First Timers

Congratulations!!! In reading this you are at the beginning of a journey that will lead you to the best
summer of your life, meeting new friends and creating new memories that will turn into life-long friends
from around the world and memories that will last forever.

Who we are

USA Summercamp is a company that is set up by people who have been to camps in America for many years. Through this experience we believe that we can place you at a camp in America that will give you the opportunity to have the best summer of your life.

Types of roles

There's a place for everyone at camp, whatever skills and talents you have.

We have outlined below the four main roles at camp and believe that within these there is a match for everybody to have an amazing summer.

Counsellor

Being a counsellor is without doubt the most important role at camp. You'll be the camper's favourite person when they return home after camp. As a counsellor you will take part in all the activities that the kids will try throughout the day. You don't have to be great at these activities, but if you have a go and don't mind laughing at yourself then you will have a great time and be a very popular counsellor!

You get to see all aspects of camp rather than just concentrating on the same thing. In a typical day you could be doing an arts and crafts activity, then within ten minutes of finishing, it could be you that made the kids summer by letting them throw you in the lake!! After a quick change, you're into an afternoon that could involve anything from going to the beach, playing football, showing the kids that the English can play basketball too or climbing the wall or the high ropes!!

As a counsellor you will play a full role in the entire day at camp, including supervising campers at meals times, getting involved in all the great activities during the day and at night after a fun filled camp fire or evening program you will sleep in a cabin with the campers.

Of course you will have time to yourselves and will not be on duty all day. All camps allocate time off for staff to have during the day and camps will not expect you to be on duty every night as you will have at least one co-counsellor per cabin to share this responsibility with. You will also have whole days and nights off to explore the surrounding area of your camp and the state that you are in.

Activity

Activity Leader

An activity leader is someone who is confident speaking in front of a group and will be able to walk campers through the basic skills of one of the hundreds of activities that children will participate in a summer at camp. Throughout the day you will stay in the one or two areas that you specialise in and help the kids not only improve but also enjoy the activity. During this time you will be able to practise your own skills and maybe even pick up some tips on how to improve!!

If you have coached children or helped out in the past in any sport or activity and are confident talking in front of a group we would love to hear from you. After your chosen area is finished you will still be expected to take part and assist in a full camp program. This can be anything from helping to make s'mores and singing around a camp fire, to taking a group of children on a night hike around the lake!

Specialists

Specialists are the people that will take on the responsibility for organising and delivering a particular area/activity for the summer at camp. They tend to be people who have participated or played in their area to a high level and/or are qualified to coach/teach their activity.

Specialists are who the activity leaders are most likely to report to and work with. They will be comfortable with not only improving the standards of the kids ability in that field but will also be able to teach the activity leaders a thing or two!!

When you are hired as a specialist your days will usually be spent coaching in that particular area. Remember though, this is the crazy world of summer camp so expect some days to be lending a hand anywhere from having fun on the lake to pitching in the decisive innings of the campers vs staff softball game. You may also have some child care responsibilities away from your chosen area.

Specialists can be hired by camps to lead a huge range of sports/activities and we welcome applications from anyone with great experience or expertise in a chosen activity. We are especially looking for applicants in the following areas;

Archery, basketball, canoeing, ceramics, dance, fencing, kayaking, gymnastics, golf, performing arts, riding, high/low ropes, soccer, tennis, water skiing, motorboat driving, sailing, windsurfing, woodwork, riflery.

So if you think you could lead a summer program in any of the above then this is certainly the summer for you.

Support Staff

The unsung heroes of camp!! The people who prepare the food in the kitchen, pay the wages in the office, ensure that the laundry is done on time and keep the camp looking beautiful by working on the grounds. This does sound like hard work but before you give up on a support staff role, this type of job does have some major benefits:

- More time off then anyone else at camp!!!!

- You get paid more than any first year counsellor!!!!

- More opportunity to work at camp after summer camp finishes!!!!

- Having a great summer at camp and not living with or looking after the kids!!!!

So if you would like to experience a summer in America and can make the trade off between a bit of hard graft for all the good things about camp with the above benefits, support staff could be your ticket to a great summer.