Who we are, what we look for
We are looking for young, creative, energetic people from English-speaking countries (or foreigners with a perfect English and a solid linguistic awareness) to join us at our two-week English city camp in Orsago, a small village located near Venice, Italy. During the camp, the kids are exposed to the language and cultures of your home countries in a fun, playful and engaging way through games, music, sports, art labs etc.
The camp ends with a final show, usually based on popular movies and/or novels and staged in a local theatre. The kids also build papier-mâché scenic designs and costumes, learn songs and practice choreographies for the show during the camp. We are very proud of our final shows (we employ professional lighting, smoke and bubble machines, sound effects etc.) and a considerable amount of time during the camp is spent making sure we deliver a great show for the kids’ parents and families.
Camp 2019 will run from August 19th to August 30th from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday: more info about the camp here.
A tutor’s responsibilities
Each tutor, individually or in pairs, will be responsible for a class of max. 15 kids aged 4-15. The kids will be assigned to different classes based on their age and English skills. Your main duty is to devise and run morning lessons in which you will mix a bit of grammar, everyday vocabulary, listening and conversation practice and elements of your culture and national traditions in the most engaging and fun way for your class. We don’t want lesson time to look and sound like school: kids are still on holiday, after all.
We will ask you to compile a class workbook of roughly 20-40 pages that we will print and hand out to kids. The choice of learning material included is highly personal and can mix resources found online, song lyrics, pictures, crosswords, cloze texts, games and whatever else you deem appropriate. We will assist you in creating these workbooks, as well as a lesson plan with a clear, detailed, day-by-day explanation of what you intend to do in class. We understand that this might be your first time dealing with Italian kids and that the kids themselves will often set the pace of the lesson; therefore we do not expect you to strictly follow your workbook. We try to keep it casual and never too scholastic: as long as your class is having fun and practicing English along the way, you will be doing your job just fine!
Outside lesson time, you will be asked to interact with kids during playtime, coming up with field games, chants, and other activities to keep them entertained. Of course kids need to be guarded at all times, so you will have to help our Italian staff keep an eye on them. Also, tutors are paired with a member of the Italian team and assigned each to a different afternoon activity (sports, acting, arts & crafts, journalism, music). We assign tutors to afternoon labs trying to follow their personal interests and talents and much as possible, and we would appreciate for them to participate actively in their planning and execution, both during the camp and in the weeks preceding it.
In brief, an ideal tutor:
- Can establish a human connection with the kids, using respect and sensitivity to bond with them;
- Can keep it simple, and understands that the kids’ knowledge of English may be very little: in fact, you will need to narrow down your vocabulary to a maximum of 50 – 200 words, speak slowly, be patient and use nonverbal cues extensively;
- Is a creative person, who can come up with several new games, class activities, artistic and technical solutions for scenic designs, etc.;
- Is outgoing and not afraid to take challenges or “expose themselves” in front of the kids in a funny way with chants, games etc. – the goal is to manage them and keep them entertained both during lessons and during breaks/downtime, by working around time and space constraints and being able to effectively lead a large group of children.
The recruiting process
First of all, we ask you to fill in the form at the bottom of this page. The next step is one or more Skype interviews in which we’ll delve deeper into your application and be happy to answer any of your questions regarding the camp. After we have examined all the candidates, you will be informed if you passed the selection and what is your position on our shortlist. We plan on recruiting 7-8 new tutors this year, depending on how many kids apply for our camp.
The final decision will be disclosed around the end of May/beginning of June, when we have a better understanding of how many kids there will be at the camp. Teachers will be assigned to their class and lab by the end of June; in July, all teachers will need to work on and complete their lesson plans and workbooks with our help.
In June, if you accept our formal invitation to join our team for camp 2019, you will sign a contract and we will ask you to buy your flight ticket by the end of the month. We ask you this for two reasons: to have a guarantee of your commitment, and to plan your ground transportation and accommodation as early as possible.
Why choose English Camp Orsago?
We will provide food and accommodation for the entire duration of your stay (we require you to be with us from August 18th before midday to August 31st but you are welcome to stay a few days before and after those dates). We will also arrange your transportation to and from the airports of Treviso Sant’Angelo and Venezia Marco Polo (both hubs for low-cost European airlines). You will be hosted by members of our team or by families of kids attending the camp, and you will be able to enjoy the Italian lifestyle during your spare time (evenings and weekends).
Our camp is not for profit and we all operate as volunteers, but we give all of our foreign team members a reimbursement. Its amount is usually more than enough to pay for a flight and have pocket money for your stay, if you’re flying from a European city; be aware, though, that the reimbursement will hardly cover the full price of an intercontinental ticket. However, we are willing to consider a higher reimbursement for deserving candidates who come from outside Europe.
Other than these “practicalities”, there are many reasons to join us. First of all, we are a group of open, enthusiastic and motivated friends aged 18-35 and we love what we do. This camp has been running for several years and some of us even participated in it as kids, so we are aware of the transformative value such experiences may have for children. During the past years we have met tutors from all over the world, discovered their great talent and often built durable relationships with them.
Secondly, you will get to enjoy the Italian culture and beauties: not only we are close to Venice and Verona, but the whole region is filled with picturesque Medieval villages and August is a perfect time to be here and enjoy our local fairs and events. The photo you see above is not just some random stock pic – it’s a real place, and it’s only a few kilometers away from our camp! And those vineyards you see, they make Prosecco wine – our region’s greatest pride. We love showing our foreign friends around the area and letting them discover our greatest restaurants and bars, our most instagrammable views, our craziest customs and celebrations. Check out this blog post to see for yourself.
Thirdly, you will enjoy our culture from a unique point of view, working side-by-side with young Italian people and discovering our own habits and traditions through an enriching relationship with the kids – we know from experience you are going to miss them dearly!
Sounds good? Jump in! Fill in the form below and you will hear from us soon. A presto!
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