ACLE tutors need to be flexible and mentally prepared for the fact that each camp is different and that your role requires considerable energy. Moreover, moving every week or every two weeks and meeting new host families, camp directors, and fellow tutors can be rewarding but also exhausting. 

Keep the lines of communication open with your fellow tutors and camp directors. Listen to your fellow tutors when they are discussing an issue. Be flexible and work as a team! There is nothing worse than ruining a camp through miscommunication or losing something in translation. If a problem arises, discuss it at your camp meetings. If you feel you can not discuss the issue or an issue has arisen and you need to talk to someone, then call the ACLE office and talk to your team leaders. We are here to help you.

Working for ACLE is not just about teaching children and then going home, starting work at 9 a.m. and finishing at 6 p.m. It is a 24/7 job. And there are a few things you need to be prepared to do or not to do. Some of these cultural differences in the eyes of Italians can be offensive. Here are a few tips to help you along the way, in and out of the classroom:

• Make your bed every morning and keep your room tidy! You have been invited into someone else’s home. Please show respect at all times. Your host mother is not there to clean and tidy up after you. This also includes: using their phone, putting your feet on the sofa/coffee table, drinking from the bottle, etc. Things that may seem normal to you may be offensive to Italians. It is a different culture and you will be expected to show your respect to it, just as you would expect foreigners to respect your home culture.