About Us
Your route to exploring the world and teaching English abroad begins here
Cross-cultural engagement through travel and education
We know from direct experience that working and traveling abroad is a fulfilling, challenging and ultimately life changing experience.
At CultureRoute, we believe that some of life's most valuable experiences lie in exploring the world and learning from the diversity of people and culture beyond our borders.
We have collectively spent decades living and teaching in other countries, most of them in the developing world, and we have worked with thousands of teachers going overseas to prepare them to teach and live abroad.
"We are passionate about giving people the educational tools and cultural preparation to pursue larger-than-life dreams and to share their skills with communities in need."
CultureRoute offers a range of education programs and cross-cultural experiences abroad.
Our flagship program is our 120 hour online TEFL course in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL), which uses cutting edge media that closely simulates a classroom experience to give you the best possible preparation for teaching in another country.
The four week, intensive, internationally accredited course includes in-depth peer interaction, one-on-one live feedback from experienced instructors who have taught abroad, video clips from a variety of ESL teachers across the world, countries and comprehensive ESL curriculum used to teach thousands of English teachers.
Our Vision
We see a world where education, cross-cultural knowledge, and curiosity about other cultures empower regular people to do extraordinary things that build understanding, bridge cultures, and unlock opportunities.
Our Values
CultureRoute’s mission is to provide ground-breaking, high-quality education and training programs that prepare students to engage the world beyond their borders, and become agents of positive change in communities around the world.
Education
We believe that education opens doors and minds, providing economic and knowledge opportunities that improve individuals and societies.
Education is the key to a better life for those who have never known comfort and economic security, and the key to broadening horizons and cultural understanding for those who venture beyond their comfort zone.
Honesty
Passion without adequate preparation can lead to failure. But when the passionate are also prepared, it is an unbeatable combination. We must prepare those passionate enough to take the leap into the unknown of the world beyond their borders.
We must be honest about what it takes and what is in store for them, and provide all of the training, resources and support to enable them to be successful.
Passion
Passion is what should drive people towards their chosen profession. Passion is what motivates the brave to explore beyond their borders, to meet those from other cultures, live amongst them, and develop life-long bonds. Passion brings the world closer together and motivates us to strive to improve ourselves and bring our best every day.
Community engagement
We strive to ensure that our work engages constructively with local people and has positive impacts on local communities.
Leadership Team
Michael Volpe
PhD - Head of Education
Dr. Volpe oversees all of the educational content at Culture Route and manages the organization’s educational team, including TESOL and cultural studies instructors, and educational content developers.
He is a Fulbright-Hays Scholar with a PhD in International Public Policy from George Mason University. Michael has worked in the education sector for 15 years, and has taught at the university level in Thailand and the United States in a variety of disciplines, including business, political science and ESL. Having taught online at various universities in the USA, Dr Volpe’s dream has been to provide online education which simulates classroom experience and produces results at the standard of in-class education.
Jon Harman
B.A - Instructor
Jon holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) (Hons) Degree in Digital Media Production from Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom.
Jon has been working within the ESL industry since 2013, where he began teaching in Thailand for 1.5 years, then becoming a TESOL instructor in a well-established organization based in Thailand. Jon has extensive experience in teaching TESOL, not only online, but also in South Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand, having personally instructed well over 1000 students over the course of his 4 years as a TESOL instructor. Jon also has extensive experience in TESOL curriculum development and management and has trained and mentored TESOL instructors in the field.
Jon considers himself a bit of a movie buff, enjoys discovering new music, but his heart truly lies in keeping a busy and productive lifestyle, one that is dedicated to supporting others to achieve their dreams of becoming teachers overseas.
Justin Ruhe
B.A - Instructor
Justin holds a Bachelors of Arts (B.A) in English-American Literature and Creative Writing from Central Washington University in the United States.
After receiving his 120 hour TESOL certification, he taught high school English in Thailand for two years. Later, he acted as education manager, where he trained and certified over 600 new teachers in TEFL/TESOL, and constantly worked to create new education content for the local teacher and student communities.
In 2018, Justin was the lead teacher at Homeschool Isla Mujeres in Mexico, where he taught core elementary subjects with a creative focus.
Justin currently teaches online TEFL/TESOL certification classes, and writes daily about education.