everything you need to know about english camp
a guide to be used for SOUTH KOREA
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table of contents
correlating video: coming soon
guide updated 22.08.02
English Camp: it comes twice a year to haunt our lives as Native English Teachers. But it doesn’t have to be as stressful as people make it out to be. Here is everything you need to know about camp: from what it is to how to do it, and everything in between. This guide is specifically for those who work at public schools, but a lot of the information here may still be useful if you work at a hagwon. If you have any advice for camp first-timers, please them in the comments below!
THE BASICS
quick answers
What is camp? English Camp is an English enrichment course for students to take during summer and winter vacations.
When is camp? Camp is typically during summer and winter vacations and can be at the start of the break, in the middle of the break, or at the end. Camp can sometimes be done during the semester. Your principal will finalize the days; you typically do not have a say in when camp is.
Who is in charge? A Korean co-teacher is in charge of all administrative aspects of camp (submitting a budget, selecting students, reserving a classroom), but you are in charge of making the lesson plans, finding materials, and are the main teacher during camp.
Who comes to camp? Your students; they are typically split by grades to accommodate their English level.
What do I teach? Something fun and interesting that they don’t learn during the school year; however, some teachers may be asked to use English Camp as a review session.
How long is it? Camp can range from 3 days to two weeks; it depends on your school.
Where is camp? It should take place at your school in a designated classroom; you may or may not be able to use other areas of the school (gym, playground, hallway) for activities. Ask your school if it is possible during the planning stages of camp.
is "camp" what i think it is?
If you were thinking of marshmallows and sleeping in a tent, then no. If you were thinking of a fun, non-graded English enrichment course for students to take, then yeah. It is exactly that. It’s typically a themed camp where students learn new material, make crafts, and play games. The percentage between “fun” and “learning” will vary by school, but expect somewhere in the middle.
For most elementary schools, this is basically English daycare and the majority of students don’t actually want to be there. For other levels (middle and high), students are a bit more motivated, but because it can conflict with other schedules and classes, everyone on your list may not show up.
Camps usually occur once during summer vacation and once during winter vacation, although it will depend on your school, how many schools you have (each may have its own camp), and other circumstances (ex. many camps were canceled during COVID-19).
One of your co-teachers will be the main teacher tasked with planning camp; they will be in charge of creating timetables. There is no basic formula that all schools follow. This means that every school will handle camp differently: from how long camps are, the mix of students, what should be taught, how seriously camp is taken, your freedom in selecting the material, etc. For this reason, do not look to this guide as gospel. There is a chance that any specific information here will not apply to you, but at least this will get you prepped on the basics.
how long is it?
Because every school handles camp differently, how long a camp is can vary greatly. Some schools only do camp for 2 days while I’ve heard of some unlucky souls who have 2 weeks of English Camp… for all of the schools they teach at.
The camp itself can be broken down into different periods; these periods will be called “classes” from here on out. How long a camp is will affect the number of classes each day; a 3-day camp may last for 3 hours a day, while a 2-week camp may only be 40 minutes a day.
The camp may be broken up into sections for different grade levels as well, which will also affect how long English Camp is. For example, 3rd and 4th grade elementary may be in one section while 5th and 6th grade elementary may be in another – you would teach each section separately because of the difference in their English level.
If you separate levels, you will have to create and teach two sets of material (one for lower levels and one geared towards higher levels). How and when the classes for the different levels are broken up will, once again, affect how long the camp is. If you have any input at all, I really suggest doing one group in the morning and one group in the afternoon (if you are having camp during vacation). This will cut camp time in half so you can actually enjoy those coveted days of freedom.
what do i teach?
Usually, camp focuses on a theme or topic. Most NETs (Native English Teachers) are able to pick out the theme of the camp, but your co-teacher may have already selected one. Your school’s principal and vice-principal should approve of this theme and can reject it if they feel it is not appropriate, entertaining, or educational enough.
Once a theme has been approved, you will need to make a plan (some schools may require exact lesson plans at least a month before). This plan should include vocabulary, key expressions, activities, and – of course – a goal for students.
No matter what level you teach, your students in different grades are studying different vocabulary, key expressions, and grammatical structures. Putting a 3rd-grade elementary student in the same classroom as a 5th-grade elementary student and trying to teach them both the same exact expressions can be, well, excruciating for everyone involved. A typical 3rd grader simply doesn’t have the knowledge or experience that the 5th grader does, but this situation does happen often.
For that reason, I suggest mixing what you know the students know with things they don’t. Try to combine new and familiar vocabulary with basic structures for them to use, or use structures they already know with new vocabulary. This is why picking a theme is important.
If you do an Olympic-themed camp, you can do Olympic-related vocabulary (something that is typically not in English textbooks) and basic sentence structures they’ve learned previously that can fit the vocabulary (“I am a runner. I am fast.” / “I am a volleyball player. I am tall.” for 3rd and 4th grade). This way, all students are starting from (mostly) the same starting point. It will make it entertaining and educational for all involved.
do i teach alone?
You shouldn’t, especially in elementary school. If you are comfortable with teaching your kids alone, go for it, but know that it is your right to have a Korean-speaking teacher in the room with you at all times. They get paid for it just like you get paid for it (with your monthly paycheck, but at some schools, they get paid extra while NETs don’t).
Your job (more than likely) will be to make lesson plans, find games and materials, set everything up, and be the “main teacher” during camp. You will lead the class while your co-teacher will assist you. Again, unless you are completely alright with it, you should not be alone during camp. Your co-teacher should always be in the room.
As stated in your MOE/POE public school contract (Article 3, Clause 1), you are to lead extracurricular programs like English Camp. Here, “lead” is the operative word – you should not be teaching alone, but be the “main” teacher. In the Korean version of Article 3, Clause 1 the word “주도적으로'' is used when referring to NETs conducting extra programs. “주도적으로'' means “lead” or “take the initiative.” It does not mean “alone.” In some contracts (2022 and onward), some friends have said that the English clause has been changed to “lead or solely conduct” while the Korean remains the same. Because Korean is the governing language of this contract, do not fall victim to the addition of “solely.”
do i get paid?
If camp is during vacation and under 22 hours a week, then you will not be paid extra; this is because it falls in line with your regular teaching hours. If camp is after school while you still teach regular classes and totals to more than 22 hours a week (21 hours of regular class + 3 hours of camp = 24 teaching hours), then you should be paid extra since it is extra teaching hours.
As per your contract, if teaching over 22 hours a week, you will be paid either ₩20,000/₩25,000 (contract depending) extra per class hour or what is listed in the Labor Standards Act. Only worry about getting paid the Labor Standards Act rate if you make over ₩2,400,000 a month; only then would it benefit you rather than the ₩20,000/₩25,000 extra per class hour.
According to the Labor Standards Act, overtime pay is calculated by: 50% of your hourly rate + regular hourly rate = overtime pay.
₩2,000,000 = ₩14,354 for overtime pay
₩2,100,000 = ₩15,072 for overtime pay
₩2,200,000 = ₩15,789 for overtime pay
₩2,300,000 = ₩16,507 for overtime pay
₩2,400,000 = ₩17,225 for overtime pay
₩2,500,000 = ₩17,943 for overtime pay
₩2,600,000 = ₩18,660 for overtime pay
₩2,700,000 = ₩19,378 for overtime pay
₩2,800,000 = ₩20,096 for overtime pay
₩2,900,000 = ₩20,813 for overtime pay
₩3,000,000 = ₩21,531 for overtime pay
And so on.
Some MOEs/POEs may have a section in the Korean teacher NET guide (something you will probably never see nor have access to) where you can be paid extra for English camp. Usually, this only covers paying you for lesson plans. You can sometimes be paid ~₩10,000 per page per day of camp, but there is typically a cap on how much you can be paid for (for example, there could be a cap for 3 pages for 1 day of camp. If you have a 3-day camp and make 3 pages of lesson plans for each day and get paid ₩10,000 per page, you could make ₩90,000 just for your lesson plans). This money could come out of the English budget which means you’d have less money to buy materials and snacks.
extracurricular torture
Even if your school does have camp, beware. Other schools in the area (your MOE/POE policy depending) may request your help for their own school’s camp! So fun! How this will operate will, of course, depend on that school, that co-teacher, and the other NET. Usually, though, it’s that school’s responsibility to create all of the lesson plans, curate the materials, and tell you exactly what to do. But it will be your responsibility to lead the class and to actually teach.
If you do have to do this, you should be paid extra (+ traveling expenses). The amount may vary depending on that school’s budget but expect around ₩20,000 per hour.
PLANNING CAMP
the basic steps of planning
Here are the steps I follow while planning camp:
Start thinking about camp at least 2 months before it is held, especially if you want to do something intricate.
Ask questions about the camp and what your co-teacher knows about camp (how many students, how many days, etc.); but know that this information may be tentative, as camp isn’t finalized until way later so your co-teacher cannot give you concrete answers.
Think of a theme, preferably something students are currently interested in.
Search Pinterest, Coupang, and other sites for things related to the theme to get ideas. Searching Coupang for theme-related prizes/crafts/etc. is good to do so you can get ideas for pre-made craft packs and the like.
Make a list with links, ideas, and fun activities.
Think of relating English vocabulary and sentence structures.
Figure out the camp’s storyline (if any) and really begin to narrow down activities.
Finalize the plan (vocabulary, activities, what students will do).
Look for materials to complete crafts and games.
questions to ask
To make an accurate plan, you’ll need to ask some questions:
How many students will be in one class? Teaching 10 students is a lot different than teaching 30; the activities you can and should do are different.
How will the students be divided? 3rd/4th grades together? 5th/6th grades together? The difficulty level should be altered to match your students’ abilities.
How many days will camp be? Will it be 3 days, 5 days, or longer? Will you do multiple grades in a day or teach them on different days?
How many classes will there be during camp? Will a class last 30 minutes? 40 minutes? 50 minutes? Will the students get some time for a break? How long should that break last? How much time will be used on the first and last days for an opening and closing ceremony (if there will be one of those)?
What is the budget? If the students are getting snacks, how much will be used for that? How much can you use for crafts and activities? Don’t be shy about asking about the English Camp budget. 99.99% of schools have a budget for supplies specifically for English Camp. Use the money to enrich your students’ experience.
These questions should already be answered by your co-teacher when you begin talking about English Camp. If they are not brought up, ask these as soon as possible.
pick a theme
If you are free to pick a theme, you can do absolutely anything you want… but I suggest picking something your students actually know and will be excited about. Doing a Harry Potter camp can be super cool for some, but a lot of younger kids just aren’t as excited about Harry Potter as Millennials/Gen Zs are. They still know about it and can enjoy it, but they’re not enthused.
I love giving camp a story and the students a goal. Are they stuck on an alien planet and they have to fix their spaceship to get back to Earth? Do they have to collect a bunch of keys to open an escape room? You know, give them purpose. When I think of a theme, I think of the story at the same time. If you want to make camp all connect with some sort of plot, then I suggest thinking of both simultaneously as well.
If you are one of those people who either don’t have time to come up with a camp on your own or simply just cannot think of anything for the life of you, some NETs upload their completed camps online to websites like Waegook (a website for NETs in Korea). There are some other random sites laying around the internet with examples, too. Google is your best bet to find those, but you know that already – it’s probably how you found this page, after all. Don’t be shy about using already created camps for inspiration. That’s why someone uploaded them in the first place, after all.
You can, of course, do something more generic (music camp, movie camp); that is totally alright, too! Although the theme is very important, what activities you do can make or break a camp. Activities are ultimately what matters most.
think of activities
Once you’ve decided on a theme, you’re going to need to find activities that can relate to it. For this, I suggest scouring Pinterest and related mom websites for birthday party themes and activities. You can find a lot of great resources that way. Don’t limit your search to just “English Camp in Korea” and “classroom activities.”
While searching, have a document open where you can paste all of the crafts, games, and other ideas you’ve found. You can organize and label them as well so you aren’t opening 40 different links trying to find one specific thing.
Before actually planning anything, you’re going to need to assess (or simply ask) your school’s comfort level with group work. Some schools are still really cautious surrounding COVID-19 and are worried about it spreading. Some schools have started to not give a shit.
I think it is best to stay far away from worksheets during camp. The only worksheets you should use are for them to write down any new vocabulary or key expressions or ones to help organize a game or activity. That’s it. Everything else should stay away from worksheets, books, and anything they do in a regular class. English Camp should be fun. Worksheets are rarely fun.
Instead, try to pick a few different crafts and activities that get them moving and using English, like scavenger hunts, quiz games, and team games.
My go-to types of activities are:
Crafts of varying difficulty levels (ones that can be completed quickly and ones for the entire class period)
Food-making activity (COVID-19 depending)
Team challenges
Performances
Anything focused on speaking/listening practice
I advise you to not do crafts that are too difficult for a specific age group. A lot of 3rd and 4th graders are unable to tie knots, therefore doing anything with beads will be a nightmare. My co-teacher and I once spent an hour tying off bracelets for students. Learn from our mistakes.
Instead of just random activities that make no sense together, I like to plan my activities so they all connect; for example, I’ll teach them something in one activity that they can use for a later game.
To plan how to organize activities, I start with the end goal and work backward. For instance, if you were to do an escape room camp, you can have your last main activity be students making an escape room for another group to solve. To make an escape room, you need to have different types of puzzles and clues. For activities, I’d teach them how to solve different types of puzzles and make different clues (invisible ink, decoding, etc.). I’d also teach them some vocabulary and language related to solving clues and escape rooms in general. Activities should give your students the tools they need to complete the main event.
vocabulary and sentence structures
Once you have a theme and activities, vocabulary and sentence structures should come easily. Think of what language you would need to do the games and that relates to the theme.
Are your students on a safari? Learn animal names, how to give and follow directions, and different geographical features (waterfall, canyon).
Are your students going to put on a play? Learn some encouraging phrases, different genres, and jobs within the industry (director, producer).
Are your students trying to catch them all? Learn Pokémon names, battle phrases (“Let’s go, Eevee!”), and vocabulary relating to gyms, badges, and stats.
You get the idea.
Also, as mentioned earlier, I really suggest mixing new vocab and learned structures or learned vocab with new structures. Giving them all new material can overload them and make whatever activities you do not fun. It’s already a new language for them, which makes students already doubt themselves. Making students learn new material and then immediately use it in a game will make your kids feel uncomfortable. They won’t have fun if they don’t understand and have time to sit and marinate in the language.
look for materials
There are three possible categories of things you need to buy for camp: snacks, rewards, and supplies for activities.
Your co-teacher should have snacks covered (a drink and a small bread/cookie/granola bar) and may have rewards covered as well. If not, you can rarely go wrong with candy and some age-appropriate viral toy (think fidget toys, slime, etc.). If you are designing the activities, you should be in charge of finding the materials.
To find materials, here are some common websites to use:
Most schools will have a few specific online retailers that they purchase from, and those may or may not be on the list above. Talk to your school about what sites they like to use and will be ordering from. Although it is more typical to order online, there are some instances where you can go in person to an art supplies store, a grocery store, or to Daiso and buy things with your school’s card. You will more than likely not have that card yourself, but if your co-teacher is kind enough to go with you, you’ll be able to buy materials in person.
You will want to buy camp materials AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you are buying online. A lot of materials sell out around camp time because the majority of schools are buying supplies. Do not wait until the last minute. You will either have to find substitutions or will need to completely change some activities.
Here are some craft supplies and their Korean translations (in alphabetical order) so you can find what you are looking for. Some products that I’ve used and thought were great are also linked, but none of this is sponsored. I literally have under 10 followers on all social media platforms.
3D glasses (3D입체안경/3D안경).
Balloons (풍선).
Beads (비즈). Those are just regular beads. Here are alphabet beads (알파벳 비즈); for circle alphabet beads, use 알파벳 원형비즈.
Bookbinding tape (제본테이프).
Buttons (단추).
Candles (양초).
Cardboard boxes (택배박스).
Character hats (인형모자). The kind of hats you find at photo booths.
Character headbands (동물 머리띠). Like those from amusement parks.
Colorful fish tank rocks (어항자갈/칼라스톤).
Color paper (색상지). Like construction paper colors, but often not the same weight. For construction paper, look for 120gsm and above. This brand is good for printing.
Deform block (디폼블럭).
Dirt (흙).
Disposable paper cups (종이컵).
Disposable paper plates (일회용 종이접시).
Duct tape (면테이프/부자테이프). Not exactly like duct tape, but works for making duct tape crafts.
Felt (칼라펠트). This is non-adhesive (비접착식). There is an adhesive felt that has a sticky back (접착식). The felts listed here are of good quality and 1 pack was more than enough for 30 students.
Flower seeds (꽃씨앗).
Googly Eyes with a sticky back (접착눈알).
Keyring (열쇠고리).
Knitting yarn (뜨개실). Thickness may vary.
Laminating film (코팅필름).
Paint (물감). This is just the general word. For specific types of paints:
Water-based paint (워터페인트).
Watercolor (수채화물감)
Acrylic (아크릴물감).
Fabric (의류용 물감).
Spray paint (락카 스프레이/스프레이 페인트).
Paintbrushes (붓).
Pom Pom balls (폼폼이/퐁퐁이/뿅뿅이).
Popsicle sticks (나무스틱/우드 스파츌라).
Pouch (주머니).
Roll paper (롤페이퍼).
Small, smooth rocks (자갈, literally means gravel).
String (폴리매듭실). NOT for friendship bracelets, just putting beads on.
Wooden building blocks (우드블록).
PREPARING FOR CAMP
the basic steps of preparing
Here are the steps I follow while preparing for camp:
Structure camp and organize the activities.
Make a detailed lesson plan for each day of camp.
Create the PPTs and worksheets.
Buy materials and check materials once they arrive.
Prepare any materials that you need, organize them by class and grade, and label everything.
Print worksheets and do any touchups to PPTs.
Set up the classroom(s).
structuring camp
Once you know how many days and how many hours your camp will be, you can start to outline. I do this step before lesson planning so I have an overall idea of what the goal of camp is.
My camps are usually structured as followed:
Day 1
Opening Ceremony/Class 1: ice breakers, introducing camp, vocabulary/key expressions
Class 2: craft
Class 3: game (using vocabulary/key expressions/possibly craft)
Day 2
Class 1: vocabulary/key expressions + game
Class 2: individual or small group activity
Class 3: craft/food
Day 3
Class 1: vocabulary/key expressions + game
Class 2: preparing for the final activity
Class 3/Closing Ceremony: a final activity where they use all that they’ve learned (trivia show, performance, etc.)
Of course, depending on the camp, this structure can and will change drastically, but this is the general pattern I follow. I sometimes mash classes together to do the same activity (if I know it’ll take awhile), so that’s an option as well.
the lesson plans
Most schools will require some type of lesson plan so it can be approved by your principal; lesson plans are also useful for your co-teacher so they know what is going on. You can use the same template that you use throughout the year (if you need to submit or create lesson plans for class) or your school may have a template they’d like for you to follow.
If you have to come up with your own lesson plan, here is what I suggest you include:
Grades. What grades/group is this specific plan for?
Duration. How long of a class will this plan cover?
Purpose. What is the purpose of this class?
Objectives. What are the objectives? (Students will be able to….)
Materials Needed. What do you need in order to do the activities in this plan?
Key Expressions and Vocabulary. What will the students learn?
Greeting/warmer, prep, practice, and closing. What specific activities will you do to facilitate learning?
buying materials
To purchase materials for English Camp, your co-teacher will need to submit the materials to your school’s accountant through official documents. To make your co-teacher’s life easier (if they are the ones to submit the materials), you should have the item name in Korean, any specifics to select (color, size, etc.), how many you need, the price per unit, total price, and a link to the item on a spreadsheet.
Keep in mind that, for example, if you want to have 20 different colors of deform blocks, your co-teacher will need to input every single variant even if all of the deform blocks are from the same store. That’s a lot of work. I often offer to input the materials myself and add the materials to our school’s online carts. This way, if my materials are wrong or weird, it is my fault. I can also double-check to make sure it is right, too. Your co-teacher will often not know what you want or your vision (unless you’ve been explicit with them and made sure they understand), so if you need something very particular, either do it yourself or triple-check what your co-teacher is buying.
making materials
Once you have it all figured out, you need to create your own materials for camp. I have a PPT for each day and only use that PPT; I have the introduction, different games, instructions for crafts, break times, etc. all on that PPT. It helps me stay organized and not open up 5 different slides during class.
On your PPTs, create clear instructions. Leaving 3rd or 4th graders to “just make a sock puppet!” will turn out to be an absolute mess. Kids need clear, spelled-out directions for all activities – not just because you are teaching them in English, but just because they are kids. And even if you do explain it 100 times in their native language, still expect one of them to mess up.
It’s very easy to get overwhelmed during camp, which is why finding ways to manage yourself is extremely important. Here is what I include in my materials to make sure my camp stays on schedule:
Write out the time different activities should start and end on a sticky note that’s next to my phone on the desk
Put timers on my PPTs for certain activities so I don’t go over the allotted time for that activity (mostly for crafts)
Add slides for when a break should be and add a timer or video on that slide so students can watch something and I know how long the break should last
Besides any necessary worksheets, I also have some extra materials prepared (like crosswords, word searches, mazes, etc.) for students to do during individual crafts and activities. If it is not something where they can go around and help others or if there are not enough materials so they can make another craft, giving them something to do while they wait is better than them being bored or running around the room and distracting everyone else. Although worksheets aren’t fun, having something to do is better than nothing.
put it all together
So you have all of your materials, your lesson plans, your PPTs, and necessary worksheets. Now what? Wait for camp?
Wrong.
For camp to run smoothly, you need to prepare as much as you can beforehand. This means cutting everything to size, organizing the materials, and separating the materials into different groups.
I use paper cups for small items for crafts (and pour them out on a paper plate when distributing), separate worksheets with binder clips, and create “packs” of different supplies so I can easily hand things out and clean up. You want the majority of the class to be the students using English and doing the activities, not handing out materials and explaining how to do something.
The day before or the morning of (depending on if you have access to the room camp will be or if it needs to be used before your class), you should put all the materials in the room and decorate it (if need be). This way you don’t have to stress out about doing so when the students are already filing in.
CONDUCTING CAMP
talk to your co-teacher
Before camp starts, you should have a conversation with your co-teacher about how the camp will operate. Will your co-teacher translate only the instructions, the theme of the camp, or everything? Ask them what they want to do, but also let them know explicitly what you want their help with. Make sure you explain things to them beforehand so they don’t go in blind. If you do not explain it to them, then they may tell the students to do something differently rather than how you want it to go.
Also make sure that you understand that YOU are the main teacher during camp, not your co-teacher. They should be in the room, but it’s alright if they look on their phone or are just hanging out in the back of the room. You may need to ask them from time to time to translate something, but they are mostly there just to discipline students and translate things the kids aren’t getting. That’s it. You do everything else.
don't stress too much
A reason why NETs hate camp so much is because it is so stressful. I am here to tell you that camp does not need to be perfect. Even if you try your best to make it flawless, prepare everything to the T, and do everything right, camp can still be a disaster. That’s just how life works.
So, let it go. Don’t stress out too much over it. As long as your kids learned a little bit and had fun, then that’s all that matters. Don’t worry about changing things last minute if you think it’ll take way too much time and not work out the way you planned (that’s happened to me before!). Prepare, but be flexible.
For example, my students had so much fun during one activity that they even wanted to skip their break to do more of it, so I let them (if they wanted to, of course. Those who wanted to use their break were able to). I’ve even scrapped other activities on the spot (ones that only take 5~10 minutes) to extend something the kids were having a blast with or things that were taking longer than I had anticipated. I’ve also cut some activities short because the kids did not enjoy them. All of that’s ok. It’s just a part of teaching, going with the flow, and responding to your students.
That was everything you need to know about English Camp; I’ve been using these methods ever since I’ve found my footing, so if you’re worried, I hope that these tips will help you. If you are a seasoned teacher and have some other tips on how to make camp the best it can be for students, feel free to help out new teachers in the comments below!
