Teaching Assistant (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School)
June - August 2019 • Haverford, PA
What I liked
Working with students and helping them learn.
What I wish was different
Advice
1
One person found this helpful
Residential Advisor
June - August 2019 • Carlisle, PA
What I liked
It was a great job with great coworkers. The mission of the program aligned perfectly with my morals of helping young students which made it a great experience
What I wish was different
I wish they had been more structured breaks for Resident Advisor through the week as the job can get nerve racking and stressful
Advice
Be very open minded for the new experiences and do not forget the initial reason why you decided to do that job
1
One person found this helpful
Special Education Teaching Assistant
June - August 2019 • Santa Cruz, CA
What I liked
I enjoyed the uniqueness of the program and the ability to have an hands on teaching experience !
What I wish was different
I wish if I had made the lesson plan ahead of time before starting the program.
Advice
Be friendly with the student but also maintain a sense of authority !
1
One person found this helpful
Resident Assistant
June - August 2022 • Saratoga Springs, NY
What I liked
The kids are great and the program was good before COVID and the new administration.
What I wish was different
I have never had such a negative work experience in my life. I have worked at summer camps for months on end before, yet two weeks into working the first session of CTY I was completely burnt out and tempted to quit. The admin was all new due to the 2-year COVID break and they were extremely hostile and unprofessional to staff and students alike. The site was disorganized, severely understaffed, and had zero concern for COVID despite multiple cases among students and staff. Not only that, but the official contract for Resident Assistants states that if any RA misses work for more than two days in a row they are fired, replaced, and only paid up until the moment they became ill. This resulted in many staff members avoiding additional COVID testing when possible because they didn't want to be fired. Overall CTY's emotionally and physically demanding environment is one that I can't recommend to anyone, even the most experienced camp counselors. CTY employees are not valued at the Saratoga Springs site. Although I was encouraged to reapply next summer, I will never work for this program again and I strongly encourage anyone considering a position at Saratoga Springs to reach out to former 2022 staff members to hear their experiences before committing.
Advice
If you are reading this after being offered a position at CTY's Skidmore College program in Saratoga Springs, I suggest you request a different CTY program location or choose a different summer job altogether. I would also recommend potential future employees of Johns Hopkins CTY to research the issues and complaints voiced by parents and students during the late-notice mass cancellation of classes in 2022. There are several news articles about these problems from the Washington Post and local Baltimore papers.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Teaching Assistant (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School)
June - August 2019 • Haverford, PA
What I liked
Working with students
What I wish was different
More flexible schedule
Advice
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Resident Assistant
June - August 2019 • Haverford, PA
What I liked
This job allowed me to meet other college students from around the country as we all worked for CTY in different positions. It helped me see how other Universities run some of their programs too.
I also loved working with Middle/High school students from around the world as they took classes through Johns Hopkins. The experience enriched me in different cultures and helped me learn about new identities I don't often see at my home university.
What I wish was different
I think if I were to participate in CTY again, I'd like a different role so I can gain new skills rather than doing the same job I do at my home university. I'd also like to go to another placement university so I can travel the country a little more!
Advice
It's a lot of work, expect to make a lot of new connections, but don't go into this thinking you'll have a lot of free time! You are working a majority of the time (whenever the students aren't in class). You only get one day off per session.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Program Assistant
June - July 2019 • Baltimore, MD
What I liked
This is a really wonderful program. You get to work with really talented kids, but the class sizes are small so it's not overwhelming. The pay is pretty good for three weeks of work.
What I wish was different
I wish the program had been longer! The hours were long, and I was on my feet a lot, but it was worth it.
Advice
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Teaching Assistant
June - August 2019 • New York City, NY
What I liked
How engaging it was. I felt like I was actually doing things that impacted the people around me.
What I wish was different
More room for personal growth.
Advice
You will love it if education is something that you're passionate about. Otherwise it can be a little frustrating to work with younger kids for an extended period of time.
1
One person found this helpful
Teaching Assistant
July - August 2019 • Haverford, PA
What I liked
I really liked the Instructor I worked with and getting to know the students. My fellow teaching assistants were wonderful people and I really enjoyed living on campus with them.
What I wish was different
Advice
1
One person found this helpful
RA
June - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA
What I liked
Easygoing, fun job
What I wish was different
Travel costs aren't covered by CTY
Advice
Prepare yourself for long hours
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Teaching Assistant
June - August 2019 • Bristol, RI
What I liked
I loved working with the students and the work environment was supportive. The hands on experience was great.
What I wish was different
I wish there were less students in my specific class (chemistry)
Advice
You really have to enjoy working with students if you want to get something out of this experience.
1
One person found this helpful
Residential Program Assistant
June - August 2018 • Lancaster, PA
What I liked
The other employees who work at CTY are very fun and smart people. Most people get the chance to use their academic and personal interests as activities for the program. The largest departments are academic and residential (I worked in administrative). Anyone can really dip their toe into responsibilities/activities of another department if they wish.
As part of the administrative staff and specifically an RPA, I loved being able to interact so much with people from all the departments pretty regularly. The social environment is very rich and dynamic, which is the most rewarding/fun aspect of working with CTY.
Additionally, housing and food is completely covered for by CTY so you don't have to worry about either of those basic necessities and for me personally having a regulated schedule (set meal times) was very good for me to be around others and have a consistent routine.
What I wish was different
I wish the hours had been different (and my feedback to my boss reflects this). My job is primarily as an office assistant. The main duties include things such as answering and directing calls to the appropriate departments, ordering / buying supplies for each department, picking up and sorting mail, and assisting students and parents. There are usually 5 total people who are office assistants (RPAs). After the busiest periods (which are opening, intersession, and closing), the job can be a bit slow.
I brought this concern to my supervisor, saying that our normal staggered 8-hour shifts (8am-4pm, 10am-6pm x 2 people, 1-9pm, 4-11 pm) were too long, especially during the 1-4pm time period when there are 4 people in the office not doing anything. I suggested 5-6 hour shifts where people were on call for the remaining 2-3 hours if it ever got busy. All of my coworkers agreed that this would have been a better model to test, but the suggestion was not adopted by our supervisors.
So, I wish the program implemented working hours more suited towards having the most productive and efficient work hours.
Advice
This job can be quite intense during the busy periods. Administrative staff come 1 whole week before students arrive to set up basically the whole camp. Then as one session of 500+ students leaves, another one comes in one weekend in a busy period called intersession. So my advice would be to really prepare yourself for those times, get lots of rest, take breaks when needed, ask for help, offer help, and don't beat yourself up or your coworkers up if there are mistakes made since a lot is happening at those times.
I would also encourage people to talk to a lot of people, the staff have diverse academic and professional backgrounds and are generally really interesting people. There are a lot of staff activities separate from the summer program that were highlights of my summer.
Finally, keep an open mind about how to go about things. I've worked for this camp for two summers and find I am always learning different ways to approach problems and learn new, more efficient solutions or ideas from my coworkers.
3
${count} people found this helpful
Program Assistant
June 2015 • Sandy Spring, MD
What I liked
I like that this experience allows me to gain experience working with gifted and twice exceptional students, so that as I continue to learn and obtain a degree in Education, I will be able to apply all the skills that I have learned over these years.
What I wish was different
I wish that some of the courses were longer because we are only given a short time with the students, but I understand that it is a summer program.
Advice
To work as a team with your teacher and co-workers and be able to communicate well and support one another because when you first get in, it can be very overwhelming; just know that there is always someone else there to help you.
1
One person found this helpful
Resident Assistant
June - August 2018 • Haverford, PA
What I liked
Meeting incredible people, both from across the country and international
Teaching and leading young students
What I wish was different
More opportunities for RAs to get to know each other early
Advice
This job is very time intensive, but deeply rewarding
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Teaching Assistant
June - August 2018 • Los Angeles, CA
What I liked
CTY was a great student teaching program that introduced me to many different intellectual students such as the ones from our university. The atmosphere is extremely pleasant, and it is an overall wonderful summer job.
What I wish was different
Sometimes things can be a bit chaotic, but that comes when it comes with working with middle and high schoolers. If anything, this job really helped me to learn how to perform certain tasks on the spot or how to handle different situations when needed.
Advice
Do not go into this job without a genuine love for working with younger students. The children are giving their summers to have a great time, and you are expected to be able to help create an exciting, studious atmosphere for all the students.
1
One person found this helpful
Teaching Assistant (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School)
June - August 2018 • Bristol, RI
What I liked
I had to learn on-the-run how to teach in an effective manner, and to cater to my students’ needs, which was challenging but fun.
What I wish was different
Advice
1
One person found this helpful
Resident Assistant
June - August 2019 • Saratoga Springs, NY
What I liked
The work environment was fantastic at the Saratoga Springs location. The staff got a long really well and it was a very fun summer. I also learned a lot about how to effectively work with kids by being on the residential staff. As an aspiring educator, I felt getting this hands on experience was the best way to learn how to work with kids.
What I wish was different
A lot of the staff there has been there for several years so sometimes the communication between staff could have been improved.
Advice
Go in flexible and with an open mind! The children really want your support so just be prepared to be there for them.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Teaching Assistant (Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School)
June - August 2018 • Baltimore, MD
What I liked
I loved working with my students. They were, for most of the time, eager to learn and a fun bunch to work with. They were a motivational force for me and I learned as much from them as they have learned from me.
What I wish was different
I wished the administration could have been a bit looser to allow for more traditions that are unique to CTY and not available in other summer camps.
Advice
Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice, the other teaching and residential staff are amazing and approachable people.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Resident Assistant
June - August 2019 • Baltimore, MD
What I liked
I enjoyed being able to do something I've never done before. I was able to move to another state for a few months and had the amazing opportunity to work directly with 26 other resident assistants to create a thriving program. Working with a group of teenagers who are more academically stimulated was a very different experience that helped change my view on working with others.
What I wish was different
I wish some of the policies were more lax, however I completely understand why they cannot be. There was a strict policy of having eyes and ears on all students at all times especially when traveling through the campus. This was an open campus with multiple other camps on it, with the camp being right in the middle of Baltimore.
Advice
This job can be stressful because you are working for three weeks straight with only one day off and only two days off if you work both sessions. Have fun with this job, and let all of the petty stuff go.
Be the first to mark this as helpful
Resident Assistant
June - August 2019 • Lancaster, PA
What I liked
I loved making connections with the residents. The students were so smart and creative. I loved being their support system
What I wish was different
I wish the job consisted of more organization. There were many gaps in the system. The position was very go with the flow, which was counterproductive for everyone. There was miscommunication and tension. These things affected how I could perform for my position and being there for my residents which was frustrating.
Advice
I would say know your limits and how much you will and can take. Stand your ground. I would recommend a person doing this job for the first time to only do one session. Double sessions are very tiring. It becomes a long summer away from home and one is just over worked.
