<p>@MaineLonghorn
Great to hear about your son’s positive experiences. Thanks for sharing. S will be looking into lifeguard training. He has several friends who have done it and there is an opportunity through our Parks and Rec department that is coming up. Thanks to everyone for all the helpful ideas. </p>
<p>If he is good on his swim and wrestling teams he can leverage that ability to get a jr counselor position at a day or overnight camp. OTOH, a lot of these camps give priority to those who have attended these camps as campers. My S and D have worked at these types of camps, keep in mind that some start hiring in Jan. Most have applications on their web sites, so he should start checking right after holiday break. And those with lifeguard certs get paid more!</p>
<p>My d was a full counselor at a girl scout camp at 16. It helped that she was a long term girl scout. I do think there may be a camp that would hire your son if he has his life certificate. Around here regular pool life guards get paid the same as grocery store cashiers so many kids dobthe cashering jobs instead (same pay less reeponsibility no brainer)</p>
<p>I worked as a parent volunteer at summer camp for a 2 week session, 5 years in a row. A camp counselor position is almost like a “missions field”. You do it because you love kids, and maybe because your future career might involve working with kids. </p>
<p>It is very low pay, demanding hours, and at a lot of camps you turn in your cell phone for the duration of camp. I would often be in the camp office when the counselors would come in to collect their phone for their day off. The counselors relied on u.s. mail for communicating with loved ones.</p>
<p>If your child is still interested in future work as a camp counselor, I strongly suggest you send him as a camper this coming summer so he can have an introduction to camp life. As a parent, and knowing what I know about the reality of camp life, I would definitely want my child to have some experience as a camper before he would decide to become a counselor. And I am not sure how employable a student would be if they had never gone to any overnight camp.</p>
<p>Most of the better quality camps are looking to hire college students as counselors. “Counselor in Training” is a position that you pay for, your child attends in their later high school summers, does a lot of grunt work, and gets some on the job training.</p>
<p>Good luck to you with finding a day camp position, or a lifeguard position. Lots of possibilities for getting a summer job as a lifeguard at community pools, day camps, etc.</p>
<p>I forgot about the cell phone.
I think D did have hers though because she texted me late one night asking me to send some treatment for lice.</p>
<p>Yes, the campers are going to share their lice, poison ivy, or stomach bug with their counselor!</p>
<p>My daughter was a camp counselor this past summer. It is definitely hard work, long hours and low pay. Her campers loved her so it was rewarding. There was also a lice outbreak there but fortunately she was spared. Most were past campers but she was not.</p>
<p>CIT? Oh! I thought that meant Crisis Intervention Training. 
</p>
<p>Does it have to be paid? My DS 17 did a 5 night camp for MDA and he had an amazing time. They were recruiting volunteers until quite late, so I think their age preference would be higher but they will interview younger candidates if there is a need.</p>
<p>I’m sure he would consider being a volunteer, depending on the situation. Thanks for the tip.</p>
<p>Both my kids have worked several summers at our local Boy Scout camp. Since the boys come as a troop with their leaders, there aren’t traditional “counselor” positions. They hire 16 year olds to teach merit badges, work in the trading post, work in the kitchens, the waterfront, and other positions. Some positions require 18 or 21 year olds, but there are plenty for 16 & 17. You have to be a registered Boy Scout or Venturing Scout, and preference is usually given to longer-term scouts who have camped there before, but if there’s a shortage of kids willing to take the jobs it might be worth looking into. It’s a lot of work for not a lot of pay, but my kids love being outdoors all summer so it’s been great for them. Plus it’s helped them develop teaching and leadership skills (and they know how to fix a fence and dig a ditch!)</p>
<p>He should also look into WSI -Water Safety Instructor training. 16 is minimum at for Red Cross. With this he can teach lessons and be quite marketable. S1 has his and make $1.25/hr more than guards w same number of years at the town pool. </p>
<p>Big believer in camps here. My family went to a few family camp sessions when I was young, but never went to camp alone myself. When in college I decided that was to be my summer job, and luckily I had enough outdoor experience and craft experience to be hired at a GS camp, though was turned down for the better paying jobs at private camps due to lack of personal camp experience. I led backpacking trips with more experienced counselors, lived with kids and had a great time doing crafts and singing all day long. That summer sold me on camps. </p>
<p>For tuition reduction for my kids, I’ve worked many years as a camp nurse, and while I still wish I was out with the kids doing the creative outdoor activities, I really appreciate being part of the of the camp environment. </p>
<p>Regarding lice, any camp that thinks about their health policies does a lice check of all arriving staff and campers. </p>