Job Discussion Forums

beautification · Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 111

So, I have to teach a summer camp and was wondering what exactly a summer camp is. I mean do I just play games with the kids all day? Basically an overpaid babysitter or circus monkey?

All my school has told me is that I teach kindergarten kids. I was just wondering if anyone can give me a little guidance on what you actually do in these summer camps.

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

Sonnibarger · Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 320 Location: Wuhan

I will be starting a summer camp on July 22nd. I was wondering, what will be the method of payment? I will be on a tourist visa, without a Chinese bank account. Can I cash a check in China without a local account?

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

caius celestius · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 89

I do summer camp right now, and whilst I agree that baby-sitting can be part of your job (if you are in charge of youths) mine is not that. I am coaching adults, self-paying and dedicated people. This is not to say all adults are dedicated but in this case I am pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm. It resulted in their demanding that I do more lessons with them.
It does mean, on the other hand, that I will have to be even better prepared. Instead of teaching them one period a day it's going to be 3 periods.
In other summer camps I had two two-period lessons a day, one structured, the other "discussion". In the former you act as a teacher, in the latter you are an emcee.

Some of my older memories are of camps with classes of 50 to 100 noisy middle-schoolers. I used to get hoarse and I would be sweating within ten minutes of commencing class and be thinking "how many minutes left?" There would be 6 or 8 periods a day... a nightmare! But it was well-paid.

Sonnibarger · Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 320 Location: Wuhan

Thanks for the info. I will be staying in China for a year contract after the summer camp. I guess I�m stuck holding a lot of cash on me for the first month. I know max RMB I can bring in to China is 6000. Will I have a problem going from China to HK and back on a visa run with more? Thanks again.

beautification · Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 111

Thanks for the info, tw > so I guess summer camp is basically the same as what I have been doing all year.

@ Sonnibarger you shouldn't have a problem going to Hong Kong with that much money. As for exchanging it without a working visa, if you fly out of Hong Kong you can change it at the airport (no limit, no questions), or when you arrive in China if you exchange from your currency to RMB you get a receipt, keep this receipt b/c you can use it to switch money back to your currency (people have told me this, haven't tried myself though)

Ahchoo · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 606 Location: Earth

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

In a word- Hell