What a
revelation this has been - at least three years older than the typical gappy,
and already comfortable with living away from home, their impact in boarding
has been universally positive.
Every year
we recruit at least six new interns - two for each boarding house. Our location
in Thailand helps with recruitment, not least in the sense that we can use
advertisements like this one:
Fancy this? Please RT or pass on if you know someone who might... pic.twitter.com/sNYoLpZkMB— Tim Jefferis (@tjjteacher) October 2, 2019
When they
arrive, we put them through an intensive induction that includes training in:
safeguarding, Thai culture, lifeguarding, boarding and off-site trip
management.
Interns all
live on-site in the boarding houses, so very quickly an esprit de corps
develops. We devise day-time timetables based on their interests. Many want to
go into teaching once their year with us is up, so we assign them to
departments where their interests and expertise lie. A mentoring system
encourages them to self-reflect and actively further their professional
development.
In boarding,
they are invaluable members of the house teams. Occupying the borderland
between fully-fledged teacher and recent school-leaver they are able to connect
with boarders in a uniquely powerful way. Each brings their own character to
the role, with boarders taking little time to recognise in them variously:
older playmate, sounding board, homework-checker or genial interlocutor.
It is the
graduates who mastermind our ‘Friday night challenges’ designed to foster
teamwork, fun and a bit of lateral thinking. During the week, graduates get
involved in anything and everything that we organise for the boarders. We find
that even the most reticent of our boarders become less so when they realise
that the cool older brother or sister is involved...
Graduates spend
a week off-campus in a Thai government school that Harrow has connections with.
Here they assist with English language acquisition, with sport and with their
own subject specialism. The interns play a full part in our super-curricular
provision, volunteering enthusiastically for off-site trips all over Thailand
and beyond.
At the end
of the programme, graduates leave us with first-hand experience of residential
education and travel experiences to die for. On our part, we get a steady
stream of young, enthusiastic employees from all over the English-speaking
world. They enrich our community immeasurably.
Here’s what
I’d advise anyone else seeking to set up such a programme:
● Be clear about job descriptions and
responsibilities right at the outset. It’s tempting to use interns to fill
gaps, but they (rightly) expect a coherent and thought-through programme.
● Spend a good deal of time on
induction - manage expectations, clarify responsibilities. Prevention is far
better than cure.
● Make sure you build in opportunities
for certification - our interns leave us as NPLQ lifeguards and are put through
the NSPCC safeguarding training.
● Do what you can to make the package
as attractive as possible. This doesn’t mean you need to pay them a fortune,
but perks like regular days off, full-board accommodation, paid-for mobile
phone bills and social events can make a big difference.
● Recruit a decent-sized group if you
can. Happiness increases and homesickness decreases if your interns feel part
of a team.
Tim Jefferis