I absolutely love working at CLV. I get to spend my day in nature and work with a program that I feel passionately about. I met many of my best friends in this job, and I am surrounded by intelligent, creative people who share my passions. I was constantly given the opportunity to explore new fields and develop new skills.
What I wish was different
As is often the case with this style of job, the hours become extreme, and living and working with all your colleagues can be emotionally exhausting.
Advice
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Camp Counselor
June - July 2021 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
I loved the opportunity to use my Spanish to help other students grow in their knowledge of the language. I love the room for creativity as we engaged in musical, theatrical, culinary, and artistic activities daily.
What I wish was different
I wish that we had a little more time off. We only had 1 day off every two weeks, and upon becoming ill, I was not allowed to take any time to rest.
Advice
To be a part of this experience, you need to engage in your passions. Find something you are passionate about, and find a way to use it to teach, or integrate it into learning the Spanish language. For me, it was music. For you, it could be something else :)
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Camp Counselor
July - August 2022 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
It was super great getting to meet people and learn about all their experiences, especially as I'm considered what I want to do after college. It was also incredibly beneficial for my language development.
What I wish was different
I wish there had been a little bit more hands on training
Advice
Be prepared to jump right in! You'll have an amazing time and meet the best people, but it's hard work.
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Language Intern
July - August 2019 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
I like the small community and intercultural diversity among all language counselors. The language villages were lead by people from all over the world. I made so many meaningful and interesting connections that I maintain to this day.
What I wish was different
I wish this internship had higher pay.
Advice
I say, you should go out there and try it. This experience will be one for the books. It will teach you so many skills. Skills like leadership, adaptation and team spirit.
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Camp Counselor (bilingual)
June - July 2019 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
It was an amazing opportunity to speak my second language (it really helped me break through to another level of fluency to be so completely immersed for so long) and work alongside people who are really passionate about teaching and learning other languages. There was something new happening every day, so it definitely wasn't your typical boring entry-level summer job. The culture at my site was very welcoming and kind; people were really patient with me as I learned the complexities of the job and the management was very kind and supportive. For someone who is interested in teaching a foreign language as a career, this is a great opportunity to learn first hand how to teach language as a living thing, and make it fun! It was also really cool working with people from all over the country and all over the world and getting to hear their stories. Free housing, food (really, really great food, at least at our site), wifi, bus transportation to/from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport, rides into town to shop/have fun, and small after-hours social events.
What I wish was different
The pay is very, very low for what you are expected to do. At my site, I had about two hours per day to myself, at least one of which I spent preparing cultural lessons and activities. Writing comments for campers' parents also took up some of this free time. Our team alternated four hours or twenty-four hours off every Sunday. That being said, the daily schedule for our site was well-planned so that it didn't get too overwhelmingly tiring. Keeping in touch with my family was difficult because of the strict ban on electronics outside of our secret staff room (campers were strictly forbidden to have phones/electronics); I wouldn't change that because I think it was really a good thing for the campers to have the opportunity to disconnect, but it did make my life a little harder. The orientation week at the beginning of the summer was necessary, but could have been organized better to be more streamlined and more informative for new staff; I had to learn a lot of the job as things were happening during camp, which was stressful for me.
Advice
If you don't like kids or teaching, don't do this job; you will have a much better experience if you are genuinely excited to work with kids and teach a foreign language/culture. Don't worry too much about preparing (but also, kind of do think about preparing): I was trying to learn songs in the target language, but when I got there I found that there was an established repertoire that I was able to pick up. However, taking a first aid course and reading up on child development and language teaching strategies would be helpful because these skills were not taught to us during orientation to the degree I would have liked. You would especially do well to do a little reading on working with children with learning disabilities or who are on the Autism spectrum: we received no training on handling these children, and when we had a camper at the end of the summer who was on the spectrum, we weren't as able to help him have a good time as we could have had we been trained. On a personal note, if you are a Christian, as I am, this is not a faith-based organization, and while it is quite open and tolerant, you will have to come to a decision of whether you can work for an organization that subscribes to progressive social and sexual ideology. I was able to go into Bemidji to go to church on 24-hour break Sundays and that was a great experience--Crossroads Church is great if you're non-denominational!
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Councilor
July - August 2019 • Callaway, MN
What I liked
The staff were super nice and by the end of the session we were family.
What I wish was different
I wish I knew more Chinese going in.
Advice
Pay attention and make sure you keep it in the target language!
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Camp Cook
May - August 2019 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
The people and experience
What I wish was different
Higher paying
Advice
Work hard and smart
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Camp Counselor
July - August 2019 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
I loved people I worked with. Their enthusiasm was infectious.
What I wish was different
I wish we had more time to prepare our lesson plans.
Advice
It’s definitely worth the work! Very rewarding
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Camp Counselor
May - June 2019 • Bunda, Mara Region
What I liked
It was an amazing opportunity to work with kids!
What I wish was different
Instead of a 1.5 hour flight to get into Bunda, we had a 19 hour bus ride. The flight would have been a much better option.
Advice
Go in with an open mind!
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Camp Counselor
October 2017 • Minneapolis, MN
What I liked
I liked working with kids and fun coworkers!
What I wish was different
I wish the days had been longer.
Advice
Don't be afraid to jump right in and have fun with the work, the kids will love it even more if you do.
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Camp Counselor
July - August 2018 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
I liked being able to work with kids and expand my language skills.
What I wish was different
Higher pay
Advice
Do it!! I loved it
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Marketing Student Assistant
January 2018 • Moorhead, MN
What I liked
Opportunity to grow and develop professional skills
Inclusive community
Flexibility
What I wish was different
Advice
Be a self-starter and be responsible to your works.
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Camp Counselor/Blogger
June - August 2018 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
The opportunity to work with counselors and native French speakers from all over the world and with kids from a variety of backgrounds.
What I wish was different
Uploading pictures for the blog-- quantity over quality really has to be the priority in this case.
Advice
It's an exhausting -- but SO rewarding -- job! Lac du Bois is really my home-away-from home and I'm always so excited to return each summer!
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Senior Counselor
June - August 2018 • Callaway, MN
What I liked
The chance to educate young people about my own language and culture, interacting with people who come from all over the globe and working to cultivate a greater global community with Concordia Language Villages.
What I wish was different
While a great experience, you are basically on the clock 24/7. It wears you out very quickly.
Advice
Find time in your day to relax, you'll need it. Cherish the relationships you make with the villagers. A great first job with much room for growth.
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Camp Counselor
June - July 2018 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
I liked being able to work with kids of all ages in a language immersion environment with native speakers and teach Spanish in an outdoors environment.
What I wish was different
I don't wish anything had been different, all was good.
Advice
Always come with a lot of energy, even when you're tired, the kids will help you gain enthusiasm.
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Village Baker
July 2017 - August 2018 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
Amazing opportunity to network with many professionals in my future career field and meet different people from around the world.
Opportunity to work in a job related to my major
What I wish was different
Had heard about opportunities to work hear sooner
Advice
It is important to have some working knowledge of the language used at the site you work for. The pay check isn't huge, but you do get free food and housing and the experience you will have/people you will meet will be worth far more.
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High School French Teacher
June - August 2018 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
The child were willing to learn and the staff to help new comers on the traditions.
What I wish was different
The busy schedule
Advice
Be prepared to work with kids who are not interested in the language.
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Language and Marketing Assistant
July - August 2018 • Bemidji, MN
What I liked
I loved the community aspect of working at a summer camp. The campers and the staff members bond really well and create a fun environment for everyone, even the counselors, to learn. The camp is very committed to the German immersion experience for the children and carries it out very well.
What I wish was different
I wish there were more spaces for counselors to take breaks alone during free time during the day, as we cannot leave the campgrounds then.
Advice
I recommend this experience to any German students who plan on studying abroad. A summer at this camp gives you a great picture of your language ability and helps build confidence before living in a truly immersive environment.
