What’s Involved in Becoming a Camp Counselor?

When it comes to summer jobs, camp counselor is a viable and respectable job for teens. If you think you might be interested in becoming a camp counselor, you may have some questions. While just about anyone can become a counselor, it’s not necessarily for everyone.

Following is some information that should help answer your questions as to what’s involved in becoming a camp counselor.

Are You a “People Person”?
If you are going to be a camp counselor, you’re going to be around people – all day, every day. And some camps last the whole summer, or at least a good part of it. That’s one of the most basic things to consider, but it’s important. If you feel worn out after a whole day with people, then being a camp counselor may not be for you.

First Aid
To be a good counselor, you should know basic first aid and CPR. You can learn this pretty easily; check with your doctor, local hospital, or local Red Cross.

Roughing It
Let’s face it – if you don’t like the outdoors, being a camp counselor might be a real drag. If you love the outdoors, then you may revel in your duties. Camp counselors generally live with the campers in the same accommodations, and you’ll spend a lot of time outdoors leading camp activities. If you have camping experience, all the better.

Enthusiasm
Being a camp counselor takes energy. In some ways, you’ll act as a cheerleader for your campers, encouraging and supporting. It takes energy and a positive attitude to be effective.

Do You Enjoy Kids?
If you are used to being around kids – maybe you enjoy babysitting – then being a camp counselor may be like an extension of that. Babysitting experience is actually a plus when you apply for camp counselor jobs, because it shows that you have experience being responsible for kids.

Planning
Being a camp counselor means you’ll need to plan. Counselors have to plan activities for the campers like games, hiking, swimming, and so forth, and also plan and oversee responsibilities like cleaning and setting up. You have to plan for safety, too – camp counselors need to make sure the campers are safe during all activities. This kind of planning is great experience and looks good on a resume and/or job application. But if you are not sure how to plan and manage time and activities, then being a camp counselor may not work for you (or it could act as good training ground if you want to learn how to plan).