Was your trip organised by your university? 
I worked for a language school in the UK last summer and it was through them that I organised the teaching placement. 

Did you have any problems whilst you were out there?
No, no problems (I did go to hospital for an infected insect bite, but I was taken by an Italian teacher from the school I was working at and got some antibiotics).

Did you struggle not speaking the language?
The language wasn’t a problem. I lived with host families - in one case they didn’t speak any English but we got by with phrase books and gestures. 

How do you think your time abroad has benefited you for the future?
I think this experience definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, not only in terms of working with children, planning lessons and doing arts and crafts, but doing that in a foreign country with children who didn’t speak English. It made me more confident and I really enjoyed seeing Italy from a different perspective. 

Would you recommend going abroad to other students? 
Definitely, it’s a great opportunity and one that you can’t do once you are working full time.

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