<p>My 16 yo S has never been to overnight camp, but wants to get a summer job as a camp counselor. He is bright, social and very sports oriented (on HS swim and wrestling teams). Any advice on how to go about this process, what we should look for and what to avoid? Thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t think sleep away camps hire 16 year old as counselors. I know my son’s camp did not. One can be a CIT but it costs the same amount as it does a camper. Most sleep away’s you need to be at least 18 to be a counselor. </p>
<p>I suggest looking into day camps in your area for counselor opportunities. </p>
<p>My kid applied to a local Y one summer and was hired without any experience. She didn’t end up taking the job because of the pay.</p>
<p>I agree. A couple of years at a day camp will give your son the credentials for working at an overnight camp, and he then may be able to snag a swimming specialist position, which pays a little more than a bunk counselor job (keeping in mind that overnight camp salaries are all very low). </p>
<p>Around here there are day camps through the Y, Boys & Girls Clubs, community centers and religious organizations that would hire a 16 yo as a “counselor in training”, though that might not be what they all call them. Some do not charge for this. If your son has coached any kids in his sports that would give his the experience he needs to work at a camp. Any other experience with kids-even volunteering or helping out in Sunday school, babysitting siblings, etc. would also help. My D just completed her second year as a volunteer at a day camp. She got the position because she helps in Sunday school and other church-related activities. I don’t think sleep away camps hire minors for jobs like this.</p>
<p>This is an excellent way for kids to see if they’d be interested in teaching. It’s what got my D the confirmation she needed in her possible goal to become a teacher. </p>
<p>Agree with the above that overnight/sleepaway camps will not hire a 16 year old in a full counselor position. He should really try to get some experience on his resume working with kids, which he can do as a day camp counselor. Does your local town have a day camp? Many of ours do around here and they become a big source of employment for those who have not yet graduated from high school.</p>
<p>Also, look into summer programs for kids to keep them on track academically. Some of these are church-run, some at community centers, some are called camps. You might find more of these in lower-income areas where kids tend to lose more academics over the summer than those in higher income families. If your son has any background at all in helping tutor anyone he might be considered for jobs at these programs. I know of three off the top of my head that are full every summer. </p>
<p>Local park and recreation depts. usually hire local young teens for CIT positions.</p>
<p>Around here, the actual counselors are 18 or older. CITs are younger, but typically don’t get paid too much. But at many places…those CITs are the forst ones considered when they are old enough to apply for counselors jobs.</p>
<p>Does your son have any special skill that might make him a more attractive hire…life guarding, referee training, first aid certification, CPR? Any of those would make him a more appealing applicant. </p>
<p>He should get his lifeguard certification (Red Cross min age is 15) and will be in demand next summer. </p>
<p>There are also kitchen and maintenance positions at camps that would hire 16 year olds – perhaps with some waterfront responsibilities or sports coaching also … and then when 17 they are in line for possible counselor spots. IIRC the ACA required that the average counselor age be 18 – which leaves the door open for strong 17 year olds to have a spot. </p>
<p>Thanks for the information. I was’t sure about the age requirements. S is very good with kids. He has babysat and helped out at a camp for younger wrestlers. He is interested in possibly becoming a teacher and coach, so it seems like camp counseling would be a good step in this direction. We will look into Y and day camp opportunities.</p>
<p>I agree with the day camp position, there will be more opportunities than the overnight camps which have international applicants.
Although the day camps I’ve seen were a little alarming. Some don’t seem to have an adult in charge ( when I’ve seen them at the local park), and I don’t know how much training they get.
My kids were WITs when they were in high school. They had been to the overnight camp as campers for at least one year, then they were interns ( which was about 3 weeks of camp for less than the cost of one week. Then WITs ( which is a little over a month) for at least one year.
When they graduated high school they had just turned 18 and were hired as riding staff for the summer. (18 is a requirement for the camp)
It does seem like one was a rover/ kitchen staff at first.
One D later decided she preferred bring a counselor to being riding staff.</p>
<p>Agree with the other posters about the age and experience requirement. My daughter was a summer camp counselor after attending sleep over camp for years, and being a CIT for one. It’s a lot easier for the camps to hire former campers since they know them and the kids know how the camps work. It’s also great experience for a teacher-to-be, so good for your son for thinking of this. The camps my kids attended did need more guys for counselors than girls. I remember one summer my daughter was trying to talk her brother into applying when he was in college because they were short on guys and she thought they might take him because he had attended the camp and was the right age. </p>
<p>I also agree with the suggestion to pick up lifeguard certification - that would be a real plus.</p>
<p>Lifeguard certification, First Aid Certification, Wilderness First Aid certification will all be helpful. </p>
<p>The sleepaway camps that my Ds attended and the others I’m familiar with only hire college-aged kids as counsellors and almost always, they are kids who have been campers there and have gone through the CIT program. If he thinks he might want to do this, then he should attend as a camper/CIT for a couple of years to get the experience of camping. That would be more valuable, in my opinion, than day camps. The day camps where we are wouldn’t hire a 16 year old either. He should have lifesaving and first aid certification. </p>
<p>You’ve gotten great advice, already, but I just wanted to add what a great job summer camp counseling is! My 19-year-old son did that this past summer. It was pretty much a 24 hour a day, six day a week commitment. He had around eight boys each week, and had to keep track of all their activities. Mid-summer, he went through a performance review and was told that he needed to be more organized (“YES!!” I was saying to myself). It was hard for him, but he improved a lot and was told he’d be welcomed back next summer if he is interested. It helped him grow up SO much!</p>
<p>If your son becomes a lifeguard, he will get paid more than he would being a day camp counselor. Around here, lifeguard pay starts at $10 an hour. And goes up with experience. Our local Y is always looking for indoor guards…always…especially for early morning hours. Indoor jobs are great because you get paid all the hours you are scheduled…no concerns about rain.</p>
<p>+1. D has attended a sleep away camp since she was 6 and is on track to be a counselor when she is 18. At 15 she went to a camp week of leadership training and this coming summer, she will be in CIT training, plus in the cabin for a week as a helper. All at our expense, of course. Because she is young for her grade, she won’t be a full counselor until after her first year of college as she turns 18 in the fall of 2016. However, her camp offers limited junior counselor paid positions which she will get at 17 after she graduates HS. She already has lifeguard, first aid, and oxygen certifications.</p>
<p>The camp director told me they will hire her because they know her and she knows them.</p>
<p>Another vote for lifeguard certification. There is usually a need for private lesson teachers, and older teens who work as lifeguards and who have had competitive swim team exlerience can also get hired to teach private and semi-private swim lessons. D did it one summer, and the pay was great - I think she made $20/30 min lesson.</p>