Summer Employment for Teachers

If you're smart, you'll try and find a summer job that overlaps with your next year's teaching position.

In 1995, I worked as a counselor for an English summer camp for elementary Israel children in an Upper Galilee town named Rosh Pina. I was also an in-service teacher at the time so I was learning lots of hands-on practical activities and tools.

It was good to see an informal side of education that I didn't see as a full-time elementary school teacher and not as a camper. Even though I had an entire booklet of information to help plan the daily schedule, I was expected to organize activities, arrange and coordinate events between groups. This structure complemented beautifully the rigorous world of grades, authority and frontal teaching I was expected to carry out.

It wasn't however until I was able to establish my authority as a classroom manager, that I was able to implement some of those activities from the summer camp days as a counselor. The activities included end-of-the-year games which offered a refreshing break.

Some summer teaching jobs have more of a teaching routine than others. If you're looking for a break from the classroom, it's good to keep in mind those kinds of jobs that can complement the teaching (ie. informal side) in some creative and interesting way.