30/11/2010
Tennis Instructor Summer Camp Jobs USA
Find paid work as a tennis instructor in America. Being a tennis counsellor on Summer Camp USA combines the responsibilities of teaching tennis with being a camp counsellor. It is a fun and rewarding, yet challenging way to spend the summer in the great American outdoors, while teaching a sport you love and at the same time developing your skills!
As a tennis instructor, you’ll need to be hard-working, motivated and confident in teaching tennis. You may be on the courts for several hours a day, often in high temperatures, so stamina is important! Patience is also important, as hot and disinterested children can be a tough challenge!
Tennis at camps
Camp tennis programmes vary but generally campers are grouped according to their ages and abilities You will work with them during the summer to develop their knowledge and enhance their performance in groups of between two to eight campers in hourly activity periods. How far you get with individual campers will to some extent depend on how long they spend at camp.
Many camps also put together a tennis team and the better players will try out to represent the camp in inter-camp tournaments throughout the summer. You may be involved in training the team to improve their serves, backhands, volleys and so on.
What are the facilities and accommodation like?
Every sports camp (and some more general camps) operates a tennis programme and offers teaching to fit different skills and ability levels. Tennis facilities range from a couple of outdoor, rustic looking courts, to several excellent outdoor hard, clay or grass courts. A few camps also have indoor courts and sometimes courts are floodlit so that the really keen campers and staff members can continue practising after dark. At many camps, tennis is a highly competitive activity and not just among the children!
You will live in a bunk with children and other counsellors and be responsible for looking after the wellbeing of the campers on a day-to-day basis. You will also be expected to be a positive role model for the kids both on the court and in the bunk.
What are camps looking for?
Camps are looking for staff that have a fun and enthusiastic approach to teaching tennis and to working with children in a professional and safe environment.
Tennis counsellors need to be hard-working, safety conscious and confident in teaching all levels of ability. Camps are looking for staff members who ideally have worked in a similar role elsewhere. Therefore, previous experience of teaching tennis is essential for a strong application.
What experience or qualifications are required?
First and foremost all camp counsellors need to have experience of working with children in a leadership position. Tennis instructors also need to have a passion for tennis and a desire to share their enthusiasm and pass on their knowledge.
Coaching qualifications such UKCC, LTA Performance/Club Coach, PTR or equivalent will greatly enhance an application. Campers’ tennis skills can range from very basic to outstanding, so high competitive and personal standards will also strengthen an application, as will college, country or good club representation.
BUNAC
With work, travel and volunteering opportunities around the world, travelling with BUNAC will be one of the most fun, challenging and rewarding experiences you’ll ever have!
BUNAC
Spend 9 weeks gaining valuable experience, making lifelong friends and visiting exciting new places on Summer Camp USA.
BUNAC
With over 40 years of placing counsellors in camps all over the US and Canada, there are more reasons than ever to go to camp with BUNAC!
BUNAC
Work as a tennis instructor on BUNAC’s Summer Camp USA programme – the leading US work and travel experience! Spend nine weeks working with kids aged between 6 and 16 on an American summer camp.