Which Camp is best?

Firstly – for those of you still waiting for a placement, or contact from a Camp – don’t worry – the camper registrations close off in March/April so by then they know how many staff they need you see. In the old days they were always full (pre-recession) but now they have to take each year as it happens. So most placements happen from March right through until end of June (last year our last placement was July 2nd! – boy was she excited!)

So – we find (I’ve been doing this in NZ since 2001 now), that if a camp calls or emails and you are having doubts – it’s usually because you have a pre-conceived idea about what camp will be like, more specifically – the camp you’ll end up at.

Then you get an email, look up the camp website and your stomach sinks.

That’s not what you had pictured in your head!

Well – firstly – never judge a camp by the email or the website – Speak to the camp first before you make any judgments or get any ideas at all. The website is only ever as good or bad as the web designer. The email is only as good or bad as the person who wrote it in a hurry.

So – since 2001 – I have heard stories from counsellors, year after year – telling me, without a doubt, that their camp is the BEST CAMP IN AMERICA. For sure. 100% no doubt about it.

Then I get talking to them – I met a counsellor who went to a Quaker camp – no power, grew all their own veggies! She loved it and went back every year.

Jewish Camps – everyone loves the Jewish camps… all that you’ll crave is bacon. But you can get that on your days off at the local shops no doubt if that really worries you.

Single Sex Camps – the first thing you won’t tell us about humming and harring about these camps is – “I won’t meet any girls/guys” – total rubbish! These camps are most often very near many other camps, so on your time off, everyone (yes – everyone) goes to the Local Walmart – which is FULL of counsellors.

Walmart has cafes and food places so everyone hangs out… not a problem at all so don’t let that scare you off!  Your accent will attract enough attention to keep you busy.

Girl Scout or Rustic Camps – alot people don’t want to be that rustic – but hey – this is CAMP America remember…. and you’re a Kiwi – you’ll love it – it’s gonna be up to 40 degrees so how nice to be sleeping outside in a platform tent.

My point is – if I asked 100 returned counsellors now which camp is the best camp in America – they would all say “My Camp is!”.

It’s not THE camp it’s THE Experience. So make the most of it. Embrace emails and job offers like they are gold dust and be flexible, be open minded in your thinking and you WILL have the best summer of your life.

Camp is what you make it - put in 150% you'll get back that and more.

Superstar

You don’t have to be a superstar to apply to go to Camp America – but you do need to have something you can ‘bring to camp’  – and I don’t mean Vegemite.

Swim teachers at camp

We like enthusiasm and flexibility the most – those applicants who say “Yep – I’ll give that a try!” – we like you.

The kids are kids – you know – aged between 5-16 mainly. So – 9 times out of 10 you don’t need to be Olympic Level at your top skills to teach it to the kids.

Teaching – if you’ve taught others your skill (even just friends or family) that’s “teaching experience” – make sure you list it – how long for, how many times?

Teaching or Coaching Experience – doesn’t mean you’ve been taught or coached by someone else. Nope. It means – you have taught or coached others in this skill. If you have taught or coached – tell us all about it on your application form.

While looking through applications this week for the Camp Directors Recruitment Day – I have found that often an applicant hasn’t mentioned enough detail about their experience so the camp has said “no thanks”.

For example one application came across as not having alot of experience with children so the camp said no thanks – we spoke to the interviewer who said yes he did – but he hadn’t conveyed it on his application well enough.

Fact: Camps cannot read minds.

Myth: Camps will call you anyway and find out

No – they have so many applications to look through – if they don’t like what they see they just move on to the next one.

Fact: Alot of camps have a religious emphasis of some kind

Don’t cut yourself off from these camps – they WON’T hire you for Bible Study Class if you are not religious – they’ll hire you to teach the kids your skill. These kids will be from a religious family. You may have to accompany them to a service weekly and join in for Grace before dinner or sing songs at the service – but the camp understands you are not religious before they hire you.

Myth: You end up Jewish at the end of Camp if you go to a Jewish Camp.

Jewish camps will know you are not Jewish (btw – if you are Jewish we need to see your application asap!!) by looking on your application. Apart from Orthodox Jewish Camps they like to hire staff from all kinds of backgrounds.

I have spoken to loads of counsellors that have been to Jewish Camps and loved it, they find it interesting and really apart from a service weekly the only thing you’ll really notice is you won’t eat dairy and meat together and no pork.

Don't cut off you placement chances

Lastly – be courteous – to camps calling/emailing you… get back to them straight away… and if you are polite and positive every time we communicate with you – you’ll give us that “they are a really nice applicant” feeling and we’ll go out of our way to make sure you get placed.

Some applicants don’t communicate with us, and then decide they don’t want to go anymore, ignore camps contacting them, ignore us…. then finally after many calls and messages from us they tell us they’ve cancelled.

Fact: There is a CANCEL button on your Camp America Direct page.

Fact: We can’t read minds either.

If you do decide not to go – cancel, and let someone else have a shot at the job. I know there are lots of you out there waiting very patiently – we have noticed – thank you.

Til next time – Vicki