This year was the first sending counsellors to our summer camp partner on the Italian coast, but the camp itself has been running for years, and it’s quickly become one of our favourite short-term placements to talk about. If you’re weighing it up, here are three reasons we think it’s worth your summer.
1. It’s a genuinely well-organised camp
Students come from all over Italy to attend, and the camp itself has built up a great reputation over the years. The leadership team knows what they’re doing, and that shows in how the whole two weeks is put together.
You’ll work as part of a team of around 18 counsellors, so you’re never figuring things out alone, and you’ll meet a group of like-minded people fast. The camp also puts real thought into where you’ll fit best, matching you to an age group and role that plays to your strengths rather than just filling a rota.
2. It sets you up to travel
The camp sits on Italy’s Adriatic coast, facing Croatia, in a genuinely scenic and authentic part of the country that most tourists never see. You’ll spend your two weeks living by the sea, and because the placement itself is short, it leaves plenty of room either side to explore Italy properly, or push on further into Europe.
If you’re coming from Australia, the US or the UK, the timing works in your favour too. It falls right in the middle of the summer break, so there’s no need to juggle it around term dates or use up annual leave.
3. It can be the start of something bigger
We’re genuinely passionate about summer programs like this one, because we’ve seen so many people use a short placement like this as the first step into a much longer career working abroad. Our director got his own start the same way, doing a summer camp in the US, and it opened the door to years of work abroad that followed.
We’ve seen the same thing happen with candidates we’ve placed, including the wonderful Laura Alexander, who used a short summer program as the launchpad for further teaching abroad. For a lot of people we speak to, this is a low-commitment way to test how they feel about working in Europe, before deciding whether to go all in on a longer-term program.
Worth knowing before you apply
This is a voluntary placement rather than a paid one, so it’s worth going in with the right expectations. What you do get covered is food and accommodation for the full two weeks, on top of the training, support and placement itself, all for a one-off program fee of £350. You’ll just need to sort your own flights and spending money.
You don’t need a degree, a teaching qualification, or any Italian, just to be a native English speaker from the UK, the US, Ireland, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, aged 18 or over, with a clean background check.
Ready to say ciao to your summer plans?
Email us at info@impact-teaching.com or have a look at our Summer Camp in Italy page for the full details on dates, what to expect, and how to apply.
