iD Tech

Virtual Summer Camp Instructor

June - July 2020 • San Jose, CA

What I liked

I was able to apply some of my computer science skills to teaching kids something fun (Minecraft Modding) and the schedule was relatively flexible. I enjoyed spending a week with a small group of students helping them learn and have fun.

What I wish was different

I wish the pre-work training was a bit longer. Although I had the skills necessary to teach, I still had to spend several hours of my own time learning the curriculum.

Advice

Unless you're already very experienced with the particular subject you're going to teach, prepare to spend some time learning the curriculum. Although on the bright side this means you don't have to be a super-expert to teach the subject. Also try to get the students involved as much as possible during instruction by providing ways for them to interact with the material and with each other.

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Instructor

May - August 2020 • Seattle, WA

What I liked

The interactions with the students. I found that I have a passion for teaching!

What I wish was different

Advice

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Instructor

June - August 2020 • Davis, CA

What I liked

iD Tech converted virtually really well. They gave you a lot of flexibility when deciding for yourself what session times you wanted to teach each week. They give you your curriculum (Game Plan) that you can work off of really easily with the students. And they help you structure the courses really well. They were a perfect amount of time and not too heavy work after class either.

What I wish was different

The times were not excellent for Pacific Time zone people. You also miss out on the staff component of things— you never really meet your coworkers. Otherwise, a really good experience.

Advice

They're always looking for instructors, so definitely apply. When interviewing, they want to know about specific examples of working with kids and teaching. You will get a lot of help with lesson plans. I would say don't overdo yourself, because you will burn out around week 7... take a week off.

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Tutor

August 2020 • Campbell, CA

What I liked

Straightforward hiring process, set own hours.

What I wish was different

Hours are assigned sporadically and based off client demand, so no guarantee of work.

Advice

Apply to jobs you think you may be underqualified for!

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Instructor

June - July 2018 • Sacramento, CA

What I liked

I liked the duality of the position of both instructing in various topics as well as being a camp counselor. Some of my favorite memories come from after the instruction was over and we'd do various activities (like movie nights, game nights, or going out for frozen yogurt) with the campers staying overnight in the residence halls at Sacramento State.

What I wish was different

I don't know if there was anything I wished were different, although there were some areas of the curriculum that they had prepared that either I thought was outside the scope of the course or were presented in the wrong order (as the main focus of the week of instruction is to get the campers to create some final project). An example I could give was a course on coding in general that started off with Assembly Language and then taught C++ and Python. Most of the campers in that course chose to use either C++ or Python and none of them used Assembly Language. Going over Assembly Language as a sort of advanced topic in the course might be prudent (as it shows the basics and history of programming), but it is not needed to learn either C++ or Python.

Advice

One piece of advice I can share about this experience is to be willing to adapt to the needs of the campers while still making sure they have the basic knowledge needed to create that final project they can look back on and be proud of.

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Programming Instructor

May 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

iD Tech is a great job to start out in if your interested in programming and technology. I taught 6 courses throughout the summer. I was able to enhance my skills.

What I wish was different

Advice

If you like a fast. challenging, but fun job/environment, this is a great job for you!

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Lead Instructor

June - August 2019 • Sacramento, CA

What I liked

I enjoyed sharing my programming experience and seeing my students become budding computer scientists. The hours were fair, my coworkers were great, and it was an overall fantastic experience.

What I wish was different

The recommended curriculum was lacking at times, and could use some attention.

Advice

SIgn up as an overnight instructor if you can! Not only do you get more hours, but you get to take part in camp activities and get closer to your coworkers and campers.

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course instructor

June - September 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I enjoyed being around the kids and teaching them new things.

What I wish was different

Wish we had more guidance since it was my first time teaching.

Advice

Make sure you have a lot of patience and endurance.

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Instructor

June - August 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I liked the business of the schedule, there wasn't much downtime so the kids I taught were always occupied. I really enjoyed reinforcing my computer science skills, also the people I worked with were great!

What I wish was different

I wish the hours weren't as long, I would have to be there from 8-5:30, which is pretty long and very tiring.

Advice

I would advise applicants to 1. apply early so they can choose where they want to work, and also which courses they want to teach the kids. and 2, I would advise to only work 4 or 5 weeks, some Instructors worked 8 and it was incredibly tiring.

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Lead Instructor

June - August 2019 • Madison, NJ

What I liked

I loved the freedom you had as an instructor to design the specifics behind how you wanted to teach your class. iD Tech provides all the resources and support you need but generally, the company and the director will let you take responsibility over your individual class.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Camp Counselor

June - August 2019 • College Park, MD

What I liked

Fun

What I wish was different

I wish it wasn't so far away

Advice

Sleep when you can

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Camp Counselor

May - August 2019 • Palo Alto, CA

What I liked

Rewarding to instruct and teach kids

What I wish was different

Preparation for teaching by company was better

Advice

Don’t stress too much about it, it will be fine if you know the topic

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Instructor

June - August 2019 • Los Angeles, CA

What I liked

The co-workers are amazing and you get to meet so many new people. It is also a very gratifying job.

What I wish was different

Wish we had more funds for class events.

Advice

Get your sleep and make sure you prepare for classes in advance.

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Lead Instructor

June - August 2019 • Nashville, TN

What I liked

Fantastic atmosphere, great people, and you get to learn alot both about how much you know, and about how to learn on the fly. Working with kids of all ages and getting to know them is incredibly rewarding, and tons of fun.

What I wish was different

Working at a location for 8 weeks straight and staying the night all week can lead to a fair amount of stress. This only applies if you are a lead instructor or another instructor who needs to stay for the whole time, so this is less applicable to day instructors.

Advice

Be confident in your knowledge, if you got chosen then it means you have what it takes. Getting to know your co-workers makes the experience even better and can lead to some lasting friendships, so just be friendly, be yourself, and you'll find success!

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Assistant Director

June - August 2019 • Stanford, CA

What I liked

Great job environment on Stanford's campus. Generally competent colleagues.

What I wish was different

Better planning and support from the main office. As summer employees we were forced to work late hours to make up for lapses in judgement of the office employees in charge of our location. Since the director teams were salaried (paid a fixed amount) and not hourly earners (like the instructors) this meant that some weeks we earned $3 an hour for having worked much much more than we were supposed to. With no remorse or support from the employees at iDTech.

Advice

It exposed me to iDTech's sticks and glue method for putting together a summer tech camp. Stanford University is supposed to be their flagship program and their planning/support was terrible. At first, I submitted, and put in my all for about 5 weeks, after which I made my distaste extremely apparent to no avail. Fine-tuned employee exploitation is the key takeaway here, it seemed as if all the staff members were expendable and replaceable in their minds. It was exacerbated and encouraged by the fact that most of us summer staff were at college and could make use of any financial incentive available.

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Assistant Director

May - August 2019 • Bellevue, WA

What I liked

My team was great to work with. Lunch covered by the program. Lots of learning opportunities in a management position. Great support from the company and the location manager.

What I wish was different

Hours were very long, typically 10 hour days. Pay a little sub-par considering hours and workload.

Advice

Get ready for long and busy hours always working with either the campers, staff or management.

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Instructor

June - August 2019 • Pasadena, CA

What I liked

Great staff, programs, atmosphere

What I wish was different

Higher pay, better equipment

Advice

Be patient with students and technology

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Health Services Management INtern

June - September 2019 • Stanford, CA

What I liked

Great pay and lots of hours

What I wish was different

Company Management does not listen to staffs needs and constantly prioritizes financial interests over employee wellbeing (we work 70+ hours a week)

Advice

Learn how to be resourceful on your own! There’s a lot of autonomy in this job.

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Instructor

June - August 2019 • Amherst, MA

What I liked

I loved teaching kids how to code and working with the other instructors!

What I wish was different

Advice

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Instructor

June - August 2019 • Concord, CA

What I liked

I was able to work with students in small class sizes and teach them how to have fun with computer hardware and coding. I grew close to other instructors and staff that were around my age but of different backgrounds.

What I wish was different

I wish we had been paid more for the work we did. We were overworked for the pay we received, especially at the overnight camps. Our resources were not as abundant as I wished and the quality of staff varied greatly from location to location. For one of the classes, the hardware was so troublesome that both the students and I were greatly disappointed.

Advice

Never be afraid to value yourself more and ask for help even if you aren't completely sure you need it. There's always room to grow and learn even if you think you know enough to teach 8-year-olds.

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