ACLE Reviews

Main issue with ACLE was that they weren't able to communicate with the tutors AND camp directors effectively if there was an issue going on. For example, if the camp director had an issue with a tutor, they would not address them directly but rather would call ACLE and tell them the issue. The tutor would not know what it was exactly that had caused the phone call to ACLE. This lack of communication by camp directors and ACLE needs to be addressed since it creates a bad reputation for tutors who are very qualified, especially those as myself who are certified to teach ESL. Seguing into my next point, the company hires anyone who speaks English, this mainly consists of 'white' people. Again, there is some discrimination here because I was one of the few individuals who did not fit into that categorization. I believe I had been selected due to representation of my country, Canada since there weren't many candidates from the nation. Another con would be the host family situations. ACLE should let tutors know exactly the kind of situations that they MIGHT get into. There was one tutor I was working with who was living in the grandmother's home and was told that she couldn't leave 'early in the morning for work'. The tutor was very frustrated and upset by this situation. ACLE should have assessed the family much in advance before placing the tutor there. Also, this could be said about all families. They should each be individually assessed to ensure that there are no issues in the household as this will create safety concerns for tutors. Compensation is very little in comparison to other similar tutoring companies in Italy and Europe. I understand it is a 'study grant' but the amount does not cover the cost of a return flight ticket, which could be a lot for someone coming from far away, like Canada in my situation. Also, not enough assistance is given to tutors on taking the train to their camps. The trains do not announce the stops and it is up to the tutor to see where they have to get off. This can be frustrating and can lead to being lost. Another issue that ACLE didn't address is the first day arrival and travel to San Remo. They mentioned that the train stations should have tickets available and there would be no need to buy in advance. This mistake on their end cost me a 103 euro hotel stay in Milan, which was the cheapest I could find. So, please don't listen to them when they say not to purchase in advance. You SHOULD buy your ticket ahead of time to avoid paying out-of-pocket for a hotel.

Highly disorganised, lack of training/support/structure, very little in the way of planning within the company, lots of blurred lines with regards to who is responsible for what.