Trying to figure out if working at a summer camp is for you? Here are 10 reasons why it is a great idea to spend a summer as a camp counselor! (Watch/listen instead, here.)
Photo Credits: Chris Montgomery
1. Your Training and Certifications are Provided
One thing you do not have to worry about when applying to work at summer camp, is lack of experience. During pre-camp, you will go through leadership trainings where you will learn everything from facilitating games with campers to how to help them with homesickness.
If needed, you will also become certified in the activity you were hired to teach. For example, if your hobby is archery but you are not a certified instructor, most camps will put you through a level one teaching course at their expense. The certifications you receive are usually not camp specific and can last for a couple of years. Thus you can add these certifications to your resume and use them at another job.
2. You Get to Participate in Exciting New Experiences
As a staff member you get to experience the events and activities that the campers do.
If you are a sailing instructor, you get to spend your days on the lake teaching campers to sail. If you work at a basketball camp, you get to keep your head in the game all day. When your campers go hiking or head out on a field trip, you will be tagging along with them. Every special event or holiday experience that goes on, you are able to see and experience it for yourself as well. On your off days or down time, you will also most likely get to try out the other activities at camp. Maybe this means getting on a horse for the first time, or simply getting to tie dye some of your t-shirts.
Photo Credits: Janko Ferlič
3. The Connections You Make Will Last a Lifetime
Most summer camps have staff and campers who are from all around the world. The interactions you have at camp will allow you to learn about different cultures, empathize with others, and maybe even pick up a new language. Moreover, you make friends with people from around the world that you can stay connected with for life. You form these bonds by overcoming struggles together, sharing experiences, and creating memories that no one else really understands. Years after camp ends, if you ever find yourself in their part of the world, you always have the opportunity to reconnect.
4. You Make a Lasting Impact on Your Campers, and They Make a Lasting Impact on You
During the short time you are with your campers, you get to be so much more than simply their counselor. You are also their mentor, coach, big sibling, teacher, ally, and support system. You help them learn hands on skills, understand how to communicate effectively, and become leaders who are not afraid or ashamed to be themselves. I can not emphasize enough how important and unforgettable a camp counselor is for a camper and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing how much your campers grow over the summer.
It may also take you a while to realize it, but your campers end up teaching you a whole lot as well. They teach you patience, that its okay to be silly, what it means to be a mentor, and help you look at the world from a different perspective. You may find that, by the end of the summer, they have changed you just as much as you have changed them.
Photo Credits: Ivan Dimitrov
5. Your Expenses are Covered
Of course, this may vary depending on what camp you are working for and what your contract says. If you are working at a day camp you may have lunch and dinner provided for you. If you are working the full summer at a sleep away camp, then won't need to worry about room and board or any of your meals. It is possible that everything from transportation on your days off, laundry, and even travel reimbursement to and from camp will be taken care of. Plus you are still getting a paycheck so the money you make can go straight into your savings.
6. The Environment is Great for Your Mental Health
Camp offers an opportunity to put down your phone and not think about the worries you may have outside of the camp bubble. You get to be in a high energy environment where you can be yourself and not feel like you need to put on a show. It's about laughter, smiles, and creating a positive environment.
Many sleep away camps are located in more remote/wilderness setting, which mean you are surrounded by nature. This might mean a complete break from society where you get to learn about yourself a bit more and get back to you. Being outside surrounded by trees and beautiful mountain views allows you to take a deep breath and really reap the positive benefits that the great outdoors can provide.
Photo Credits: Brooklyn Morgan
7. It Looks Great on a Resume
As a counselor you do a lot more than simply facilitate games while supervising children.
You are constantly developing skills that you are exercising on a daily basis. You are learning different teaching and communication styles, being a mediator, improvising in multiple situations, empathizing with people of all age groups and cultures, and much more. You also gain hard skills such as CPR or basic medical training, drafting lesson plans, and becoming certified in whatever skill you may be teaching.
8. You Get to do a Bit of Traveling
If you live across country, or are coming to the states on a J1 VISA, then a camp job will allow you to visit a new state/town/country. On your off days, you will be able to visit the closest city or state and national parks around the area. If you are an outdoor lover, you will get to explore new hiking trails, kayak rivers you have yet to navigate, and summit different mountains. Working at camp will also allow you to save up money during the summer so that you can spend time traveling after the camp season ends.
Photo Credits: Samuel Girven
9. The Camp Spirit is Real
Summer camp has a way of creating a kind of magic that you just can not explain. The memories you create and the bonds you form have a way of turning your seasonal experience into a summer home. When you meet someone else who has also worked as a camp counselor or was a camper once upon a time, there is this instant understanding between the two of you. You automatically get each other because you are both camp people. It's a thing that is hard to explain to someone who hasn't spent a summer at camp. This is the reason people return to camp year after year.
10. You are Getting Paid to Have Fun
There are not many jobs out there where you are paid to play games, facilities activities, and essentially have fun. As a camp counselor this is exactly what you are hired for. It is literally your job to play of hide and seek, go hiking, sing silly songs, have a shaving cream fight, and more. I can't think of many other jobs where you get to run around all day and do any of this in an inclusive and comfortable environment. The positive and exciting environment you are in allows you to be creative and have fun!
Conclusion
There you have it, 10 reasons to work at a summer camp! While all of the reasons on this list are general, each summer camp comes with its own list of reasons why you should work at that specific camp. No matter what way you spin it, there are a lot of reasons you should become a camp counselor, even if it is just for one summer.
Credits
The photos in this post are not mine. Thank you to the photographers who uploaded their photos for free use on Unsplash. They have been credited under their respective photographs.