I have read a lot about Vaughan Town programs in Spain where you engage in a English language program with Spanish speaking professionals looking to improve there English. I am interested in taking part in a program similar to it but in another country. I was wondering if anyone has had experience with a similar program in other parts of Europe.
Thanks
Wendy
If I am not mistaken, Diverbo has programs in Germany.
Hi Wendy,
Unless you have an EU passport, you need to be aware that you will have to obtain a work permit to undertake such programs. Here is an example from the Vaughan programs: Non EU Citizens.
Note that in Europe all types of work from paid work to voluntary work and payment in kind require such a permit. And the penalties are high if you fail to comply with the rules.
Jim.
The link posted above pertains to Vaughan's paid English teachers, who are employees of the company. As they have explained to me, it does not apply to their volunteers, as they are not involved in teaching in any way. They are merely there for conversation. They have held over 500 weeks of programs without running afoul of any regulation, according to their office.
@Nancy
If you enter the Schengen Area in particular as a tourist you are not entitled to undertake work of any kind be it voluntary, in exchange for accommodation or other services and of course the paid kind. Failure to comply with these rules will result in you at a minimum being deported and more likely being fined and being excluded from the Area for a fixed or indefinite period.
It is also worth pointing out that we have civil law in most of Europe rather than common law as in the US and the British Isles, which makes the application of the law very black and white. There is no obligation on the authorities to consider your circumstance or excuses when applying the laws. Attending a school or similar institution on a regular basis for the purpose of conversing with the students is not a tourist activity. That is how they will see it.
Of course organizations are happy to have you volunteer with them, because if it all goes wrong you are the one taking all the risks not them. For them it is simply a case of 'Oops sorry about that', while you sit in a detention center waiting to be deported.
If you intend to do anything other than be a tourist the best advice is to seek written confirmation from the relevant embassy that you do not need a work permit or other documentation before you do so.
I do have an email into the Spanish embassy about this (as Vaughan suggested I do) and will report back when I get a response. But staying in a hotel, eating good meals, seeing the local area and talking to people is what I always do as a tourist, no matter where I am. It will be interesting to see what they say.
I'd be interested to see the reply, too. Clearly the room and board and wine are all compensation for the time spent in the conversations, as part of the program paid for by the Spanish participants.
I would have thought that that would have required a work visa - I'd love to hear the Spanish government take on it.
I've done two Vaughan English immersion programs. They consist of six days/five nights, no teaching, all English talk, including some exercises such as a telephone conversation. Vaughan is a very large outfit, including a TV station. There used to be a similar operation in Italy from another company but I have lost track. Vaughan is especially useful for solo travelers since it guarantees, indeed insists on, company over the dinner table or evening drinks. Plus the English-speakers come from many countries, with many accents, part of the students' exposure to the language they have learned academically. No mention of work permits; it is volunteer and short.
Just a quick update, I haven't heard from the embassy yet.
