English junior summer camps in the UK and US with St Giles
Simon Hayward is the Director of the St Giles summer camps in Nottingham (10-17), Reading (10-17), Southampton (12-17), Kingston (14-18), Oxford (14-18) and San Francisco Bay (10-18). He has been working for the school since 1995 and in that time has held the positions of activity organizer, teacher assistant and director of studies.
His role as Director of Junior Courses involves marketing the summer centers, designing the programme for the courses, providing agent and parent support, recruiting and training summer staff, processing bookings, monitoring the centers during the summer as well as dealing with queries and providing support for the centers.
Cactus has known Simon for many years and we feel confident that he has the best knowledge possible of all the camps he manages. He has trained Stephanie, Cactus Language Course Advisor, on all the locations during a familiarisation trip where she visited all the summer camps.
What makes a good juniors course?
An emphasis on the quality of the lessons. A varied activity programme. Trained staff who can run a centre well. Listening to agents and students and constantly improving the courses. Providing the correct amount of supervision so the courses are safe but enjoyable.
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
Every year more and more senior management and teachers return to work with us again which helps enormously.
Centre Managers must have proven experience in running a large camp. Academic Managers must be qualified with previous experience and be able to lead the team of teachers, class students correctly, deal with student and group leader questions and ensure the quality of the lessons.
All teachers must be well educated and possess a Cambridge CELTA, Trinity TESOL or a PGCE (Modern Languages). They are often native English speakers who are working outside the UK but return in the summer when their school closes. We look for teachers who are energetic, have experience of young learners and are keen to be involved in all the activities as well as teaching. We also employ activity monitors who are normally studying at the host university and have an interest in activities and working with children.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
A lot of excursions have suitable wet weather sites and we have indoor sports facilities. All the centers have large lecture theaters which can be used for talent shows, film nights, discos and karaoke.
What is the best thing about running a residential English course?
Working with children is demanding but fun. Young people are not afraid to give their opinion and it is very easy to see if they are enjoying themselves or not. If not, we have to change the programme to suit their needs. As the course is residential, the students have lots of time to meet other students from different countries. They are naturally curious and will use English to talk to their new friends. The progress in their English that some students make in a short time is sometimes quite remarkable. When students leave, in tears of course, saying it was the best summer they had, makes all the hard work worthwhile.
How do you ensure that the camps are safe and still fun?
The Centre Manager is responsible for the running of the camp and this includes the students’ safety. All sites have secure outer doors and inner doors, accessible only with keys or swipe cards. Each student has an individual key to his or her room. At nighttime residential staff sleep in the same residence as the students and the Centre Manager or Senior Teacher is on duty. They have the 24 hour phone and can deal with any night-time problems. University staff also patrol the campus.
Fire drills are regularly practiced and risk assessments are done for activities. Strict ratios of staff to students for activities are maintained and the staff induction not only covers teaching but also procedures to be followed for all activities. Students are given free time in small groups in certain enclosed areas such as shopping centers which allows them to enjoy themselves but in a safe environment.
What do you do if the children won’t eat the food on offer?
We have to sit with them and explain that food here is different, as well as the times of meals. By labeling the food available and explaining what it is encourages students to try new food. We also get feedback from the students and talk to the catering managers when necessary.
Do you get to meet the juniors?
Absolutely. I have been the Centre Manager at our centers for three years and know how centers should operate. I spend my summer visiting and staying at the camps 6 days a week. I enjoy taking part in the activities, talking to group leaders, working with the Centre managers and Academic Managers to ensure that standards are being met and, most importantly, talking to the students. I will sit with them at mealtimes, introduce myself and listen to their views. By doing this, we can resolve any problems very quickly.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
St. Giles have been working with Cactus for many years. Cactus started by providing students for our year round centers and then working with the schools to provide evening foreign language classes. More recently, St. Giles have worked with them regarding juniors. The Cactus staff have visited all the centers and have all the information they need to help agents and parents choose the right course for the students. It is vital that what is promised is delivered when the student arrives.
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