My middle schooler and I went on a trip with Japan organized by teachers last year via EFTours, and this year, she is on a trip with one of the same teacher leads to Argentina. My ability to join in 2024 allowed me to see the way these trips are organized, the value in a student-centered tour experience, and the care/process of the chaperones. She's finishing her second year of Spanish, so going to a place where she can experience Spanish as a native language was a benefit this year. I hope her experiencing travelling without a parent, but with a teacher and tour experience I was comfortable with was also a good life experience for her. AND she seems to be wishing I was there with her, so getting some parental appreciation as well! Highly recommend, though the cost is high, and agree to make sure you're really comfortable with the chaperones.

A high school teacher at my HS hosted annual EF tours for years. The year after I graduated he was accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. Lots of people loved him and didn't believe her so he was allowed to resign and keep his teaching license. About two years later he was caught sexually assaulting a disabled student at his new school. He served prison time.

Pay close attention to who is hosting and chaperoning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't school sponsor's travel costs get paid if they get enough students to go, or something like that?

Yes. It’s a free vacation for the teachers who go.

I don’t think chaperoning teens in a foreign country is an easy free vacation!!

It absolutely is not. I and all of the other parents whose kids went on the EF Tour trip last summer were extremely grateful to all of the teachers who did the trip with the kids. It is no walk in the park.

My older kid did the EF Tour last summer and I would recommend it.

Is it the cheapest option for international travel? No.
Could you organize a similar trip yourself? Sure, but then all of that work is on you.
And does your kid get a sense of autonomy and a great bonding experience by traveling without you? Yes.

I see nothing wrong with it being offered and would absolutely do it again with my younger child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't school sponsor's travel costs get paid if they get enough students to go, or something like that?

Yes. It’s a free vacation for the teachers who go.

I don’t think chaperoning teens in a foreign country is an easy free vacation!!

I agree. I would be happy that teacher gets free trip if they chaperone. I still cannot justify the high price per person. I think I can handle my own kid if we go to Asia like China/Japan/korea because I understand some of their cultures and speak some languages. If I sign up for my kid, it must be a foreign country that I am not familiar with.

It’s not school sponsored and MCPs does not pay the cost. The availability of a trip is dependent on if a staff member is willing to sign up to go and do the work of seeing if there are students and/or families that want to go. Students from other schools are usually welcomed and you don’t usually have to be study the particular language to go on the trip.

Besides cost, the worst part to me is there is not an organized way to see all the different trip options each year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't school sponsor's travel costs get paid if they get enough students to go, or something like that?

Yes. It’s a free vacation for the teachers who go.

I don’t think chaperoning teens in a foreign country is an easy free vacation!!

Anonymous wrote:Don't school sponsor's travel costs get paid if they get enough students to go, or something like that?

Yes. It’s a free vacation for the teachers who go.

Anonymous wrote:Don't school sponsor's travel costs get paid if they get enough students to go, or something like that?

I don't know, but that would explain the over-the-top enthusiasm from the school sponsor!

Staff have sponsored these trips not just teachers.
Central America, South America, Europe, Canada, Caribbean, Asia etc ec

Read the fine print, guardians, if you sign up your kid for an EF trip

Don't school sponsor's travel costs get paid if they get enough students to go, or something like that?

These EF trips seem like a huge liability for MCpS once their employees are leading and advertising them inside their buildings. None of the field trips rules apply during breaks so the teachers skirt a lot of the rules

Yes, but it depends on the school and the teachers.

The trips are not organized by MCPS. They are all offered by private companies who partner with teachers, and then the teacher becomes the "spokesperson" at that school. Some teachers are more enthusiastic about it than others, and a lot refuse to participate, which is why there may not be trips every year for every language.

Personally, I'm not spending thousands of dollars so my kid can get cultural and language exposure in another country. If we travel, we all go together. I can organize trips with my preferred sightseeing, food and lodgings, and avoid the hefty commission to a for-profit organization.

I see that Julius West MS has a Quebec trip for French students. Anyone know if kids who take Spanish or Chinese get a trip? Are there any other recurring opportunities for an international school trip at other area Middle or High schools?