Summer Boarding Courses
Applying for Summer School Jobs? Here are 8 Skills You Need
At Summer Boarding Courses, our summer school staff are essential to delivering an amazing residential experience for students who come to study English in the UK. Staff provide twenty-four hour support and guidance, as well as accompanying students on excursions, teaching high-quality EFL lessons and planning a fun and exciting activity programme! But which skills do you really need for summer school jobs?
Applying for Summer School Jobs? Here are 8 Skills You Need
In no particular order, this is what we value from all of our staff at Summer Boarding Courses summer schools.
1. Enthusiasm
Summer school is all about enthusiasm! It might sound simple, but whether you are an EFL teacher, an activity leader, or an office coordinator, enthusiasm is essential when working at summer school. Our summer staff are the ultimate role-models for our students, so having an enthusiastic and positive attitude is really important. Days can be long and intense but staff need to be as enthusiastic at the end of the summer about teaching lessons, leading excursions and running an amazing activity programme as they are at the beginning!
2. Teamwork
The word teamwork is very important when working in an intensive summer school environment. One of the best things about a summer with SBC is working with other dedicated and passionate staff members. Staff need to be able to work together in order to deliver an amazing summer school programme. One person can’t do everything by themselves, so knowing how to work with a team and utilize other people’s skill-set alongside your own is an important quality.
3. Leadership
Leadership is an important skill when working at a summer school, whether you’re planning an excursion to Oxford, organising an arts and design class or looking after homesick students on their first night away from home. Whilst our management teams need leadership skills to manage a large team of staff, we expect all staff members to be positive role models to our students.
4. Passion for student welfare
At Summer Boarding Courses, the wellbeing and safety of students is our main priority and we look for staff that are willing to go the extra mile to ensure our students are safe and happy during their stay with us. Staff must be able to build positive and friendly relationships with all our students, whilst also being able to deal with any challenging welfare issues that may occur. Many of our students are young learners or are travelling abroad for the first time without their parents, so they may need extra support during their stay. Whether it’s supervising students on a walking tour around London or helping a shy student to make new friends, the most important part of is making sure that every child is safe and has a brilliant, culturally enriching experience with Summer Boarding Courses!
5. Creativity
At summer school, you are always designing creative ways for students to learn English and have fun! Creativity helps to make learning fun for our students, and encourages them to use their English outside the classroom. Being creative also means that you can be flexible and think quickly when any problems arise. You may have to contend with a change of plan due to the great British weather or entertain groups of children with different levels of English, so being able to think outside the box is a key skill needed for all summer school jobs.
6. Communication
Communication isn’t just a 21st century skill that we teach to our students; our staff need to be able to communicate effectively too. Over the summer, our staff will have to communicate with lots of different groups of people, including students, parents and colleagues. This may include presenting in front of a group. In a multinational environment like a summer school, staff need to be able to talk to clearly and helpfully to children of all ages and levels of English. You need to be able to lead discussions, resolves conflicts between students or talk personally with a student who may be having difficulties. It’s also really important that staff communicate effectively with each other to make sure that they’re delivering an amazing summer programme.
7. Problem-solving
At Summer Boarding Courses, we try hard to keep things scheduled and organized, but at a moment’s notice, plans can change or problems can arise. Staff need to be able to use their initiative to take control of a problm and work out a solution. Summer school staff should approach problems in a positive and creative way and handle each situation with patience and care.
8. A good work ethic
Summer school jobs are not for the faint-hearted! Staff need to be able to interact with students positively and energetically, whilst taking care of your many responsibilities throughout the day. But whilst working at summer school can be a very hard job, it is also extremely rewarding. During your time with Summer Boarding Courses, you will be able to learn new skills, help students develop and grow and experience for yourself what it’s like to live in a truly international community.
Interested in working with us this summer?