Betty Ho, Head of Admissions and Finance at Academic Summer, speaks candidly about matching students to programmes, the realities of today’s market and why a summer in the UK remains one of the most transformative experiences a young person can have.
Betty has spent her career navigating the world of international education, from large boarding schools to sixth form colleges, and now as the driving force behind admissions and finance at Academic Summer. Born in Hong Kong and educated in the UK from the age of 16, she brings a rare combination of lived experience and professional expertise. We sat down with her to talk about summer camps, global uncertainty and the one question every parent should ask before booking.
Clever Fox News: Betty, you’ve been with Academic Summer for many years now. What drew you to the organisation, and what keeps you here?
Betty Ho: What I find I love most about Academic Summer is the balance it gives me. We work from home, which offers real flexibility, but at the same time, I travel to different markets to meet agents and partners in person and during the summer I’m on campus meeting students face to face. I love that balance between independence and genuine human connection. It’s something quite special.
Clever Fox News: You came to the UK from Hong Kong at 16. Do you think that shapes how you approach your work with international families?
Betty Ho: Absolutely, without question. I know the journey. I know what it feels like to arrive in a new country, to navigate a different education system, to find your confidence. When a parent is sitting across from me, worried about sending their child away for the summer, I understand that feeling from both sides. It’s not just professional knowledge. It’s personal.
Betty Ho at one of the many Education Fairs she has attended over the years.
Clever Fox News: This summer, Academic Summer is focused on two very distinct locations — DLD College in the heart of London and Sidcot School in the Bristol countryside. How do you describe the difference to families?
Betty Ho: They really are two very different experiences, and that’s the beauty of it. DLD is right in Westminster. You can see Big Ben from the building, you’re a short walk from the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace. It’s urban, it’s vibrant, it’s electric. Sidcot, on the other hand, is set in the beautiful Bristol countryside. It offers fresh air, open spaces, a very traditional British boarding school experience. But here’s what people sometimes don’t realise. Our students at Sidcot still come to London. Every two weeks, without fail, we bring them in. Because if you come to the UK for a summer school and you’ve never been to London, that’s simply not right.
Clever Fox News: So is one campus better than the other?
Betty Ho: I would never say best. There is no best campus, only the right campus for each individual child. Over the years, Academic Summer has offered camps in a range of locations in the UK as well as in Switzerland, Canada and China, reflecting our innovative and international outlook. For 2026, we are focusing on two distinctive UK campuses, DLD College London and Sidcot School, each offering a different kind of summer experience, but both shaped by the same commitment to quality, care and best fit for every child.
If a student wants to be in the centre of everything, immersed in city life, with leadership workshops and public speaking then DLD is the right choice. Especially as DLD now offers our Career Pathways programmes, giving students more focused exposure to areas such as entrepreneurship, and future career skills, which could be a key factor for some families when choosing between campuses. However if they want the countryside, more outdoor activities and they love football, Sidcot is extraordinary for that.
I’m meeting a Taiwanese mother next week with three children. My approach will be to talk to each child individually. What do they want from these two weeks? That’s the one question every parent should ask before booking. Only once I know what their goals are, then I can recommend the right programme specifically for each child.
Betty Ho (left) and with colleague, Dr Giedrė Balčytytė at DLD College where the 2026 Academic Summer London programme will be hosted.
Clever Fox News: With the current global situation, rising costs, flight disruptions, economic caution in key markets, how do you make the case for a UK summer programme right now?
Betty Ho: When a family is weighing up whether to invest in a summer camp for their child, I ask them to think about what their son or daughter actually gets. They will have lived alongside students from some 60 nationalities. They will have developed independence, life skills and confidence. That doesn’t have a price tag. They also come home with a certificate from Academic Summer and a CPD accreditation which they can put on a university application.
Clever Fox News: You mention independence. Is that something parents truly want for their children, or does it worry them?
Betty Ho: Both, honestly. They want it and it worries them, that’s perfectly natural. I often say to parents: when your child flies over, someone back home has packed everything for them. You’ll see very quickly the kind of independence they need to build. They make decisions. They solve small problems on their own. They learn to manage themselves. When they come home, you’ll know – either they’ve grown, or you know what they need to work on next. That is invaluable. And we provide round-the-clock supervision, so they are safe. But safe does not mean doing everything for them.
Betty in Guangzhou China with Ellie Jones, Head of Academic and HR with some of the students at the first Academic Summer Camp in China in 2025.
Clever Fox News: How does Academic Summer handle students who need more individual attention?
Betty Ho: We identify them, and we act. Last summer at Sidcot, I was accompanying a group from Bristol to London, which is always lively, as you can imagine. I had three students on my personal watch list that day who all needed different kinds of support. I managed all three simultaneously and the trip was brilliant. That’s not unusual for us. Our teachers and staff are not here just to deliver lessons and go home. We feed back to parents. We flag concerns. We say: your child may need some additional assessment. We take the time. We care. That is the word.
Clever Fox News: What is the most important thing you want agents and parents to know about Academic Summer this summer?
Betty Ho: That behind this organisation are real people who have lived this journey themselves, who understand international families and who are genuinely invested in each student’s experience. We’re not processing bookings, we’re building futures, one summer at a time. Come to us with your questions. Come to us with your hesitations. We will find the right answer together. There is a camp for every child. We just need to find it.
In this video clip Ellie Jones and Betty Ho take you behind the scenes of Academic Summer’s first camp in China last year. From classroom highlights to cultural adventures, see how education and fun come together the Academic Summer way. The next camp in China is being planned for 2027.
The Clever Fox Journal is the online news section of Academic Summer Camps, inspired by our logo – a wise fox wearing a graduation cap. Just like our summer programmes, The Clever Fox Journal is a place of curiosity, learning and discovery, bringing you the latest updates, insights and stories from our academic camps in the UK and Canada. Stay informed, stay inspired – and think like a clever fox!
