ECC 2013 Summer to remember

Many adjectives can be used to describe my experiences in Italy, and pretty much all of them are positive.

This experience not only gives you the chance to put some work on your CV it gives you something I think a bit more important than that, memories, and friends which can last can last a lifetime.

There are I would say 5 things which make this summer job special

1. The orientation where you meet people from all across the world, share stories, play games, learn camp songs, and also gain professional advice and experience in teaching English as a foreign language. An absolute blast.

2. The host families. You would have to be VERY unlucky to have a host family who doesn't take excellent care of you. In my experience my host families were bordering on perfect. The food was exquisite, and the general level of hospitality is something I have never experienced ever before in my life. They always take care of you, no matter what. Just make sure you respect them and don't take them for granted. I couldn't express my appreciation enough.

3. The work. If you love working with kids, and that's important, you couldn't find a better job. You start the day with singing camp songs, and go into lessons which you can make your own, just as long as the kids can understand what you are doing! Making the lessons fun is paramount in my experience, as bored kids = a bad experience for them. When they have fun and enjoy what they are doing, you have fun. But make sure they are learning English at the same time.
The afternoon activities are also a blast, and you can get involved yourself, just don't be too competitive! It ranges from sport to crafts to water games, and you might be terrible at one activity, so just as long as you can explain WHAT they have to do and give them guidance, you don't necessarily need to get involved, as you might be worse than the kids are! But even at the end of the day you are tired, and the first thing you do when you get home is sleep, in the morning you won't have a problem getting up and going to work I promise. If you do then you're in the wrong job.

4. The people. First our bosses (Nate & Ashleigh) were tremendous in giving us help and support both in orientation and when we were at camp, although at camp you usually liaise with your camp director if you have any issues. You get the opportunity to know them a little, and talk to them which I think is great, as in some workplaces you can feel a distance between your employers.
Then secondly is your fellow staff members. These are the people who I think make the experience what it is. You are all there for the same reason, so you should all at least have something in common. I had so many laughs with the people I met, they were the greatest people, both as professionals and as friends. I can't emphasise how fun it was to spend time with these people.

5. Travel opportunities. Not really work related, but if you are lucky enough to go to a camp which is near some famous sights, your families might be willing to take you there, and also if you are financially stable you might be able to see some of the many gems which Italy has to offer. In my time in Italy I saw, Pisa, Florence (twice), Venice, Milan (where I saw AC Milan play), Cesena, Cinque Terre, and many other beautiful places which I'm sure you will have never heard of. Italy is probably the most beautiful country in Europe.

So if you're thinking about applying just do it. You won't regret it.