Job Introduction
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY LEADER
Location: Various Neilson Beach Clubs overseas
Season: April – November
Qualifications Required: No formal childcare qualification required
Eligibility: UK & EU passport holders
Salary: £625 PCM gross, plus shared accommodation, meals, flights, and an excellent overall package.
As a UK-based business operating overseas, we’re able to arrange the required visas and work permits for UK and EU passport holders to work legally in our resorts.
In a Nutshell
- Spend your summer helping create unforgettable holidays for children and young people.
- Deliver a brilliant mix of sports, games, pool and beach activities, challenges and events.
- Bring your energy, personality and ideas – we’ll help you develop the skills and confidence along the way.
- Spend plenty of time in and around the water, so being a confident swimmer and completely comfortable around pools and the sea is essential.
- Join a fun, supportive team where no two days are ever quite the same.
About Us
For almost 50 years, Neilson has been creating unforgettable active holidays in some incredible Beach Club destinations.
From sailing and watersports to tennis, fitness, biking and much more, our guests are at the centre of everything we do.
We’re looking for enthusiastic, adaptable people with great personalities, a strong work ethic and a genuine passion for creating brilliant holiday experiences.
For our Children’s Activity Leaders, personality and potential really matter. You don’t necessarily need years of professional childcare experience or a formal childcare qualification.
If you’re responsible, energetic, great with children and genuinely excited about the opportunity, we’ll provide a supportive environment where you can build confidence, develop your skills and gain valuable experience throughout your season.
About You
You’re energetic, confident and genuinely enjoy working with children and young people.
You’re the kind of person who gets involved, brings plenty of ideas and can turn an ordinary afternoon into something children will still be talking about at dinner.
You’ll be comfortable working with different age groups, adapting your approach to suit the children in front of you and helping everyone feel welcome and included.
You don’t necessarily need years of professional childcare experience. Personality, maturity, enthusiasm, common sense, a strong work ethic and a genuine commitment to looking after children are hugely important to us.
You also need to love being around the water.
Pool and beach activities are a big part of the Neilson Children’s Club programme. You could be in and out of the pool or sea throughout the day, supervising activities, joining in with games and helping children feel safe and confident around the water.
You therefore need to be a confident swimmer, comfortable in the sea and completely at ease working around water.
During the busiest parts of the season, we also run dedicated activities for our teenage guests. Children’s Activity Leaders who are aged 21+ and have relevant experience working with teenagers or young people may be selected to take greater responsibility for these groups and help lead our Teen Activity Programme.
Most importantly, you’ll understand that while this is an incredibly fun job, parents are trusting us with the most important people in their world.
You’ll take that responsibility seriously while making sure the children in your care have an absolutely brilliant holiday.
Role Overview
As a Children’s Activity Leader, you’ll help deliver a varied programme of activities for children and young people across the Neilson Children’s Club.
From sports, games and creative activities to pool sessions, beach activities, treasure hunts, challenges and evening events, you’ll help create a safe, welcoming environment where children can have fun, make friends and try something new.
Water is a big part of the programme. You should expect to spend plenty of your working day in and around pools and the sea, actively participating in and supervising water-based activities.
You’ll work across different age groups depending on resort requirements and guest numbers throughout the season.
During peak periods, when we have more teenagers staying with us, selected Children’s Activity Leaders aged 21+ with relevant experience will help lead our dedicated Teen Activity Programme. This could include sports, beach activities, challenges, social events and other experiences designed specifically for our older guests.
Whatever age group you’re working with, the goal is simple: help them have an unforgettable Neilson holiday.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Deliver safe, engaging and age-appropriate activities for children and young people.
- Support the daily Children’s Club programme, including daytime and evening activities.
- Organise and lead sports, games, challenges, creative activities and family events.
- Deliver and supervise pool, beach and other water-based activities.
- Get actively involved in activities in the pool and sea rather than supervising everything from the sidelines.
- Help children build confidence and have fun around the water while maintaining excellent safety standards.
- Adapt activities to suit different ages, interests, abilities and group sizes.
- Create a welcoming and inclusive environment where children feel comfortable getting involved and making friends.
- If you’re aged 21+ with relevant experience, you may be selected to help lead our dedicated Teen Activity Programme during peak periods.
- Build positive relationships with children and young people while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
- Communicate confidently and professionally with parents and carers.
- Maintain the highest standards of safeguarding, child welfare, health and safety.
- Supervise children responsibly during activities, events and excursions.
- Keep Children’s Club facilities, equipment, toys and activity areas clean, organised and well maintained.
- Help with activity set-up, pack-down and general resort operations.
- Support guest briefings, social events and family entertainment.
- Work closely with colleagues across resort to deliver an exceptional guest experience.
- Assist with airport transfers, giving guests a brilliant first and last impression of Neilson.
Skills & Experience
You’ll be great at this if you…
- Have loads of energy, enthusiasm and a genuine sense of fun.
- Genuinely enjoy working with children and young people.
- Are a confident swimmer and completely comfortable working in and around pools and the sea.
- Are happy being physically active and getting in the water throughout the working day.
- Are confident leading groups, games and activities.
- Can communicate positively with children, parents, carers and colleagues.
- Are organised, responsible and able to think on your feet.
- Have the maturity and common sense to understand the responsibility that comes with caring for children.
- Can adapt your approach to different ages, personalities and abilities.
- Are considerate, patient and empathetic.
- Have a strong work ethic and are happy getting stuck in.
- Work well as part of a busy, close-knit team.
- Stay calm and positive when things don’t quite go to plan.
- Take safeguarding and child welfare seriously.
- Have a good standard of spoken English.
- Are flexible, proactive and willing to learn.
It’d be a bonus if you also have…
Previous experience working with children or young people.
- Experience in coaching, education, youth work, sports clubs, schools, holiday camps, activity programmes or similar environments.
- Experience leading sports, games, activities or group events.
- Experience working specifically with teenagers or older children.
- Previous hospitality or customer-facing experience.
- Additional sports, coaching or activity qualifications.
- Paediatric First Aid.
Qualifications & Experience
There is no formal childcare qualification required to apply for the Children’s Activity Leader role.
We’re interested in people with the right attitude, energy, maturity and genuine enthusiasm for creating brilliant experiences for children and young people.
Previous experience is certainly useful, but we also recognise that some applicants may be at the beginning of their careers.
If you can demonstrate that you’re responsible, confident, willing to learn and genuinely great with children, we want to hear from you.
Please note: To take responsibility for our dedicated Teen Activity Programme groups, you must be aged 21+ and have relevant experience working with teenagers or young people.
First Aid Requirements
A First Aid certificate is mandatory for the Children’s Activity Leader role.
At a minimum, this must be a one-day, in-person Emergency First Aid at Work course.
Your certificate must be in place by your start date and remain valid for the duration of your contract.
A Paediatric First Aid qualification is desirable for this role but is not essential.
If you haven’t yet completed your required First Aid course but are booked onto or planning to complete it before your start date, you can still apply – just provide the details within your application.
ONLINE-ONLY FIRST AID COURSES ARE NOT ACCEPTED
For further information about Neilson’s First Aid requirements, please click here: First Aid Guidance
Commission
Alongside your monthly salary, you’ll have the opportunity to earn end-of-contract commission based on overall team income from selected extras.
What’s in it for you?
Joining Neilson is more than just a summer job. It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself, develop new skills, build confidence, experience incredible destinations, and become part of a close-knit team creating unforgettable holidays every day.
The experience, resilience, and people skills you’ll develop along the way will stay with you long after the season ends – wherever life takes you next.
Alongside the experience, you’ll get:
- A paid seasonal role in an incredible overseas destination.
- Shared staff accommodation, so you’re right at the heart of resort life and part of the team from day one.
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner while on duty, so your meals are taken care of.
- Travel to and from resort, subject to staff travel policy.
- Use of selected resort facilities in your spare time, so you can enjoy the destination too.
- Friends and family holiday discounts, giving the people at home the chance to experience Neilson for themselves.
- Comprehensive training and ongoing support to help you settle in, develop your skills and make the most of your season.
- Opportunities to gain additional qualifications through the Neilson Academy.
- Career development opportunities through our Jump Up and Jump Higher programmes.
- Visa and work permit support where applicable.
- Role-specific uniform provided.
- One day off each week, plus accrued holiday.
- Emergency medical and dental insurance.
- 24/7 independent mental health support.
It’s a season that gives you more than a payslip – you’ll come home with new skills, new friends, incredible memories and an experience that stays with you long after you’ve left resort.
Please note: All Neilson Active employees are required to complete a DBS check as part of our safer recruitment process.
