Residential or Non-Residential Summer School?

Posted by Guest Bloggers | January 2, 2012 | Residential Summer Schools

Residential summer schools

Home or Away?

Residential or Non-Residential Summer School?

Working in Summer Schools can be exhilarating, developmental, fun and lucrative (yes, lucrative!), depending on the choices you make.

First, you might like to decide whether you want to work in a residential or non-residential environment.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

RESIDENTIAL

PROS

CONS

Save some money – Your basic needs are taken care of.
Have fun – Work hard and play hard.
Get fit – Make use of the school’s sports and leisure facilities.
Develop Professionally – Being immersed in school life with colleagues leads to formal and informal professional development.
Meet People – Good friends are often made in the intensive residential environment.
Try New Things – Rock climbing, Ice Skating, Paper Marbling, Fashion Designing, Water Fights, Trampolining, so many possibilities.
Discover New Places – Residential school excursions take you everywhere.
See Students in a New Light – Getting to know your students outside the classroom enhances the teaching/learning experience.

You may have to work 6 days, and give up your life outside of school.
If you don’t enjoy the residential experience, you might feel a little claustrophobic.
You may be asked to do things you have never done before.

NON-RESIDENTIAL

PROS	CONS
Leave school at the end of the day! Weekends (although some schools might ask you to work one day). Access to real world experiences. ‘Head space’.	Finding accommodation near school maybe be difficult/ expensive. Travel to school can add to your day. More difficult to meet people. Fewer opportunities to get to know your students really well.

So, are you after the immersive (more lucrative) option, or do you want to enjoy a lot more freedom outside of school?

When you are researching schools, you might want to find out the following:

WHAT’S THE PAY?

WHAT ARE THE WORKING DAYS?

WHAT ARE THE WORKING HOURS?

WHAT ARE MY ROLES IN ADDITION TO TEACHING?

WHAT FACILITIES ARE THERE?

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH?

CAN I GET INVOLVED IN OTHER ACTIVITIES, SPORTS, LEISURE ACTIVITES etc?

Personally, I love the residential experience, the camaraderie, intensity, and variety. However, I can understand that if you don’t like those things, a residential experience could be very difficult.