Job Discussion Forums

sricks · Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Posts: 2

HI
I've been accepted for ACLE, and would love to hear from anyone who has done this, experiences good or bad. Any and all info appreciated-- how many weeks did you work, how was orientation/organization/travel between camps/locations/other people you worked with/food/housing etc.
Thanks!
Sophie

aParso · Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 1

Hey there, its taken me ages to get my a/c activated, but i'm going to be an ACLE tutor also this summer. A friend of my brother recommended it to me, he went last year and said it was an amazing experience. Are you planning to go out on the 7th??Aparso

DanK · Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 2 Location: New York

well, i got a job with ACLE and im starting on June 14th. does anyone know what the chances are that i will have the job for more than the two weeks that they guarantee? i know it depends on me and how many kids enroll...but i just want to knwo about people's experiences. where are the camp located? also, any information on individual experiences with ACLE would be greatly appreciated.

Dank

cherrytree · Joined: 12 Dec 2004 Posts: 10

Hi, I'm going to ACLE on the 23rd Aug and would love to hear about experiences too.

sricks · Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Posts: 2

So I just got back from ACLE. The week of orientation was essentially stroking the director of the program's ego. Every day he'd ask us to essentially repeat back "we love it here" in one form or another, and if you weren't pretending it was amazing he'd have you stand up and tell everyone why. It was the most cultish experience ever. As for the camps themselves, I got sent to a small town just north of milan. Our camp director was great, but it was really difficult all the same. We had one kid who just punched and kicked the others all day long (literally), one who hid under the table and refused to do anything, etc. Some of them were really cute, but it was pretty impossible to actually teach them anything. (These were 6-7 yr olds.) The town was tiny, no internet except at the school where the camp was, and it was broken. The apt. we were living in was pretty and clean, but there was no landline, and ACLE never called on ce in 2 weeks to check up on us, ask how it was going, etc. They sent my roomates their next placements literally the day before they'd leave. One of my roomates received a phone call that his grandfather had died and he had to go home. Our camp director called ACLE, and the same cult leader guy refused to believe my roomate, and insisted he was making it up because he didn't want to do more camps. Who does that?
One of the friends i made at orientation left after a day because the overnight camp she was at was horrible- she was working 7am to 11pm every day for 2 weeks straight, and the director was horrible. We visited the apt. of some friends from orientation in milan- they had an hour and a half commute to the camp by walk, bus and subway, and the camp didn't end until 6pm. honestly, i wouldn't recommend this to anyone, i'm so irritated by "Arrigo's" arrogant, conceited behavior (he was also extremely classist and slightly racist, and had a knack for embarassing people during the orientation if they werent jumping for joy to be there).

guaygirl · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

Ok just want to give you a heads up about ACLE. I worked for them a few years ago. I know this organization quite well. I worked with them off and on for 1 year. Be PREPARED! The program is DISORGANIZED! Transportation is a nightmare. Sometimes you don't know where you are going until last minute. After 3 or 4 weeks starting with the company they told about half the staff that they didn't hve jobs for them the next week because a lot of the camps cancelled. I was jobless for 2 months until they finally needed some more teachers. In the end I saw some great places and met some great people but be aware when something that seems too good to be true, is. I say do it but be prepared that you may not have a job after a few weeks. Take advantage and travel on your own after. Travelling will be a head ache. It is chaos but hey it is Italia nothing is reliable, organized or on time. Buona fortuna!

P.S. all that SRICKS said is true.

helensushi · Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 3

Hi
I work for a company that organises summer camps here in Italy. If you'd like to send me an email at [email protected] I can give you more information. Thanks Helen