. What does ELIC do to help me prepare to go?
It is our desire that you have a memorable and highly effective summer experience. This begins with thorough preparation. We will help you with your support raising efforts by providing you with support raising suggestions and tools. We will also provide materials to acquaint you with the Chinese or Mongolian cultures, with teaching English as a second language, and will provide a reading list of books you can obtain for additional helpful information. You will be provided information on what to pack, how to prepare and what to expect when you get to your destination. We have negotiated with your host school to provide you with adequate accommodations and some local sightseeing opportunities. We will provide receipting for your financial support and will arrange and purchase your international tickets and visa. The training that you receive will acquaint you with all aspects of the summer program and will fully prepare you to step into your classroom when you arrive there. Working together with your team, you will have everything you’ll need to provide a truly excellent learning experience for your students.
17. I’m getting a security certificate error when I try opening one of your forms. What should I do?
If you feel comfortable, go ahead and proceed, bypassing the warning. Our site wants to direct you to a secure form so your information is kept safe, and some browsers (specifically we’ve found it in Safari for Mac) aren’t willing to recognize our forms as what they are: secure. We assure you that it’s safe, and the problem is a bug in communication with the browser rather than a bug in our security. If you’re still not sure, try opening the form in another web browser (we suggest Firefox for Mac and Internet Explorer for PC), or feel free to email info@elic.org .