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Do you have to speak the language? No, but you can learn it while you're there with the provided language classes! ILP teachers use only English to teach the children through organized play.
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Where do you live? In Russia ILP teachers live mainly with host families, with the exception of one school in Moscow where they live in dorms. All of the teachers in China live in dorms/apartments.
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Is it weird living with a host family? It can be hard at first to communicate with your family, but after a few weeks, and a lot of charades, you begin to communicate very well! Living with a host family is a very rich cultural experience, and often becomes one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.
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What is the food like? Russia--potatoes, beets, soups, chicken, bread, etc. China--rice, tons of vegetables, chicken, fruit, soup. Both places cook with more oil, but the food is all very natural, and quite tasty!
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Do you have your own room? Sometimes you will have your own room, but you might share with a host sibling of the same sex. In dorms you will always share a room, usually with one other person.
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What kind of clothes do you wear? When you are teaching you should be neat and clean. Nice pants and button down shirts are preferable, but neat jeans and tee shirts are acceptable. In Russia dark pants are more practical.
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Do the people you live with speak English? The safest answer to this question is no. However, many of the host families have had teachers living with them in previous semesters so they are very good at communicating. You may even live with a family who has a child in ILP who can be your little translator! The best thing is to just bring your dictionary and be prepared to do charades!
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What do you get out of this program? There is a different answer for each teacher. Some of the common things past teachers always mention are; A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE KIDS, a love for the people and country, a love of the language, an appreciation for loved ones at home, a profound spiritual experience, a profound academic experience, a general global awareness, a love for service, etc.
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What is the weather like? Russia enjoys the changing seasons, with hot summers and cold winters. Many people are worried about the Russian winters, but they don't need to be. Generally anything that keeps you warm in the US will keep you warm there, if you simply add gloves, a hat, a scarf, and warm boots. China is more temperate than Russia, however they do have short, cold winters, with barely adequate heaters, so you'll want warm clothes there as well.
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What was it like? It's awesome! You get to spend four months learning about a new culture, meeting people, seeing sights, and serving others. It will change your life!
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Did you like it? Most say it was hard, but they absolutely LOVED it!
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What is there to do in each of the cities? See "Teaching Locations" in the program description, speak with other teachers who have been, look in travel guidebooks and surf the web! There is tons of info available on this subject.
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Do you live near or with other volunteers? In China and "Moscow 2" you will live with other volunteers, in the other cities you will all live with host families near the school, typically a couple of bus stops away. ILP tries to select host families within 10 minutes of the school, so most teachers live close to each other. When this is not possible, we will group at least 2 teachers in the same neighborhood so they can commute together.
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How do you communicate with your family? However you can! At first, you will communicate using a dictionary, charades, pictures of home, etc. Very soon you will learn some of their language, and they some English, and you will be on your way to a wonderful relationship! You may have a host sibling who is an ILP student, and then you'll have a live-in translator.
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Can you go to church? Yes. Church services of most faiths (including LDS) are available at all ILP countries and cities.
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What is transportation like? You will travel by public transportation--subway, train, bus, trolley, and tram.
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What do you do with your free time? Whatever you like, as long as you keep the rules! You can attend language and culture classes, exercise, study, etc. Some have served at soup kitchens, joined ballroom dance teams, diving teams, weight-lifting teams, taken judo classes, etc. You can go see the sights, go to the markets, operas, ballets, museums, symphonies, cultural events etc.
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How many people go? Currently more than 450 people go per year, 300 to China, 120 to Russia/Ukraine, and 40 to Taiwan.
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What is the girl/guy ratio? More girls go than guys--typically about a 5 to 1 ratio.
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Can you do missionary work while you're there? Often the best missionary work that you can do as an ILP volunteer is to be the best teacher you can be! You are also able to answer religious questions to locals in all ILP countries except in China, where it is strictly forbidden.
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Is your host family LDS? Although many of our volunteers are members of the LDS (Mormon) Church, usually the host families are not. However, the families are expected to be supportive of the ILP Code of Conduct, which is consistent with LDS standards.
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How do they choose the families? The school director, who often knows their students' families since the child's birth, recommends strong families. These host families must be financially able to support another person, be supportive of the ILP Code of Conduct, etc.
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Will we have enough to eat? Yes! You may never have a time in your life when you are fed more!
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What are the living conditions like? The host families' homes in Russia are often modest, but warm and comfortable. The dorms in Russia are similar to student dorms in the US. The dorms/apartments in China are quite new, and nicer than most dorms in the US.
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Will we have TVs? Almost all host families have a TV in their home, and the dorms/apts have a commons room where a TV is provided.
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Can you bring CDs? Yes, but there may not be a player provided, so you should also bring a portable player if you want to be sure you can use them.
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How do you get along in public without speaking the language? You'll manage just fine! About 60% of ILP volunteers don't speak any Russian or Chinese before they go, but many learn while they're there!
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Can you exercise? Yes. It may take resourcefulness on your part, but you can usually find a track or park to jog in, or you may bring an exercise video to use with other teachers while you're there, etc.
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Do you have to eat meat? No, in the host families, you can politely say "no thank you" and in the dorms your meals are served buffet style, so you take only what you like.
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Can you drink the water? In Russia ILP has water purifiers that should always be used for drinking water. In China drinking water is provided in water coolers in the dorms/apts.
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Can you buy personal items? Yes, but if you have personal preferences for brands, you should plan on bringing them with you.
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What is available to buy there? All of the necessities, but often with less selection than we have in the US.
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What if I have friends going, can we be in the same city? We love when friends go together and make sure that they go to the same city. In fact, if needed we will reassign groups of friends to a different city in order to keep them all together.
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Can I take my instrument with me? Its not a problem to bring your instrument, but keep in mind that you will have to count it as a piece of luggage, and luggage space is priceless with all the other stuff you'll have to bring. With a little effort and detective work, you can usually find one to use while you're there.
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What is a typical day like? Schedules vary depending on which school you teach in. Some have their teaching block in the morning, others in the afternoon/late afternoon, and at some schools the teaching schedule is different each day between the hours of 8am and 7pm for three to four hours each day. For example, a typical schedule in Russia would be as follows: You would go to the school in the morning and have breakfast, then you would teach for three hours on a Monday, but two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon on a Tuesday. You typically eat lunch at the school. Mid-day you may either attend language classes, which meet two times per week, or culture classes, which meet two times per month. You may go sight seeing around the city, take part in church activities, study the language, go to an orphanage, spend time with your host family/other teachers, just go to a store or any other worthwhile thing that you choose. Outside of teaching, your schedule is intentionally left open for you to create your own experience!
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How does living in dorms compare with living with host families? Living with a host family can be challenging in the beginning, especially with communicating, dealing with a host sibling, and having your host family expect you to participate in family events/responsibilities. Many past volunteers say the reward far outweighs the challenge. You come to love them, you are exposed to more language, and you really see the culture first hand. The dorms/apts. lets you be in a foreign country, but come home to a little piece of America at night. Where the social aspect is strong, the cultural/linguistic may not be as strong as a host family. You really can't lose, both options are great--most past volunteers say if they went again, they wouldn't change to the other.
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Do you have roommates? In the dorms you normally have one roommate, but rarely in the host families.
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How do I wash my clothes? In host families, you will do what they do--either hand-wash in the bath tub, or machine wash if your family has one. In the dorms/apts, washing machines are provided in common laundry rooms.
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Do you have a TV or phone in your room? Usually, but if not, you will have access to both.
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Do you have email and how often can you use it? You will have access to email, and will generally schedule the times through your Head Teacher. Internet cafes are also available in most ILP cities.
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Can you call home? You can call home, but it can get really expensive so it is best to use email as your major means of communication, and then call for special occasions. Whenever you call, you need to make sure that you pay your bill!
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Do you have to bring your own bedding and towels? Bedding is provided, but it is a good idea to bring a towel.
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Can you get letters and packages? Yes, but you should never send anything irreplaceable because the mail systems can be unreliable. Postal time is quite slow in both directions, ranging from 10 days to three weeks.
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What are the bathrooms like? In Russia they are normal, but most of them have a handle on the top that you pull to flush. In public buildings often you will have to pay to use them, and in many places they still have squat toilets. In China, the dorm/apt bathrooms are like ours in the US, in public buildings, almost all have squat toilets.
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Do they have toilet paper? Yes, but it is not as soft as ours.
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Do you get to pick your roommates? Yes, roommate selection occurs upon arrival, so you have a say in it.
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Where do you eat? If you live with a host family you'll normally eat some meals with them and others at the school, depending on your teaching schedule. In the dorms/apts, you will eat all your meals at the dorm/apt cafeteria.
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If you have allergies can you cook for yourself? If you have allergies, its best to let us know in "Part A" of your application, so that we can make the necessary arrangements with your host family. Its quite common, however, that in such a case, you will simply need to politely work out the details with your family as you get to know each other better. In the dorms/apts where the food is served buffet style, you can simply select the things you aren't allergic to.
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Who cooks for you? Your host family, or if you're in the dorms/apts, chefs.
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Are the people receptive to Americans? For the most part, they really like Americans and are very interested in you. They want to learn more about you and talk to you, sometimes they will stare, but it is more out of curiosity than rudeness. The program directors and administration watch very closely for any anti-American sentiment. Usually the local American embassy where your passport will be registered will inform your head teacher of any advisories. You may also contact the embassy by phone, email, or internet.
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Do you get a lot of unwanted attention or do you stand out? You do stand out, and they will know that you are foreigners, but usually this will help them be more patient and willing to help you.
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How are women treated in public? Like the US, men are generally polite, they will hold open doors, or offer their arm so you won't slip on the ice, etc. However, also like the US, it's important to be "street smart" in the cities, not being overly loud, and staying in groups of two or more, etc.
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Can I buy clothes that will fit me? In Russia yes, in China, it's difficult to find larger sizes of anything.
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How will we meet the Chinese people if we don't live with families? Home visits are scheduled on a monthly basis whenever possible. The purpose is to inform the parents of their child's progress, and to better know the child and his/her family. No language is usually necessary for this process, because the parents will see the progress just by your interaction with their child--plus the child can be your interpreter!
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What will we do for vacation time? We strongly encourage volunteers to travel inside their country of service during their stay. Within those guidelines, we leave the travel plans up to each group to decide, as long as travel rules are followed (i.e. travelling in groups of at least three, having travel plans outside the city approved, etc.).
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Is the culture really serious and traditional? In Russia, many foreigners think the people are sad because they are very reserved in public. They are often quite different when they are at home--very expressive and fun. Both Russia and China have very unique and tradition-rich cultures. You will delight in experiencing them first hand!
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What are the people like? They are great. They are so willing to help and are very grateful for the service you are doing for their kids.
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Do you learn the language while you are there? Yes, but the amount of the language that you will learn depends heavily on how much you study on your own. Those who have acquired the most language during their stay have studied on their own daily, and then used the ILP language classes as a resource to supplement their studies, rather than depending on the language classes as their only source of learning. Learning any foreign language takes effort, but it can be very rewarding.
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Do I need to bring nice dress-up clothes? You will want at least one set of nice clothes for church, operas, or ballets, but you won't want "formals". Just bring nice clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned.
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Should I bring my jewelry? You probably won't want to bring anything really expensive and nice, but watches, rings and earrings are fine.
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Is there a guide around town? Your Head Teacher and Native Coordinator will help orient you to your city and help you find your way around. Usually you will also make friends who would love to spend time with you showing you their city.
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What are the differences between Russia and China? They have different cultures, climates and traditions, but wherever you go, you will fall in love with the country, the kids, and your fellow teachers. The best way to find out the differences is by talking to past ILP teachers, surfing the internet, and reading, reading, reading about them.
