Experience of a lifetime

The people who work for JCA have many different motivations driving them but all have three things in common – energy, enthusiasm and desire to work with children and young people. You will see a different group of young people grow and develop each week.  By the end of the week you will also have noticed differences in yourself. Becoming an instructor is also a great stepping-stone into the outdoor leisure industry as JCA offers many development opportunities.  It’s also great way to travel, take a gap year and meet lots of new people and experience a totally different lifestyle.  A season with JCA will leave you with skills such as activity leadership, public speaking, organisation and using your initiative.  The best thing about the job is that no two days are the same and no two children are the same giving you new challenges and rewards on a daily basis. 

Friendships

The friendships built on centre are some of the strongest you will ever make.  You will meet people from many different cultures and backgrounds.  JCA staff work very hard to support each other and very hard to deliver the quality experience our customers know and trust.  When they are not working you’ll find JCA staff choose to spend there time in many different ways but there is always something going on.  To work for JCA you won’t want a 9 to 5 job and don’t want to sit behind a desk, you’ll know how to work hard and play harder.

Employee Profiles

Name: Rachel Lidstone
Age: 22
Position: Centre Manager at Whitemead 07
Previous Jobs: Healthcare assistant for the NHS, Adventure Specialist for Girl Scout Camps USA
Comments on the season: Despite the slightly terrifying job role, I learnt a lot, met a lot of awesome people and had a fun season. While the job is at times challenging, it is a great opportunity to do something amazing and really make a difference in a lot of kid's lives. It's pretty cool being a professional role model!!
What happened next:  I am finishing the final year of my anthropology degree, then hopefully work with a gap year organisation. And maybe a week or two at JCA.

Name: Laura Savage
Age: 23
Position: Activity instructor
Comments on the season: The season was hard work and tiring but so much fun, I met lots of amazing friends that i'm still close to now, learn so many new skills and i lived in beautiful parts of the country.
What happened next: I'm now a freelance dancer and dance teacher, teaching in schools and colleges and perfoming in various projects, I am hoping to start a PGCE at Exeter uni in september.

Name: Simon D'Arcy
Age: 21
Position: Activity Instructor 2006, Senior Instructor 2007.
Comments on the season: I really enjoyed both jobs but especially as a Senior. There's an extra challenge involved to lead by example and to help AI's grow in to the job. You're still an Instructor first, but with a bigger picture to look at and there is lots of room for personal input. It sounds cheesy but when the end of the week comes and the kids don't want to leave and the teachers thank you for your effort - it feels really good. Not many jobs compare to it...and yes...everybody pretty much says that, I know.
What happened next: I'm currently in the Army, serving in the Infantry. Right now I'm in Iraq.