All TECS Summer Camps seek to provide the best summer camp experience possible for all campers. Our camps have been planned and designed to deliver quality English programmes where campers are inspired to learn. We have never sought just to run our camps as they were run the year before, but rather to improve ourselves with every year that passes. We seek from top to bottom to attend to the needs of our campers. We know that camp offers a remarkable opportunity for a child not only to improve their English but also to develop as an individual and that is why TECS strongly promotes educational development of all types. We are also very aware of the demands that English speaking camp life puts on Spanish campers and that is why we have always put Welfare and Health Support as one of our top priorities.
For TECS, our staff have always been, and will continue to be, our number one commodity – as it is very true “happy and productive staff” make possible the happy experience for our campers to grow in. For this reason we have always sought hard to provide our staff with what they “need” to do a great job. We have always placed great importance on pre-camp information and recruitment, as we are aware that it is staff who know what they are “getting themselves into” (the challenging parts even more so than the fun ones) who generally do the best job. Training has also always been a top priority for us and over the years we have dedicated considerable time and resources to developing the best training programmes we can. Whilst we know no training can ever prepare someone perfectly for the start of camp, we also know that extensive skills training, “mentalization” (as we call getting prepared for the challenges of camp) and plain important information giving will give most of our staff the starting point they need to approach the challenges of camp life with confidence.
Nurturing a work environment of support is also a top priority for TECS. Nearly all our camp managers were once TECS camp staff, meaning we have firsthand experience of how tough a staff member’s job can be. For this reason we strive to work with our staff; supporting them when they have problems, guiding them when they need lead and advising them whenever they need help. Saying this however does not mean we do not expect a lot from our staff because we do as camp life can never run, let alone well, without incredibly hardworking and productive staff. We will expect our staff to always put the needs of our campers first, but equally we will try our best to provide them with help whenever and however they need it. Our goal is to create an environment of mutual understanding where people push in the same direction to achieve the same goals which is why we place great importance on maintaining fluid but constructive communication, a process we encourage our staff to positively play their part in achieving. Maintaining staff morale throughout the incredible trials of the summer (which is admittedly not easy) has also always been a key objective of ours which is why we encourage the organization of staff events and activities that help create that feeling of togetherness and comradeship which is so needed on summer camp.
As final words, I can promise that TECS takes very seriously the product it delivers to its clients (campers and parents), striving to deliver that service to the highest level possible in every area. To achieve this, we will ask a lot from our staff but strive to do our best (but not the impossible) to provide them with what they need (not want) to do the best job they can. We expect a lot but I also believe we give a lot and in most cases this is noticed and appreciated by most staff (never all, as that would be impossible), as they can see that we are, on the whole, a company run by people who are dedicated and passionate about the product we provide, something our large percentage of returnee staff would be testament to. Summer camp work is hard, perhaps the most hours anyone will ever work, but it is also extremely rewarding and I believe TECS is a very good summer camp organization to work and develop in.
Douglas Haines, Director of TECS Summer Camps
TECS Employment 