Teaching English as a foreign language charities for south america

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What you are encountering is "voluntourism". It is a feel good travel product, which provides some minor benefits for the organization you are being volunteered for.

Many countries require work permits or business type visas to volunteer, as they consider your benefits (free room, food, etc) as remuneration for "work". Organizations counter this by packaging the volunteer experience as a travel offering. You pay for your room, board, transport, guides and "activities". Those tour "activities" then center around helping out with whatever the project is, teaching, building, etc. But since you receive no compensation for your effort and pay for all your expenses, you can enter the country as a tourist.

The offerings are never for a long period of time because you are only supposed to be a "tourist". And prices are not cheap (even from the source) because: 1) it is a source of revenue for the organization; 2) a big part of the market is well off folks wanting to give back a bit (and be comfortable too).

Plus as is common in travel, you have the re-sellers, folks who promote the packages, hooking you up with the local "providers" and of course add in their mark up as well.

These packages are often marketed as "giving back travel" or "responsible travel" or "volunteer experiences" or other such feel good concepts. And there are websites that list the programs, but you have to filter through to find the ones that actually do something with their activities.

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