Summer camp jobs
Where can I find summer camp jobs?
Great resource that lists summer camp jobs for all states. Describes the camp, any details about the job, and expected salary. Also lists jobs in Canada.
Lets you search for camp jobs based on several search criterias, like State, Country, Camp Type, Religious preference, and so on.
What kind of salary can I expect?
Starts at 150$ per week, up to 400-500$ per week. Some camps pay per season/summer, simply devide total with number of weeks to get weekly pay for comparison.
Working at a summer camp (insider tells his story)
I have been working summer camp jobs pretty much every single summer since I turned 15. I’ve been a summer camp counselor many time, but I’ve also worked as an assistant counselor, cook, sailing instructor, and in many other positions. I’ve worked in summer day camps and sleep away camps of every description, but the most challenging summer camp job I ever had was at a camp for at risk youth about a year ago.
Up until that point, all of the summer camp jobs that I had worked had been pretty easy. I would corral the students, organize activities, hand out discipline when it is needed, and generally act as a 24 hour babysitter for wealthy kids from the suburbs. Most of the time, they were fairly well behaved, and the stuff I would have to step in and deal with was pretty routine – I would catch the kids sneaking smokes, getting into fights, or sneaking into the girls cabin every now and then. For the most part, I would be able to keep them out of trouble by telling them my philosophy of discipline. I would sit my campers down on the first day of my summer camp jobs and tell them that I did not want them to get into trouble and, if they did not break the rules in an obvious way, I would not not punish them. 9 times out of 10 the kids got it and kept whatever mischief they planned on the down low.
Working at a summer camp counselor job in a camp for at risk kids, however, was a different thing altogether. A lot of these kids had been getting into trouble for years, and they did things so dangerous that you could not really look the other way. I would have to be on my guard pretty much every moment, and that is no exaggeration. For the first couple of weeks, it was the hardest thing I had ever done.
With summer camp jobs as with any other field of human endeavor, sometimes the hardest tasks are the most rewarding ones. I spent the first few weeks regretting ever taking that summer job, but once I got used to it, I really saw the value. At most of the summer camp jobs I had worked in the past, the kids were just there looking to have a good time, but at this particular camp, there was a whole lot more to it than that. These campers were looking for a second chance and a way to make their lives better. As a summer camp counselor and role model, I could help make that happen. I couldn’t get through to all of them, but I like to think I made a difference in at least a few lives.
Conclusion
Working at a summer camp can be a lucrative and smart way to spend your summer. While others are relaxing at the beach the whole vacation, possibly regretting the fact when their wallet is empty a couple of months later, a summer job like this can give you a nice buffer budget for the rest of the year.
It will also give you a very nice entry in your resume, as future employers tend to give credit to prospects that show dicipline and work ethics through summer jobs. The work at a summer camp also adds to your people skills, which employers also find attractive.
In this day and age, it’s important not only to find the right summer camp job, the the right situation in order the thrive. You not only cater to other staff and the campers, but they will want to see the very best you can offer as either a cook, a counselor, a nurse, or an events coordinator.
Great advice! Yes, it’s smart to look at it long-term and get a job where you can utilize your strengths, preferably something that is relevant to what you want to work with in the future.
Building your resume starts early!
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