Congratulations, you have a trip on the horizon!
You’re no doubt dreaming of all the exciting memories you’re going to create with your students. But one significant piece of the planning puzzle that’s often overlooked is finding, screening and training great chaperones.
Trusted and trained chaperones are essential to your trip’s success. They give you some much-needed support, as they take on critical trip responsibilities and help you focus on your students and the trip experience itself. As a busy educator, you can’t be the only one holding everything together – and well-chosen chaperones take some of that burden off your plate.
So where do you find them? How do you know who’s a good fit? And how do you prepare them for the trip? Let’s find out.
How to Find Your People
There are good chaperones and there are great chaperones – and in our 45 years of working alongside all kinds of travelers, we know what sets awesome chaperones apart from the crowd.
But first, a critical step you won’t want to miss: review your school’s chaperone policy. Every school is different: some may mandate that only teachers can serve as chaperones, while others could require a pre-trip background check. Know your school’s policy early in the planning process to avoid late-breaking surprises.
The best chaperones are people you already know on a personal level: think boosters, committed parents, established volunteers, reliable fellow teachers. For everyone else, ask around – trusted parents and colleagues can vouch for names you don’t recognize.
Whether you know them well or not, we recommend every potential chaperone complete a basic chaperone application. It’s not foolproof, but it can provide important details and possibly highlight any red flags. Even if you only have a handful of interested folks, the application process is helpful, as you don’t want to bring someone who creates challenges for you.
Another great screening tool is a quick chaperone interview. Use this to get to know each applicant’s personality by asking a few questions, such as:
- What is your motivation behind wanting to chaperone this trip?
- What do you view as a successful tour?
- How have you volunteered or chaperoned for student events in the past?
- How do you think you can contribute to a successful tour?
Who to Choose + Who to Avoid
A great chaperone makes your whole trip better, but a bad one makes every step harder. Armed with the information you gathered on the chaperone application and interview, you’ll easily spot a few red flags:
- Overbearing personalities that undermine your authority
- Chaperones who can’t keep pace with a packed itinerary
- Exclusively new chaperones with no experienced chaperones to guide them
- Exclusively experienced chaperones, which may leave you with all newbies on your next tour (a mix is best!)
You’ll also want to look for skills and traits that will help your tour run more smoothly. For example:
- A medical background (nurse, doctor, occupational therapist) may indicate a candidate for your “medical captain,” in charge of prescription logs and emergency forms.
- Got a super-organized, detail-oriented candidate? You may be looking at your “attendance captain.”
- A marketer or social-media manager can not only create content but can help guide interested students to do the same.
As you’re identifying the best folks for the job, keep this ratio in mind: 1 chaperone per 8–12 students. This keeps you firmly in “Goldilocks” territory – you don’t want too few or too many chaperones!
What They Need to Know
Chaperones have a lot of responsibility, but they’re not ultimately in charge – you are. Set the tone early with a chaperone contract that outlines duties and expectations, so you have something to point back to should issues arise. Here are a few essentials to share beyond that initial contract:
- The director’s decisions are firm and final. Opinions are welcome, assuming the right time and place, but the ultimate responsibility for the success of the trip lies with you.
- Chaperones set an example. From timeliness to respectful dialogue, chaperones model the behavior we want from students.
- Never play favorites. Chaperones are leaders and can’t allow students to take control.
- Stay flexible. If changes are made on tour, chaperones need to remain flexible, as changes are made in the interest of the students and the safety of the group.
After you’ve set those initial expectations at sign up, we recommend having a chaperone meeting about a week before your final pre-trip meeting to cover the itinerary, reinforce roles and handle any last-minute questions.
One final note: some chaperones will “interview” well, but present challenges in the trip-planning process. If you have someone who you think will cause problems on the road, it’s better to remove them from the team before the trip departs.
There you have it! Now you’re ready to get out there and choose an incredible team of chaperones for your upcoming trip.
But if you need more chaperone insight, we’d love to help! From chaperones to itineraries and literally everything in between, our team is ready to help you plan the trip of a lifetime. Contact us today to find out more about how we can make your travel dreams come true.
