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Step behind the scenes.

Support Staff

With summer jobs in the office, security, maintenance, housekeeping and kitchen...

camp couldn’t function without these guys.

If you've always wanted to go to summer camp but see yourself more in admin than with children then you'll make a great addition to our support staff team.

They keep camp going full swing without being directly involved with the campers.

It’ll be up to you to keep everything running super smooth on a daily basis.

Camp, minus campers

If you want to go to camp, but don’t think you’d be suited to working with children, then this role could be a great fit for you.

There are lots of different roles that will allow you to make a big impact from behind the scenes. You'll live separate from the campers in a staff bunk, and you'll spend most of your day with the same team.

We send participants from 16 countries around the world, offering you the chance to make incredible friendships with people from far-flung places like Mexico, the Czech Republic and Venezuela. Support roles tend to be filled by a wide range of nationalities.

This is your chance to meet some new friends far from home.

Support Staff Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the following American visa requirements to be eligible for support staff roles.

  • Be able to confirm that you are a full time student in on-going Higher Education
  • Be aged 18+ by the time camp starts
  • Have a clean criminal background
  • Be available during the American summer (early June to September)

Not your average day job

Being support staff at summer camp allows you the best of both worlds - experience the world of summer camp, from food fights to lake swings and campfires - but also gain work experience in the industry of your choice abroad.

You’ll likely be sleeping in separate cabins than the counselors and the campers which means you’ll find more time off during the evenings to relax and, if you want to, to take the opportunity to join in the evening camp games.

Gain over 800 hours of working in an international setting.

You'll be part of a team.

Support roles at camp have a strong team mantra.

From working in the kitchen, to office or groundskeeping, you’ll be working closely together with similar working hours, which also means you’ll all have time off together.

Being part of the support staff team means that you’re given more free time to ensure you can get involved with the day-to-day fun of camp.

Why should I be support staff?

Working as support staff is a great way to experience summer camp without working directly with the kids. The days are long working in the kitchen but we had breaks throughout the day and evenings off.

There was plenty of time to get involved in activities such as performing in the staff talent show, or getting crafty for the water balloon fight. But you really can’t beat a swim in the lake after the lunchtime rush!

Becki
Camp Zeke

Frequently asked questions

Will there be staff training?

Yes. You’ll spend your first week of camp getting trained on all other aspects of your support staff job role. This is often called orientation and will cover things like support staff protocol, shift rotas and team-building exercises, offering you the opportunity to make strong connections with other staff members before the campers arrive.

Orientation week will also give you a chance to get used to your area of responsibility, whether that’s setting up in the kitchen, organising the office files or safety checking the maintenance equipment. This is your time to get prepped for your summer adventure ahead.

How does my time off work as support staff?

Camps understand how hard you are working and will ensure you have time off to relax recover and enjoy.

On average support staff roles run to a 10 hour day with one day off a week. Many support roles start earlier in the morning - breakfast preparation can begin pretty early, sometimes just after 6am, but we promise you that everyone on camp is grateful for the most important meal of the day. Other roles, like the office staff, tend to begin after breakfast echoing your typical 9-5.

What are the Higher Education requirements?

Because support staff do not work directly with children, the visa for these roles classified differently. Roles working with children fall under the Camp Counselor J1 program, while support staff are under the Summer Work and Travel J1 program.

In order to be approved for Summer Work and Travel, you must be able to confirm that you are a full time student in on-going Higher Education. This means that you need to:

"Confirm that at the time of application, applicants are enrolled full-time and pursuing studies at accredited post-secondary, classroom-based, academic institutions physically located outside of the United States and have successfully completed at least one semester, or equivalent, of post-secondary academic study."

When can I travel to camp?

The U.S. Summer Work and Travel visa program permits participants from the UK to travel between the dates of June 1 and September 30th.

However, this is dependent on the date listed on your Proof of Student Status form, which will determine the official dates of your summer break from your post-secondary institution. So, for example, if the date listed on your form is June 15th, that is the earliest date you can head to camp.

Spend your summer in a supporting job role in America