Why Apply for USA Summer Camp?

I’ve spoken about working at summer camp before on my blog but I wanted to focus on some key elements of why it is one of the most valuable jobs you will ever have. There are so many reasons why you should work at a summer camp and I don’t think I’ll be able to cover them all in this post but I would love to hear what you think are the best aspects – please let me know if you’ve worked there before!

Just a few reasons…

1. Travel
2. Friendships
3. Work Abroad
4. Independence
5. Career Prospects
6. Skill Development
7. Organisation Skills
8. International Connections

These are some of the prospects for applying through USA Summer Camp to work in the States! By all means this isn’t all of the benefits of working at a summer camp but I think it’s a pretty good list to cover in this blog post.

1. Travel

This is one of the best aspects of working at a summer camp as you get to work there for up to four months (although most contracts are between eight and twelve weeks) and travel for a month afterwards. So far between my vacations to the USA and working in Minnesota at camp for two summers I have visited thirteen different states and spent over a year in the country. I am now working to visit friends in as many states as I can and complete travels to all fifty states! I love the U.S. as every state is like an individual country. They all vary massively in landscape, attractions and weather throughout the year so there’s plenty to keep you occupied!

2. Friendships

My camp hired internationally so throughout my two seasons of working there I have made friends from all across the UK, Republic of Ireland, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. (so many States), Mexico and Brazil amongst others. The great thing about making friends at camp as well is that you often have a lot in common and are adventurous! You also spend every day working, living, eating and spending time off together so your friendships develop massively in a relatively short space of time.

3. Work Abroad

This is a massive plus to have on your C.V. / résumé. It shows that you are willing to travel for work, are independent (see next point) and adaptable to working in different environments. You get to experience what it is like to work in the USA and at a summer camp with so many people from different countries, regions and backgrounds. Your work is completed on a J1 Cultural Exchange VISA and it’s a great talking point for potential new employers and interviews.

4. Independence

This is something that many people are hoping to improve on by applying to working at summer camp. One thing I like about USA Summer Camp is that they are there to guide you through the application process as well as obtaining your VISA. It’s the perfect balance of independent work and support to get you a job in the USA. Your independence continues to develop throughout the summer as you travel across the Atlantic and acclimatise to your new surroundings and home for the season.

5. Career Prospects

There are so many benefits to working at summer camp that will be transferrable to any future job you have. Some of the things I took away from my experience of working at camp is independence, confidence, communication, leadership, staff management, working with others, time management and working to deadlines. I’d definitely recommend throwing yourself head-first into any and all opportunities that arise at summer camp as you’ll learn so much from the experience!

6. Skill Development

This goes hand-in-hand with the career prospects mentioned above. You will have certain skills that you will use and develop at summer camp. Many staff are hired for a specific role or activity in the U.S. and even though you have a background in this you are likely to develop this massively throughout the season. I was the Ropes Director at my camp where I was in charge of High Ropes, Low Ropes and Climbing Wall activities. I had done these in the past but had never lead them as I was in more of an assistant/observational role when volunteering for Cub-Scouts. I am so happy I agreed to taking the director role and being a leader of these activities. I went through training when I got to the USA and I got to work with fantastic staff to run the activities throughout the summer.

7. Organisation Skills

Alongside teaching the activities there were behind-the-scenes elements to manage. This involved lesson plans, activity challenges, awards and maintenance on the courses. I worked to make my activities as engaging as possible throughout the summer so if campers were there for their first or tenth session they still felt challenged and encouraged to improve. There was a lot of work that went into this and it was important to stay organised throughout the season so everyone knew what they were doing.

8. International Connections

As mentioned above, our camp hired internationally and I have been fortunate to make friends from around the world. These connections are invaluable as it allows you to travel internationally and plan future trips. The friends you make at camp often want you to visit as well so they can show you where they live, their towns, cities and countries. Since working at camp I have been back to the U.S. four times (twice last year alone)!

Thank you for reading this blog post and I hope it has given a bit more of an insight into why summer camp is one of the best jobs you’ll ever have! Please let me know if you’ve worked at camp and feel free to leave more information for potential applicants. Have a great day!