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French junior summer camps in Biarritz
Heiner Giese is the founder and owner of IP and also the General Manager. Furthermore he is the chairman of the FDSV (German umbrella organisation for tour operators specialised in language travel). With over 20 year’s experience, we have gained an unrivalled insight into what students want from their language courses. Our international language centres provide proficient language learning at different levels based on an innovative learning curriculum. This enables you to build up both your knowledge and your confidence in an international environment.
What makes a good juniors course?
A good junior French course combines a good language course with an extensive activity programme during the leisure time of the juniors. Our teachers are all native speakers and are specially trained in teaching French as a foreign language. The teachers encourage the juniors to practise their speaking, to learn grammar and to do text work. After the lessons the juniors have the opportunity to participate in a surf course and excursions.
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
In our selection of staff we pay attention to numerous quality standards. The teachers in our schools are all native speakers and qualified in teaching French as a foreign language.
Every year we organise seminars and training courses for our staff, in which they learn how to deal, for example, with emergency situations. After every season the human resource manager meets the supervisors to evaluate the past season in order to improve the next junior courses.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
Fortunately, during the summertime the weather is usually great in Biarritz. Otherwise we are able to offer numerous opportunities, including workshops, games and quizzes, which the students can participate in during bad weather, so it will never get boring. The highlight is our half day and full day excursion to St. Jean de Luz and Bayonne or to Spain, for example, San Sebastian.
What is the best thing about running a residential French course?
The best thing is to see the students improving their language skills while having fun and also became independent in such a short time.
How do you ensure the camps are safe but still fun?
The safety of our students is our top priority. An international team of coaches from France, Germany and Spain takes care of the juniors in our camps during the whole time (24h a day). One supervisor is responsible for 15 students. Of course, depending on the age of the students they are allowed, after consulting with their supervisors, to explore the city with their new friends.
What do you do if the children won’t eat the food on offer?
In most cases we can persuade the student to eat the food prepared for them. Mostly they find something that they like. Otherwise the supervisor tries to organise some other food out of the kitchen.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
The working relationship with Cactus is brilliant and very professional. It’s a pleasure working with them.
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German junior summer camps in Berlin
What makes a good juniors course?
That would be a question for the juniors I think. If the children and teenagers are happy the junior language course is good. We believe we can make them happy with good staff, quality residence and great activity and excursion programs.
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
First of all they have to be native German speakers. Then they need to bring very good references and a lot of motivation. All teachers and staff in the camp have either studied their subject or have many years of experience. We are very careful when recruiting our staff. However we can be very lucky that most staff works for GLS many years so we know that they will make a great job.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
All our residences have great indoor facilities where we can offer different activities if the weather is back. If it’s an excursion day and we go to a city there are still great museums, cinemas or aquariums. On the other side summers in Germany are usually quite warm and sunny and if there is bad weather it’s not more than two or three day.
What is the best thing about running a residential German course?
Children and teenager spent from different nationalities spent time together during the whole day. They share the language course, activities, meals and bedroom which give them the opportunity to get to know other cultures and make friends. It’s also very convenient as everything is in one place and children and teenagers can move around conveniently and safe.
What do you do if the children won’t eat the food on offer?
At first we speak with the children to find out why they don’t want to eat the food. If it’s because they are not used to German food we ask them to open their minds to different food and at least try it. If they don’t like it at all we will talk to the kitchen staff and find something the child wants to eat.
Do you get to meet the juniors?
I visit the camps once or twice during the summer to speak with the staff and children and see if everyone is doing well. I mostly work in the office and deal with agents and parents on the phone and by email to answer their questions. However we have contact with the monitors in all our 9 camps everyday so we know what’s going on there.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
Very good of course. We have worked with Cactus for more than 10 years and their staff visits the GLS centres regularly so they know our programs very well.
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Family Spanish course in Denia
What makes a good FAMILY SPANISH course?
One which gives parents the opportunity to have both a holiday and a practical course that improves their Spanish, and that of their children. Parents and children from 6 years old can enjoy one of our programmes to learn Spanish and share our cultural and leisure activities with other families at the school and at the same schedule. An evening social programme is also available for all students in the school.
Option A: 2 lesson Spanish + 2 lessons Multi-Activities (Aged 6-10)
Handicrafts Workshop: Making masks, puppets, frameworks, etc. Recycled materials are used, so that children learn to take care of t the environment.
Cookery Workshop: They will be able to play and try their hands at simple recipes, taking into account the nutritional values of food. Excursions: A wide range of activities to get to know Dénia
Option B: 2 lessons Spanish + 3 lessons Sailing (aged 8-15)
Official sailing school in CLUB NAUTICO DENIA.
For children who enjoy doing lots of different things, this is the course we recommend. Dénia has always had strong links with the Mediterranean. All necessary equipment will be provided by the school.
Children learn all the basics of sailing: rigging, launching, manoeuvring, handling, coming to shore, boat care and storage as well as rules of safety.
* Fees include:
Mid-morning snack (Fruit juice, milk and biscuits or sandwiches)
Transport to the multi-activities centre and excursions
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
They have to be fully qualified, native Spanish teachers. Many of them work full time in the school. For the kids we look for bilingual teachers who are energetic, have experience of young learners and are keen to be involved in all the activities as well as teaching. We also employ activity monitors for some cultural and social activities.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
Our program takes place in July and August. The weather is usually nice and warm in Dénia. If it rains, the activities usually take place indoors and the sailing school offers theoretical marine knots classes. Fortunately, good weather is guaranteed in this part of Spain.
What is the best thing about accommodation in Denia for families?
Denia offers a wide range of options to accommodate families. From sharing an apartment with other students, living with a Spanish family, choosing a nice beach hotel, a boutique hotel in a historic building next to the school, or renting one of our private apartments.
What do you do if only the children want to participate in language courses?
Some parents prefer to use their time in Dénia to have time for themselves, relax in a wonderful terrace, go shopping or do their favourite sport. TLC Dénia is the ideal place for them. We take care of their children and their education.
Do you get to meet the juniors?
Yes, I’m present everyday at the course centre and teachers and I are at most of the activities.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
The experience we have had so far has been very good. I think they are a professional, dynamic and modern team. I know Alex and Jennifer, young people very involved in their daily work.
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Spanish junior summer camps in Seville and Cadiz
What makes a good juniors course?
Definitively, it depends on 3 key elements: qualified and motivated teachers, who are used to dealing with young learners; accommodation services (in our case: host families specially selected for junior students) and a varied cultural program for the afternoons/evenings and weekends!
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
Knowledge of the language, university studies, experience, international house methodology, the kind of character required to deal with kids/teenagers.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
We don’t have that kind of problem in Seville. All our cultural or sports activities take place in the afternoon after 17:00, once the weather is better and it’s not so hot.
What is the best thing about running a residential Spanish course?
We offer the Spanish language not English....well, cultural immersion!
What do you do if the children won’t eat the food on offer?
Our families ask our students what they prefer for lunch or dinner on the first day. Usually, most of our students like our Mediterranean diet (gazpacho, fish, vegetables, salad...)
Do you get to meet the juniors?
They come here to the school and I see them everyday but I don´t go with them on the excursions. Some of our staff accompany them to the activities and on the excursions.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
Well, after so many years of collaboration, I hope you consider that it’s good!
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Spanish junior summer camps in Segovia
What makes a good juniors course?
This depends largely on what the objective of the course is. At OISE our mission statement is to help the students make the greatest possible progress with their Spanish in the time available. Within this context what makes a good course is having a clear academic focus, an intensive but varied teaching programme, and the experienced, qualified staff to execute it. Specifically for juniors I think it is important to make the learning process fun, so we ensure that we have a good mix of structured language work and freer communicative activities as well as a daily leisure programme. Finally I think for children location is extremely important and we chose Segovia because we wanted somewhere that provided a safe, friendly environment but that was also quintessentially Spanish. As one of Spain's finest medieval cities, located just across the Guadarrama mountains from Madrid Segovia was perfect.
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
Teaching is a technical profession and it is essential that all our teaching staff are qualified and experienced teachers for whom teaching Spanish as a foreign language is a career. However, we also look for individuals who combine these requisites with an open and enthusiastic approach to life that will enable them to nurture the children's communicative skills and make the whole process enjoyable.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad or too hot?
We never have bad weather in the summer in Segovia but it can get up to 30ºC in the summer. As it is essentially an intensive learning programme most of the day is spent in the school which is kept cool. We usually have one or two sessions at the open air pool built into the leisure programme, but it really is important that students bring sun protection such as lotion, hat, and sunglasses. In general students find it very enjoyable to be out in the sunshine, and by the time the school day has finished it is usually slightly cooler. As Segovia is quite high up at the foot of the Guadarrama mountains it does cool down at night and evenings in the city are very pleasant.
What is the best thing about running a residential Spanish course?
The most rewarding aspect of the programme for me personally is seeing how the children rapidly develop confidence and fluency with the language in a way that would not have been impossible in their home country. The immersion nature of the course not only teaches them new language, but also helps to activate the language they already had so they leave the course as better speakers and better listeners of Spanish.
What do you do if the children won’t eat the food on offer?
Traditional Spanish food is excellent and highly varied and Segovia is known as a gastronomic centre in its own right. However, it is also possible to get international food and we could comfortably ensure that no-one will go hungry. We treat each case individually. Initially we would speak to the child and the host family/residential monitor. If necessary we would offer to change the host family but this has never happened to date.
Do you get to meet the juniors?
Yes, as Director of OISE Madrid and Segovia I visit Segovia every week throughout the programme and speak to all the students. It is essential for me to know how things are going and I think it's also useful for the students to speak to someone besides the managers who run the day to day programme, as they can be totally honest in their assessment of the course.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
I think we have exactly the type of working relationship with Cactus that we would like with all of our partners i.e close regular contact and detailed information about each individual booking or enquiry. OISE Madrid specialises in providing individual attention and so far working with Cactus has enabled us to do that.
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French junior summer camps in Montreal
What makes a good juniors course?
I think a good balance of language learning and activities is really important. We want to make learning a new language fun – this is a student’s summer vacation after all! We also want to ensure there are lots of exciting activities offered not only to showcase Montreal, but activities which teens like to do. Add to this a good level supervision, welcoming and helpful staff who are dedicated to all elements of a students’ stay and a real dedication to taking the feedback we get on a yearly basis and making the program better and better each year.
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
When we recruit teachers, we abide by the standards of all Languages Canada members - this being teachers must have a university degree. At the moment, there are no French standards in terms of teachers having a certificate in teaching FSL, but at LSC, we look for and give preference to teachers who do. We also look for teachers who have experience in teaching young learners, and are very creative. The classroom environment for our teens is fast-paced and so teachers need to be able to manage the class while working through the curriculum, including lessons, language games, projects and presentations.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
Many of our afternoon activities involve going to museums, tourist destinations and other indoor venues. For those days when an activity is scheduled outside and the weather is bad, we always prepare a ‘back up’ activity to do. Weekend excursions go ahead whether rain or shine!
What is the best thing about running a residential French course?
The students become such close friends in such a short period of time! Being together in a residence community really creates lifetime bonds. The residence is also located right downtown so it is easily accessible. The residence package is an all-inclusive package with afternoon, evening and weekend activities/excursions – you don’t have to worry about your child missing out on a tour because it is sold out.
What do you do if the children won’t eat the food you offer?
The food service at the residence offers students a good choice: different sandwiches, fruits and snacks are available and students can ‘build their own’ lunches according to their tastes. We also offer two options at dinnertime - a regular meal or a vegetarian meal. We include a weekly restaurant dinner as part of the evening activities so students do get a chance to order their own dinners. If all else fails, we will meet with the student and see if we can find a solution to their meal concerns.
Do you get to meet the juniors?
Absolutely! All of our senior staff are involved in first day procedures for our teen program. As Director, I visit our teen campus on a weekly basis to meet with students. After each afternoon activity, they are brought back to our main campus to use the computers for email/internet or to come and ask us questions in the office. There are lots of opportunities to talk with the students to make sure they are ok and having a good time.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
Great. The staff at Cactus has always been so friendly and professional, it’s a pleasure working with them.
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English junior summer camps in the UK and US with St Giles
Simon Hayward is the Director of the St Giles summer camps in Nottingham (10-17), Reading (10-17), Southampton (12-17), Kingston (14-18), Oxford (14-18) and San Francisco Bay (10-18). He has been working for the school since 1995 and in that time has held the positions of activity organizer, teacher assistant and director of studies.
His role as Director of Junior Courses involves marketing the summer centers, designing the programme for the courses, providing agent and parent support, recruiting and training summer staff, processing bookings, monitoring the centers during the summer as well as dealing with queries and providing support for the centers.
Cactus has known Simon for many years and we feel confident that he has the best knowledge possible of all the camps he manages. He has trained Stephanie, Cactus Language Course Advisor, on all the locations during a familiarisation trip where she visited all the summer camps.
What makes a good juniors course?
An emphasis on the quality of the lessons. A varied activity programme. Trained staff who can run a centre well. Listening to agents and students and constantly improving the courses. Providing the correct amount of supervision so the courses are safe but enjoyable.
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
Every year more and more senior management and teachers return to work with us again which helps enormously.
Centre Managers must have proven experience in running a large camp. Academic Managers must be qualified with previous experience and be able to lead the team of teachers, class students correctly, deal with student and group leader questions and ensure the quality of the lessons.
All teachers must be well educated and possess a Cambridge CELTA, Trinity TESOL or a PGCE (Modern Languages). They are often native English speakers who are working outside the UK but return in the summer when their school closes. We look for teachers who are energetic, have experience of young learners and are keen to be involved in all the activities as well as teaching. We also employ activity monitors who are normally studying at the host university and have an interest in activities and working with children.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
A lot of excursions have suitable wet weather sites and we have indoor sports facilities. All the centers have large lecture theaters which can be used for talent shows, film nights, discos and karaoke.
What is the best thing about running a residential English course?
Working with children is demanding but fun. Young people are not afraid to give their opinion and it is very easy to see if they are enjoying themselves or not. If not, we have to change the programme to suit their needs. As the course is residential, the students have lots of time to meet other students from different countries. They are naturally curious and will use English to talk to their new friends. The progress in their English that some students make in a short time is sometimes quite remarkable. When students leave, in tears of course, saying it was the best summer they had, makes all the hard work worthwhile.
How do you ensure that the camps are safe and still fun?
The Centre Manager is responsible for the running of the camp and this includes the students’ safety. All sites have secure outer doors and inner doors, accessible only with keys or swipe cards. Each student has an individual key to his or her room. At nighttime residential staff sleep in the same residence as the students and the Centre Manager or Senior Teacher is on duty. They have the 24 hour phone and can deal with any night-time problems. University staff also patrol the campus.
Fire drills are regularly practiced and risk assessments are done for activities. Strict ratios of staff to students for activities are maintained and the staff induction not only covers teaching but also procedures to be followed for all activities. Students are given free time in small groups in certain enclosed areas such as shopping centers which allows them to enjoy themselves but in a safe environment.
What do you do if the children won’t eat the food on offer?
We have to sit with them and explain that food here is different, as well as the times of meals. By labeling the food available and explaining what it is encourages students to try new food. We also get feedback from the students and talk to the catering managers when necessary.
Do you get to meet the juniors?
Absolutely. I have been the Centre Manager at our centers for three years and know how centers should operate. I spend my summer visiting and staying at the camps 6 days a week. I enjoy taking part in the activities, talking to group leaders, working with the Centre managers and Academic Managers to ensure that standards are being met and, most importantly, talking to the students. I will sit with them at mealtimes, introduce myself and listen to their views. By doing this, we can resolve any problems very quickly.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
St. Giles have been working with Cactus for many years. Cactus started by providing students for our year round centers and then working with the schools to provide evening foreign language classes. More recently, St. Giles have worked with them regarding juniors. The Cactus staff have visited all the centers and have all the information they need to help agents and parents choose the right course for the students. It is vital that what is promised is delivered when the student arrives.
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French junior summer camp in France with LSF Montpellier
Andrew Kinselle set up LSF (Langues Sans Frontieres) in 2005. It is by far the biggest and most successful provider of French language courses for under 18s in Montpellier and one of the biggest in France. Andrew is both the owner and director of the school. Juniors courses there cater for students aged between 11 and 17 years old.
His job encompasses every aspect of the junior program as he is well-known throughout the Language Travel Industry for his hands-on approach and direct involvement in day to day life at LSF, which he believes is particularly important for juniors courses! He generally works on marketing campaigns during winter, then operations in the crazy March to September booking and travel period!
When Andrew is not busy running his highly successful and fun French courses he likes nothing better than to match Montpellier’s Handball team (who recently won Handball’s equivalent of the Champions League) in action, have lunch in Montpellier’s many fine restaurants and go skiing with his family.
What makes a good juniors course?
A combination of good accommodation, interesting and communicative French lessons and fun activities- and the good weather that we normally have here means students can enjoy the outdoor life and Mediterranean sea to the full!
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
Teaching staff are all native French speakers and must be able to animate the lessons, making learning fun and keeping students’ attention by often changing activities during the morning. Teachers have often done part of their FLE training course at LSF, or are originally from this region and work abroad during the academic year before returning to Montpellier for the summer. Our activity leaders are enthusiastic and full of energy, speak several languages and have the BAFA activity leader qualification. They make sure the students enjoy the fantastic facilities that Montpellier has to offer. We have a large number of returning staff each summer.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
It’s very very rare down here- 300 days of sunshine per year in Montpellier!- but if it does happen Montpellier has so many great indoor activities for young people. Olympic swimming pool (complete with 2 Jacuzzis!), bowling, ice-skating, Laser game, Planetarium, Aquarium, go-karting... So boredom is not an option here!
What is the best thing about running a residential French course?
The enjoyment at seeing satisfied students who are having the time of their lives here!
How do you ensure that the camps are safe and still fun?
We have to follow French Youth and Sports Ministry guidelines when organizing the activities, and the number and variety of activities on offer mean that students enjoy themselves! And for part of the summer, for some activities the foreign students learning French join up with French students on our Handball + Language Camps, giving them the opportunity to exchange with French youngsters.
Do you get to meet the juniors?
Yes, I’m present everyday at the course centre and at most of the activities.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
Excellent! We started up at about the same time and have a similar philosophy to giving clients what they want and always looking for new and exciting products.
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Spanish junior summer camps in Spain with Enforex
Caroline Norris is a Marketing Executive and has been working with Enforex for just over two years. She first started working in the reservations department for a few months, which she believes is fundamental to understand the students’ specific needs and requirements and give students an excellent service, as well as the guarantee of a quality product. She then moved to the department of marketing and promotion where her job involves the development and promotion of the school’s courses in different markets, and giving support to their partners like Cactus.
What makes a good juniors course?
A good junior course needs to be educational whilst at the same time being fun, dynamic and disciplined!
What are your criteria when recruiting teachers & staff?
All our teachers are specially trained in teaching Spanish as a foreign language and many of them hold a master's or doctorate degree in the area of specialization. The members of staff need to be patient, have inter-personal skills and lots of enthusiasm.
What do you do with the children if the weather is bad a lot of the time?
We consider ourselves very lucky that this does not occur very often in Spain! In the case that we do have a day with bad weather we have many installations indoors such as theater workshops, games and dance classes that the children enjoy very much.
What is the best thing about running a residential Spanish course?
It is great to meet so many international students and be part of the intercultural learning process they embark on. It really satisfies us to see students come back year after year.
How do you ensure that the camps are safe and still fun?
The safety aspect of the camps is our prime priority, all of our members of staff return each year and they are used to working with children. They are assigned a group of roughly 12 students and they accompany them during the whole stay at our campuses, depending on the age of the students. In the case of older students, more freedom is given but this is left to the discretion of the parents. For the younger campers we have 24 hour supervision. As our members of staff are used to working with children they have qualities that allows them to make the camps safe whilst still keeping them fun.
How is your working relationship with Cactus?
We have a very good working relationship with Cactus and consider them to be an excellent partner and representative. Their members of staff are very professional and their work is impeccable.
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