Summer and Winter Camps

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Working at Camp
Updated 30 March 2009
Camp jobs can be useful to fill the gaps between teaching contracts or a chance to earn some extra cash. Just be aware that it's not as easy as it may seem. You’ll be with the kids for the majority of the day teaching English in the morning and usually games or sports in the afternoon. Working at a camp means that not only will you teach your students, but you'll be with them 24-7, when they eat, sleep, and play. Working only 8 hours a day probably isn't likely either as children and teenagers need you to be available around the clock. Going on excursions will be a plus. You'll likely take daytrips, or short overnight trips to a couple of cities during the duration of the camp.

Always ask for a written reference when you leave a job, no matter if it's paid or a volunteer position. Have your employer write when you work, job title, levels worked with, and what your responsibilities were. It should be printed on school letterhead and carry your employer's stamp (if they have one), their signature, their name, job title, school address, phone, and email. Try to get two copies of this. This is the basic info which gives you proof of employment. Even if you leave on bad terms, you should still ask for proof of employment. If you're leaving on good terms and if your employer is willing, they could also say what a great teacher you were. It's better to get this BEFORE you leave your job, because if you ask for a reference in the future, your eomployer might forget all the wonderful things you did and also might be less inclined to write a reference. Whereas if you ask while you're still working for them, you can remind your employer daily until they give you the reference/proof of employment. Then scan this and send it in an email when you apply for your next job.

Where to go
Where you can work often depends on your experience, availability and nationality. As for the EU, some camps may be willing to get you a work permit, others might not. You could try to arrange your own work permit. See Working Holiday Visas and Europe for non-EU passport holders for more info.

In general, camp work can be found in North America, Europe and Asia. Countries with abundant opportunities are usually: the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Switzerland, China, Taiwan and Korea.

Pay/Benefits
The majority of camps take place during the summer and are usually 4 to 12 weeks in length. Winter camps, ranging from 2 to 6 weeks, might also be available in some countries. Benefits vary from country to country and camp to camp. But, you should at least get free housing, meals, a weekly stipend, and one day off per week. Airfare, calling cards, visas and work permits might also be arranged for you.

One thing must be said about visas: some places will get you them, others won't. If they won't, they'll have you come on a tourist visa. (If you enter on a tourist visa, you will probably have to have a return or onward flight.) Obviously, it's better to get a work visa, but not all places have the ability or simply don't want to get you one. Keep in mind that it is always illegal, no matter what country, to work on a tourist visa. That being said, you'll probably be only working for a few weeks or a couple months and earning too little to raise any flags at immigration. So basically, a work visa is better and a tourist visa is ok.

If you have a couple of years experience and/or teaching qualifications, try asking for a higher salary or more benefits. Although your employer won't always say yes, it's worth a try. When in doubt, ask.

Finding a Job
If you're in country, finding a camp job will probably be easier than if you're overseas. For one, you'll have more contacts than those overseas. Second, you probably already have a visa and work permit. Third, it's usually cheaper to hire locally since the employer doesn't have to pay airfare. Usually places start advertising around mid-March for summer camps jobs (June to August) and around October for winter camp positions (January – February). Try checking the sites below.
TEFL.com
Dave's ESL Cafe
My Summer Camps
UWEC list of camp jobs
Europa Pages
Edu Quality List of Schools Abroad
Euro Jobs
TES
List of English Language Schools in Ireland

Country Specific Camps
● Switzerland: Village Camps
● France: Collegiens
● Spain: TECS, English Summer, Hyde Park Cordoba, Huesca International
● Ireland: Moyle Park Language College, CILA,
Liffey Linguistics, Galway Cultural Institute, Dublin City University, Language Learning International
● UK: Moving on Courses, ISIS, Stafford House, PLUS, Our World English, Millfield Enterprises,
St. Giles
● Korea: EFL 2 Korea



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