Lonely Planet: USA
gapyearbooks - £11.05
USA ADVENTURE TOUR
After camp finishes, why not join this six-week tour of the USA?
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I WORKED IN AMERICA
"I immediately felt welcomed and accepted at camp: everyone's in the same boat"
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Your thoughts and feedback would be great - newsite@gapyear.com
Your thoughts and feedback would be great - newsite@gapyear.com
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<< Back to Work on summer and adventure camps A day in the life of a children's courier Working for CCUSA Working for Camp America Working for PGL |
 A day in the life of a children's courierMiranda Gunn writes... "Last summer I worked for two months as a children's courier for Eurocamp (HolidayBreak).  I applied online at HolidayBreak's website. They arranged an interview within three days, in a small town near Manchester. It was four hours long, and included being observed planning a presentation with people I had just met, giving the presentation to the group, a personal interview, and a lot of filling in forms and waiting around! I was placed in the Vendee in western France after three days' training in Hoeven in Holland. I travelled to the area with four others on trains and overnight coaches. It took 11 hours, but I didn’t have to work when I got there! My time as a children's courier was the most amazing experience. I met so many people and my confidence improved no end. I worked on two sites over the summer and both were fantastic. On both sites I lived in a stand-up tent with a cooker, fridge and electricity. A typical day... 8:30am: Wake up and have breakfast in the freezing cold tent. Get other children’s couriers out of bed. Cycle to the showers and get ready for the day... 9:30: Start reception duties. The parents have to sign their children in for the two-and-a-half-hour session. Children come up to meet us and they like to hang around the desk chatting. I work with the seven-plus age group; most mornings we have 32 children. 10:00: Start the session. Femke and I take it in turns to play small circles games like Tongue Murder, Changes and Zap. We sing lots of songs to get the children involved. We also play a lot of sport in the mornings: its cooler and the children don’t get so tired. If it rains, we change the session to arts and crafts, although the tent could flood. The children have to tidy up any mess they have made. 12:30pm: Parents must sign their children out of the session and we chase up those who forget. We also clean the tent and chat with the parents.  1:00 - 4:00: This is our time. I relax and have lunch with other couriers, go food shopping, go to the internet café or have a sleep. When it's sunny we also go to the pool and the beach. Occasionally we're asked to help with the cleaning if it's a very busy day.4:00: Start reception duties. Usually there are fewer children in the afternoon. 4:30: Start session. It could be a chocolate hunt, where we give chocolate to another courier and the children follow clues to find the chocolate and to soak the courier who has stolen it from them. Other times we paint couriers' faces and run a space hunt. The children love the clues and always want to finish as quickly as possible! 7:00: Parents pick up their children, and they always ask what we did in the session and whether their child enjoyed it. We tidy up and sweep the floor (which is always getting covered in sand).  7:15: Visits to the new families. We give them a leaflet and tell them about the children’s clubs and sometimes they invite us to sit down for a long chat (my longest visit was 45 minutes!).8:00 - 11:00: Make dinner; eat with other couriers in the living area. Have a few drinks in the campsite bar. Get ready to go out to the local bar. 11:00 - early morning: Go to our local bar, the Pint Pot. Meet up with couriers from all the other sites in the area. Karaoke is obligatory! Later, we sometimes go to the club next door, which offers free entry for couriers. Stumble back to camp with a group (never walk home on your own) and fall into bed. It’s been a long day!"  Click here >> to find out about jobs on camping resorts Click here >> to find out about jobs on kids' summer camps Click here >> for more overseas jobs |
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