I had a dreadful experience with i-to-i in both Kenya and Tanzania. Where to begin? The placements are completely over-priced and I felt so ripped off and disappointed with what I actually got for my money, especially once you see the sorry state of the local people and places that you work in. The TEFL training that I did before hand was completely irrelevant to the kind of work that I was doing. My tutor took ages to get back to me and the UK office were really unhelpful when you called, in fact the only time they were helpful was before I had booked when they hounded me with calls at work (4 times a day to see if I had any more questions and was ready to book!). However once that was done I was handed over and my contact person that I was assigned to had never even been to Africa! Once I got in country the reality was so different to the glossy image on their website and brochure, I felt so cheated. I was placed by myself and advised not to go out as the area was too dangerous, yet I had been assured (admittedly by the sales people!) that I would be in a group of young, like-minded travellers and that safety was of paramount importance to the organisation. I was also given the impression that I would have a local rep on hand if necessary but she was over 1 1/2 hours away. I was mugged by myself on my third day on my way to the project. Where was the support then? Nowhere?! The in country team were lovely but I felt that they were exploited by i-to-i, given enormous amounts of work and responsibility and not enough support, training or payment. They were often powerless to help. Since I got back (August) I have researched the company more and found that there are a lot of unhappy customers like me on the web that felt down by their experience and I think that it's time that the company were exposed from the flimsy veil of 'volunteering' that they market themselves under. They are a commercial profit making company and should be more accountable to their volunteers in country, as ultimately word of mouth will let them down, no matter how pretty their brochures are. I also found out that they made a fortune on the back of the Asian tsunami by charging people to go and help and getting loads of free PR, even sending their PR person out straight after the disaster to maximise publicity! I also first saw them at a fair in Birmingham and the stall said that they were a charity which I have since found out is a total lie. Very disappointing. Steer clear or better still organise a placement yourself and give your money directly to those who need it rather than continuing to line the pockets of the so called 'entrepreneur', Ms. Bounds.
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I understand you had a pretty bad experience from what you've written but I don't feel you've actually told us what i-to-i is supposed to be. It's listed in the "Travel Agencies & Tour Operators " section but this seems to be about something else altogether. :)
i_to_i 22.11.2006 16:54
We aim to be as transparent as possible about the fact that we are a commercial organisation, so I am very surprised that you were told that i-to-i is a charity. However, we do have a charity arm, The i-to-i Foundation, which was established to provide financial support to under-resourced volunteer projects, and it may be that this is where the confusion has arisen. Since its launch in 2003, the i-to-i Foundation has raised and delivered more than £100,000 / US$190,000 of aid in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
The safety of our customers is extremely important and I am sorry to hear that you were mugged overseas. We attempt to equip our travellers with as much information as possible to ensure their safety. They are given detailed pre-departure information and an induction on arrival in country, informing them about local customs, cultures and how best to stay safe in that region. However, feedback from our customers is that they don’t want a hand-holding service. Most people prefer to be independent and are reassured to know that the support is there if needed.
With regards to the Asian tsunami, this project was launched in response to an overwhelming response from customers who wished to do more than pledge money to help affected communities. The project was originally launched as a not-for-profit programme and five free spaces were given to the first people who applied.
As a final note, I would like to say that we take all feedback from customers very seriously and we do attempt to address any issues which arise, both in our offices and in our overseas destinations. I would advise anyone with queries about i-to-i to contact us directly via info@i-to-i.com
i_to_i 22.11.2006 16:53
Hi Sam
I’m writing from i-to-i in response to your comments.
Firstly I’m sorry that your experiences in Africa were not what you expected. We send around 5,000 people to volunteer projects around the world each year and the vast majority of feedback we receive is very positive. However, I appreciate that you have a number of concerns and will try to answer these one by one:
In response to your point about the cost of your placement, in addition to the ‘visible’ services which i-to-i provides (accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, emergency cover, in-country support, TEFL training), the volunteer fee covers a huge number of less obvious services, all of which are vital to achieve the level of service which we provide, both to our customers and our projects overseas. These include:
> Researching new projects and maintaining relationships with existing projects
> Carrying out customer checks (such as CRB checks) to ensure volunteer suitability
> Preparation and orientation: Travellers receive thorough pre-departure information along with a detailed orientation when they arrive in country
> Recruiting volunteers (this is a hugely important area to ensure projects receive a constant flow of volunteers)
> Fundraising advice
> Advice and support from our work and travel advisors
In order for us to offer the levels of service that our customers expect, it is necessary for us to apply these charges.
i-to-i
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Advantages: Friendly agency with a personal touch, good links with placement countries and wide variety of programmes Disadvantages: some communication problems over what was included in my prize (a minor quibble)
blinderben 14.02.2001 ·
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