No commitment, no pressure! Just answers to your questions!
Below are some FAQs about serving on Camp Bethel's summer staff team. If you still have unanswered questions, feel free to fill out the short inquiry form above!
What is this summer's (2025) Staff schedule?
Our two-week staff training is from May 26-June 7, 2024 (training continues through the weekend). There are 6-7 camper weeks from June 8-July 19/26 (staff get Saturdays off during camper weeks). Whether you work 6 or 7 camper weeks depends on the position you are hired for as well as your individualized Record of Agreement.
Is the Two-week staff training mandatory? (May 26-June 7, 2025)
Yes, the entire staff training is mandatory. If you are unable to be present for all of training (due to school, appointments, or other commitments), do not fret! On a case-by-case basis, we can work it out so that you get the training you need!
What if My School Doesnt Let Out before May 26 (first day of training)?
Several of our staff members every summer are unable to attend the entirety of training because of their school schedule. If you are local, you can come to some trainings in the evening and weekends until school officially lets out. If you will be missing a majority of training, we will be in communication with you for ways to make up what you missed. If you are unable to attend any of training, you likely will not be able to serve with us for the summer.
Two training sessions are required for employment: CPR/AED training, and First Aid training. These will occur on two separate evenings some time during the second week of training. The exact dates for these trainings have yet to be decided.
Two training sessions are required for employment: CPR/AED training, and First Aid training. These will occur on two separate evenings some time during the second week of training. The exact dates for these trainings have yet to be decided.
Am I Allowed to take time off during the summer?
Yes, unpaid time off is available with advanced notice! Please do not plan on taking more than 3 weeks off during the summer.
What is the 2025 summer staff salary?
All summer staff are provided several opportunities for bonus pay. If you work your entire contract (two weeks of staff training and 6-7 camper weeks + limited unpaid time off), you are automatically given a $300(+) end-of-summer bonus. You will be given an additional $100 for every senior counselor (ages 18+) you recruit that works their entire contract. An additional $100 will be given to any summer staff member who maintains a valid Lifeguard certification during the summer. The salary breakdown (by position) is listed below.
Counselors-in-Training: The C.I.T. position is volunteer only. All C.I.T.s must be enrolled in a summer camp program for which you they are age eligible. If accepted, they can volunteer for 1-4 weeks of camp with guidance from Senior/Adventure Counselors.
Junior Counselors: $200/week for 6 weeks; Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 8-July 19. (Total commitment is 8 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Senior Counselors: $320/week for 6-or-7 weeks; Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 8-July 19. (Total commitment is 8 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Adventure Counselors: $320/week for 7 weeks: $320/week for 9-11 weeks, Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Coordinator Training is May 20-24, Staff Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 9-July 19/26. (Total commitment is 10 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Coordinators: $320/week for 9-11 weeks (specific dates on individual coordinator pages); Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Coordinator Training is May 20-24, Staff Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 9-July 19/26. (Total commitment is 10 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Counselors-in-Training: The C.I.T. position is volunteer only. All C.I.T.s must be enrolled in a summer camp program for which you they are age eligible. If accepted, they can volunteer for 1-4 weeks of camp with guidance from Senior/Adventure Counselors.
Junior Counselors: $200/week for 6 weeks; Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 8-July 19. (Total commitment is 8 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Senior Counselors: $320/week for 6-or-7 weeks; Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 8-July 19. (Total commitment is 8 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Adventure Counselors: $320/week for 7 weeks: $320/week for 9-11 weeks, Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Coordinator Training is May 20-24, Staff Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 9-July 19/26. (Total commitment is 10 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Coordinators: $320/week for 9-11 weeks (specific dates on individual coordinator pages); Additional $25/week each returning year in this position, plus $300(+) end-of-summer bonus, plus $100 for each adult counselor you recruit! Coordinator Training is May 20-24, Staff Training is May 26-June 7, 2025, and paid weeks are June 9-July 19/26. (Total commitment is 10 weeks.) Unpaid time off is available with advanced arrangement.
Is Onsite Housing Provided?
Onsite housing is provided and encouraged for all adult staff (ages 18+) from May 26-June 19/26.
For minor staff (under the age of 18) onsite housing is provided through the entirety of training (May 26-June 7), during camper weeks (Sunday-Friday, June 8-July 18/25), and staff closing weekend (July 19-20). Minors are not permitted to spend Friday or Saturday nights at camp during camper weeks (exceptions listed above).
For minor staff (under the age of 18) onsite housing is provided through the entirety of training (May 26-June 7), during camper weeks (Sunday-Friday, June 8-July 18/25), and staff closing weekend (July 19-20). Minors are not permitted to spend Friday or Saturday nights at camp during camper weeks (exceptions listed above).
Why should I work at camp?
As you continue through school and possibly college and work towards a career, you may ask, "Why should I spend a valuable summer at a camp?" You may weighing this experience against summer school, trips, or internships. We know your summer is a critical time for you, which is why we believe there's no better way to spend your summer break than to work of Camp Bethel!
Some of the best reasons to work at camp may surprise you. Sure, working with kids is itself rewarding, and spending the summer in the great outdoors is enticing, but have you ever considered that working at camp is actually good for your career?
Our jobs offer valuable skill-building, leadership, training, and enrichment opportunities. Regardless of your college major, all camp experiences allow you to learn and develop skills that will enhance your job marketability. The benefits go far beyond a paycheck, too. Business executives often note that experience as a camp counselor translates into excellent management and personnel skills. (College credit can also sometimes be obtained from working (or interning for pay) at camp. Check with your college adviser to see if you qualify.)
By working at camp, you are sure to gain skills that will equip you to be successful in any career you may choose, such as: Communication Skills, Time Management & Prioritizing Responsibilities, Planning, Leadership, Cooperation & Teamwork, How to work collaboratively with others, Negotiation, Thinking Creatively, and Networking.
Savvy employers see working at camp as being more beneficial to your career than taking a summer internship! This is because the real-life skills practiced and learned at camp have far more value than the clerical and coffee-fetching duties typically assigned to student interns. In working at camp, you will be part of an organization that gives you real duties that are critical to its long- and short-term success. You will have real-work responsibilities, such as interacting directly with customers on a daily basis, and learn legitimate skills that will help you develop professionally when you move into the workforce.
10 Reasons Why Businesses Hire Camp Staff
Employers who themselves have been camp counselors understand the qualities required to successfully do this job and, consequently, often seek these individuals out when filling positions. But now the secret is getting out and having “Summer Camp Counselor” on a resume can make a potential employee much more desirable!
Businesses with an applicant who has been a camp counselor often move that applicant to the top of pile of applications that are overflowing their desk... Why? Because being a camp counselor is one of the hardest jobs out there. And because they gain an employee who comes with these following 10 qualities:
1. A good communicator: Camp counselors have to be able to communicate well with children, parents, coworkers, and superiors. This is different from any other job because parents leave the most valuable thing in their lives in their care- their child.
2. A life-long learner: When someone works in a camp setting, they learn that in order to be successful in life they have a lot to learn about themselves. Once they make that transition they are able to approach every situation in life with an “I want to learn more” attitude.
3. A self-starter: While camp staff have supervision, no one is holding their hand every step of the way. To be successful, they must very quickly learn that THEY are THE responsible “go-to” person – in a 24/7 setting.
4. A resilient individual: Camp counselors can handle anything. Just ask the counselor who has been helping a camper overcome homesickness while teaching an activity in the rain for 4 days straight…. At camp, there is no option to procrastinate, avoid, or curl up in a ball and hide when things get tough- they have to handle it!
5. A problem solver: At camp we try to keep things scheduled and organized, but at the drop of a hat, plans can change. Things that are often out of ones control can instantly impact the day –like when you hear a loud burst of thunder and have to come up with a new plan in an instant….
6. A creative thinker: When you need a new plan immediately, leave it to a camp counselor….If you think a boardroom of 10 lawyers is intimidating try standing in front of 120 children who are expecting to have the most fun they have ever had and the plan that you have been working on all week just got rained out…..
7. A detail-oriented worker: Camp counselors are responsible for THE most important thing in a parent’s life. Each and every detail is unbelievably important! Did a child have enough to eat at breakfast, drink enough water, make a new friend, skin their knee, play soccer, miss their mom, have wet shoes, lose their sweatshirt . . . ? Now multiply this by a whole team of campers!
8. A leader: The moment children arrive at camp their counselor is their leader - and their biggest role model. Kids watch their counselor’s every move. It is amazing how quickly camp counselors learn how to take on this role and own it. The way these children talk about their counselors when they leave is a testament to what great leaders they are.
9. A team player: Camp counselors are some of the best team players you will ever meet. They have learned that they cannot do it all on their own and that the best product is produced when you have a team working on it. In a camp setting, you need all different personality types to be able to meet each and every child where they are. To come up with the most awesome activity, camp counselors know it won’t come from one person but a bunch of people working toward the same goal.
10. A solid work ethic: It is very difficult to explain to someone who has never been a camp counselor how hard this job really is. These college students work 24 hours a day for 2 straight months with very little time off - and they do it all with a smile on their face!
Being a camp counselor or coordinator is not for the faint of heart – it is hard work! Former staff will tell you that this is the toughest job they ever had – but was also the most rewarding one they ever had. We are looking for people who want to work, play, and interact with teens in a small group setting in a positive and energetic way! Working at camp requires putting the needs of others ahead of your own, and all staff have the responsibility of being role models for the campers. Staff must also be willing and able to accept the rights and responsibilities of being a member of our camp community, which sets the tone for how we treat others, and ourselves, while at camp. By working at camp, you will get to know yourself better, experience the infinite rewards of working with kids, and have fun every day!
Some of the best reasons to work at camp may surprise you. Sure, working with kids is itself rewarding, and spending the summer in the great outdoors is enticing, but have you ever considered that working at camp is actually good for your career?
Our jobs offer valuable skill-building, leadership, training, and enrichment opportunities. Regardless of your college major, all camp experiences allow you to learn and develop skills that will enhance your job marketability. The benefits go far beyond a paycheck, too. Business executives often note that experience as a camp counselor translates into excellent management and personnel skills. (College credit can also sometimes be obtained from working (or interning for pay) at camp. Check with your college adviser to see if you qualify.)
By working at camp, you are sure to gain skills that will equip you to be successful in any career you may choose, such as: Communication Skills, Time Management & Prioritizing Responsibilities, Planning, Leadership, Cooperation & Teamwork, How to work collaboratively with others, Negotiation, Thinking Creatively, and Networking.
Savvy employers see working at camp as being more beneficial to your career than taking a summer internship! This is because the real-life skills practiced and learned at camp have far more value than the clerical and coffee-fetching duties typically assigned to student interns. In working at camp, you will be part of an organization that gives you real duties that are critical to its long- and short-term success. You will have real-work responsibilities, such as interacting directly with customers on a daily basis, and learn legitimate skills that will help you develop professionally when you move into the workforce.
10 Reasons Why Businesses Hire Camp Staff
Employers who themselves have been camp counselors understand the qualities required to successfully do this job and, consequently, often seek these individuals out when filling positions. But now the secret is getting out and having “Summer Camp Counselor” on a resume can make a potential employee much more desirable!
Businesses with an applicant who has been a camp counselor often move that applicant to the top of pile of applications that are overflowing their desk... Why? Because being a camp counselor is one of the hardest jobs out there. And because they gain an employee who comes with these following 10 qualities:
1. A good communicator: Camp counselors have to be able to communicate well with children, parents, coworkers, and superiors. This is different from any other job because parents leave the most valuable thing in their lives in their care- their child.
2. A life-long learner: When someone works in a camp setting, they learn that in order to be successful in life they have a lot to learn about themselves. Once they make that transition they are able to approach every situation in life with an “I want to learn more” attitude.
3. A self-starter: While camp staff have supervision, no one is holding their hand every step of the way. To be successful, they must very quickly learn that THEY are THE responsible “go-to” person – in a 24/7 setting.
4. A resilient individual: Camp counselors can handle anything. Just ask the counselor who has been helping a camper overcome homesickness while teaching an activity in the rain for 4 days straight…. At camp, there is no option to procrastinate, avoid, or curl up in a ball and hide when things get tough- they have to handle it!
5. A problem solver: At camp we try to keep things scheduled and organized, but at the drop of a hat, plans can change. Things that are often out of ones control can instantly impact the day –like when you hear a loud burst of thunder and have to come up with a new plan in an instant….
6. A creative thinker: When you need a new plan immediately, leave it to a camp counselor….If you think a boardroom of 10 lawyers is intimidating try standing in front of 120 children who are expecting to have the most fun they have ever had and the plan that you have been working on all week just got rained out…..
7. A detail-oriented worker: Camp counselors are responsible for THE most important thing in a parent’s life. Each and every detail is unbelievably important! Did a child have enough to eat at breakfast, drink enough water, make a new friend, skin their knee, play soccer, miss their mom, have wet shoes, lose their sweatshirt . . . ? Now multiply this by a whole team of campers!
8. A leader: The moment children arrive at camp their counselor is their leader - and their biggest role model. Kids watch their counselor’s every move. It is amazing how quickly camp counselors learn how to take on this role and own it. The way these children talk about their counselors when they leave is a testament to what great leaders they are.
9. A team player: Camp counselors are some of the best team players you will ever meet. They have learned that they cannot do it all on their own and that the best product is produced when you have a team working on it. In a camp setting, you need all different personality types to be able to meet each and every child where they are. To come up with the most awesome activity, camp counselors know it won’t come from one person but a bunch of people working toward the same goal.
10. A solid work ethic: It is very difficult to explain to someone who has never been a camp counselor how hard this job really is. These college students work 24 hours a day for 2 straight months with very little time off - and they do it all with a smile on their face!
Being a camp counselor or coordinator is not for the faint of heart – it is hard work! Former staff will tell you that this is the toughest job they ever had – but was also the most rewarding one they ever had. We are looking for people who want to work, play, and interact with teens in a small group setting in a positive and energetic way! Working at camp requires putting the needs of others ahead of your own, and all staff have the responsibility of being role models for the campers. Staff must also be willing and able to accept the rights and responsibilities of being a member of our camp community, which sets the tone for how we treat others, and ourselves, while at camp. By working at camp, you will get to know yourself better, experience the infinite rewards of working with kids, and have fun every day!
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