“Why Should I Work at Summer Camp?” My 5 Reasons Why You HAVE to
Rewind the clock to 2014 (it seems like a lifetime ago, I know), and you’ll find me fresh out of university with no idea what to do next in life. The only thing I knew? That I wanted to travel and see the world.
I looked through various programs and found Camp Leaders. I was unsure at first; I had minimal teaching experience, with even more limited knowledge about summer camp in America.
After asking myself, “why should I work at summer camp?” over and over, I took the plunge.
I’m so happy I did.
From this point, I went on to work at a summer camp in North Carolina for five summers. I can safely say that going was the best decision of my life.
You may now be in the same position, wondering whether summer camp is a good fit for you and asking, “why should I work at summer camp?”.
So, here are my 5 reasons, from personal experience, that everyone should work at summer camp at some point in their lives.
1. You'll add skills to your CV
While summer camp is super fun (I’ll get to that bit later), it’s also an opportunity to expand and learn new skills that employers will seek.
If you are a general counsellor, chances are you will be expected to help teach an activity. The activity will be based on skills you have, such as crafts, water activities, or climbing.
You’ll have the opportunity to develop these skills all summer as you teach campers, but you’ll also get some training from the area specialists.
Some camps, like mine, might offer the chance to try unique activities you haven’t done before.
At my camp, we offered Blacksmithing. While there was a specialist who led the activity, there were also novice counsellors who were trained to teach Blacksmithing.
One counsellor loved it so much that one summer, he became the activity leader, showing the opportunity you’ll have to develop and follow a path you enjoy.
If you are going to be a specialist at summer camp, you’ll be able to tune the skills you already have within different environments and maybe even develop a teaching program for campers.
After camp, you may not have ambitions to be a lifeguard or do anything with crafts, but alongside these hard skills. you’ll no doubt develop soft skills, too.
Both activity specialists and cabin counsellors develop leadership and organisational skills; it’s all part of the territory of working at camp.
If you think balancing a university workload is a challenge, wait until you have to get eight 7-year-olds ready for activities in the morning.
- So, “why should I work at summer camp? : Employers are always looking for something different, and working at a summer camp offers that. Who knows, you may even find a new career out of camp (I have a lot of camp friends who hadn’t thought about teaching but loved camp so much that they became teachers).
2. You'll grow as a person
I won’t lie to you; camp work is tough work.
You’re basically on the clock 24/7 (with at least a day off a week), but it’s in these moments when you’ll grow and develop.
As the saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”.
If the last few years have taught humanity anything, we are much more resilient than we think.
Working at summer camp will show you that even when you’re tired, you must dig deep and find that energy to make the experience magical for campers.
Trust me, you’ll discover things about yourself that you didn’t even know you had in you. I certainly never thought I would be a confident public speaker until I was asked to read morning announcements and talk to parents.
Resilience is only built by going through it.
Of course, you get to do it in a fun setting and most importantly, you’ll be part of a community of people going through the same thing.
- So, “why should I work at summer camp?”: The challenges you’ll grow through will force you to adapt and learn. You’ll build resilience, yet have fun doing so.
3. You'll make lifelong connections
The community of camp is like nothing I’ve experienced before or since.
If you went to university, think of halls in the first year and the bond between flatmates. If you’ve ever lived with friends, it’s like that, but times it by 10.
I’ll be honest; I found my “tribe” at camp as you go through so much together.
You can’t pretend to be someone else or hide from the people you work with at camp. It’s scary at first being that vulnerable with people, but gosh, the rewards are amazing, as you’ll gravitate towards people who will know you better than anyone.
I haven’t been back to camp in three years, but I still talk to my friends from camp as much as I can, and I know (in the words of the ultimate sitcom, ‘Friends’) that they’ll be there for me.
The last perk about making friends with people from around the world is that you’ll have places to stay and an opportunity to get local perspectives when you travel.
- So, “why should I work at summer camp?”: You’ll make lifelong friendships in an environment very few get to experience. You’ll go through loads together, and that naturally helps you find ‘your’ type of people.
4. You'll make a difference
Working at summer camp, you’ll be given the opportunity to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Whilst camp is an excellent place for counsellors to grow and develop, they were created for campers. Speaking of connections, the connection between camper and counsellor is such a lovely bond.
Campers will look up to you like a big sibling, and if you’ve ever felt uncool, they will make you feel the coolest, especially with your British accent.
Whether you work one summer or ten, campers will form an attachment to you that’s hard to replicate anywhere else in life.
There is nothing more rewarding than watching a camper develop their skills. During my first summer, I worked as a theatre activity specialist, and there was one camper who was the shiest person you’d ever meet.
She kept to herself and was quiet in the games we played. I would gently encourage her to get involved, and by the end of the session, she was so excited to perform. She even made friends with campers who weren’t in her cabin, and playing a part in the development of young children is genuinely heartwarming.
- So, “why should I work at summer camp?”: At camp, you’ll feel connected to something bigger, and you’ll make a difference to so many people. It goes beyond a job; it becomes a calling.
5. It's so much fun
I saved this one for last because while you’ll be working hard developing skills, making new friends, and making a difference, you’ll have so much fun that you won’t even realise it.
When we get to a certain age, we’re told to ‘act our age’, and ‘be serious like adults’.
Don’t get me wrong, you’ll need a dollop of that at camp, but it’s the only place, the only job where you’ll be encouraged to let your inner child loose.
From colour wars and crazy summer camp events to icebreakers in your first week at camp, camp is all about letting go and being in the moment. It’s a truly liberating experience and one that will stay with you for a lifetime.
- So, “why should I work at summer camp?”: It’s the most fun you’ll ever have being challenged.
So, let’s recap and answer “why should I work at camp?”:
Employers are always looking for something different, and working at a summer camp offers that. Who knows, you may even find a new career out of camp (I have a lot of camp friends who hadn’t thought about teaching but loved camp so much that they became teachers).
The challenges you’ll grow through will force you to adapt and learn. You’ll build resilience yet have fun doing so.
You’ll make lifelong friendships in an environment very few get to experience. You’ll go through loads together, and that naturally helps you find ‘your’ type of people.
At camp, you’ll feel connected to something bigger and make a difference to so many people. It goes beyond a job; it becomes a calling.
It’s the most fun you’ll ever have being challenged.
If you’re still sitting on the fence about camp, I honestly say, “go for it.”
You’ll gain so much from just one summer that any doubts you have will feel irrelevant in hindsight.
To start your journey, click ‘Apply Now’ and prepare for the summer of a lifetime!
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