Well, here we go, after three years of working for LEOlingo (my fourth starting very soon) I am finally sitting down and will review every aspect of the LEOlingo experience.
Firstly my name is Paul, I'm from Ireland and I applied to work for the company in the Bavaria region back in 2019. I was interviewed by Anne-Marie who has been the HR Manager for over 10 years now and is an incredible person and a solid friend (don't worry I'm not getting paid for this review ?). I was successfully chosen as one of the counsellors from hundreds of applicants and was warmly welcomed by the team back in July that year and since then it has been my number once choice when teaching English around Europe.
The first thing I noticed when joining the team was how professional everything was in the training week, from the location, the facilities, the organisation of each day and the help and assistance provided while doing the 7 days of training. It all felt very well thought out and was extremely helpful even for an experienced counsellor having done camps in France and Italy before. Andrea, who is the owner and manager of LEOlingo south is an inspiration to me as she takes the role very seriously while treating all of the counsellors and staff like family. I recognised this as soon as I met her and every counsellor that year and other the years have said the same about Andrea and family.
In the training week you will be hosted by a host family close to the training location and this means you will experience the local Bavarian traditions in your free time while getting spoiled with the amazing beer and food ?. The training week requires a lot of energy and focus, as you will be learning and presenting games and activities like you would in a traditional camp day during the summer heat. You will also be informed about the Bavarian traditions, rules and be given some helpful tips for navigating a day while working for LEOlingo and in the country of Germany. This is super fun as you will bond with the counsellors you will inevitably be working alongside and get into the mental and physical groove for the various camp locations.
A traditional day at a LEOlingo day camp will consist of a warm-up games, language games, songs, folder activities, sports, arts and crafts, drama while the overnight camps will have the same while including evening activities like a night hike, pub quiz, movie night, a disco and various excursions such as go-karting, canoeing, caving, high-ropes etc. The locations are spread around Bavaria with Nuremberg being like the hub or the main city that is close by. Having been in Nuremberg numerous times I have built a nice bond with the city and at this stage know all the good spots for food, a haircut, a hotel, ice-cream and an Instagram post ? I really cant wait to be back!
Having now done dozens of camps with LEOlingo I have also built a nice community of friends from host families, who I regularly keep in contact with and meet from time to time. General socialising and taking part in day trips around the region of Bavaria really enhances the experience also but the fondest memories are often times from the short but lasting memories of the kids and the fun you have with them while they are learning English. I often like to say that my job is to firstly make sure that the kid are safe at all times, secondly to make sure they are having fun in every activity throughout the day and the English language will then be learned almost by accident because they are just enjoying the week. The kids come to camp to have fun and it is very important not to take yourself too seriously because really they just want to get to know you, talk to you about your Country and learn some cool things about the English language and culture that come with it. It's always a joy when the parents come to pick up the kids and they are telling the family how much fun they have had and are already talking about returning to the next possible camp available. This is the cherry on top for a solid week and it is amazing how many kids you will see and different camps year after year.
As you may know by now the camps are usually from Monday - Friday and of course you will have the weekends to yourself and are completely free. This means you can take part in group activities with your fellow counsellors and visit local areas or even neighbouring cities and countries but you must be well organised and be ready get back for the camps beginning each week. I personally like to mix it up and do my own things some weekends and go to maybe a Volkfest (basically a Bavarian beer and food festival) with the counsellors or host families etc. You organise the weekends yourself and support yourself in terms of accommodation and food etc as LEOlingo provide you with free accommodation and food throughout a camp week. Overall, it is easy to manage and I have always felt safe and secure on weekends and sometimes you just cant wait for the next camo to begin ?
In 2019 and 2021 I worked for LEOlingo in the summer months only but last year in 2022 I decided to exclusively work for LEOlingo from April to October as I was having so much fun doing their camps that I did the Easter and school camps along with the summer camps which I really enjoyed and this year in 2023 I will do the same. I hope this review has helped you make a decision in applying to work for LEOlingo and I look forward to meeting you if we happen to work together in the future. I have said to Andrea and Anne-Marie that I will keep returning as long as I am having fun and it is always a pleasure to work alongside the best!
