11 Best Summer Camps to Work at

If you are energetic and love working with kids and teenagers, you should definitely apply for one of the best summer camps to work at we have prepared for you.

It is quite common for college students to work in summer camps, but some make a career out of it, too. Surely, there is the breath-taking nature and working with children and teens is amazingly rewarding, but let us not forget the reason we are all here for – the money. After all, this article is about the best camps to work at, not send your children away so you could survive the summer holiday. When it comes to the money matters, it all depends on what kind of position you are thinking of applying for. American Camp Association can give you a few ideas what to pay attention to when it comes to income and benefits. You can find data on average salaries for different jobs at the campus. Nevertheless, there is no information on how much a specific camp will pay you. If you want to find that out, you will just have to apply for one of them and use the guidelines ACA had provided for you. Generally, the camps keep the salary range to themselves and you can find out only if you apply. Of course, the earnings depend on the position you are applying for.

So how did we construct our list if we couldn’t unveil all the salaries? Well, we used the following criteria. We tried to find the best possible camp in terms of prices and program recommendations. Basically, the best and most expensive camps are the best for the employees as well, not only the children. Of course, the salary may vary, but that isn’t the only criteria when choosing a job, is it? It must be emphasized that we chose this approach due to the specific nature of this job. We all know the most luxurious hotels don’t always pay the highest salary and give the best working conditions. However, camps are a different story for several reasons.

If a camp provides the best conditions for the children, it provides the best for the instructors or other employees, too. The principle is simple due to the fact the children and camp employees are living and cooperating in the same area and sharing many facilities. It is quite common that you would be sleeping in the same cabin with the children. Secondly, the most expensive camps are fully aware of the value of the instructors and that they are the ones who are a deciding factor whether children will come back next year, too. Anyone can offer a good accommodation and outside activities, but it is counselors and good organization that make everything work.

We started our research with the most recent information on quality camps and their prices at Town and Country. Next, we did some more digging to see if other sites recommend them, too. Therefore, the higher positions on our list are occupied by camps which were approved by our three most reliable advisers: Town and Country, Business Insider and Top Education Degrees. The lower positions on our lists are for camps that our two sources agreed on, and they are listed according to their prices from the Town and Country.

Most importantly, this article is all about working in the camps, so you can find what the camps have to offer to potential applicants. Usually, the information camps provide about the job are scarce and they basically want you to apply in order to find out more. To make your life easier, we searched their websites and included the most significant information we could find.

The camps in question are all based in the USA considering its long summer camp history in comparison to other countries. If that sounds too small for you in area or figures, check out the Best Summer Camps in the World article. In the meantime, here are the best summer camps to work at.

11. Camp Skylemar

Location: Trickey Pond, Naples, Maine

For boys to attend this camp for the summer, it would cost their parents $12,550. If you are into golf, you could find some time for yourself when not teaching on a five-hole golf course. In Camp Skylemar counselors are considered “big brothers” and you would be living with another counselor and a group of 5-7 boys.

10. Camp Androscoggin

Location: Androscoggin Lake in Wayne, Maine

We are continuing our list of best summer camps to work at with Camp Androscoggin that was founded in 1907 by the President of the American Camping Association and you’d better make sure you spelled it right when applying. The facilities include 12 tennis courts, two baseball diamonds, two basketball courts and even archery and riflery ranges. If you apply to be a counselor, you would be responsible for a group of 5 or 6 boys. Hopefully, it’s not too much to handle on your own.

9. Camp Walt Whitman

Location: Piermont, New Hampshire

You don’t have to be a poetry lover to apply for a position in this camp. A huge area of 300 acres is evenly split between 200 boys and 200 girls. Walt Whitman gives some further information on their offer to the staff. You can freely use all the facilities there are and you’ll be working with around 200 colleagues from the USA and abroad. They also offer summer internships and college credits, plus the allowance. If they are to be trusted, the salaries are among the highest.

8. Camp Manitou

Location: Oakland, Maine

It is undoubtedly a valuable fact that an ex-Manitou camper and counselor is its owner nowadays. This all-boy camp comes with a long tradition since it was established in 1947. Tradition aside, if you are thinking of applying, how do you like the fact that the camp head chef was trained at the Four Seasons? That would be your chef, too.

7. Timber Lake Camp

Location: Shandaken, New York

There are around 480 boys and girls every season to work with. The camp was founded in 1962 and has a very good returning rate. Normally camps are very shy in terms of salaries and they wait for you to apply before stating them, but Timber Lake Camp is very open about it and gives a clear list of salaries based on your job. Interestingly enough, they also give bonuses, so you can earn up to $600 extra. Fun fact: if you recruit any students to be a member of staff, you will get a bonus of $250. American and Canadian workers can also count on the camp covering their travel expenses.

6. Lake Bryn Mawr Camp

Location: Honesdale, Pennsylvania

This is an all-girls camp and there are around 325 campers ages 7 to 15. As for the staff, there are 175 of you. It’s a fact that a lot of Lake Bryn Mawr Camp employees keep returning year after year. That should mean something, and that’s why we put it on the list of best summer camps to work at. A staff counselor can earn from $1400 to $1950 depending on age or experience. Travel expenses are mentioned, too, but they are very honest about your working days by saying you will work a lot.

5. Point O’ Pines

Location: Brant Lake, New York

Home to 300 girl campers and 150 staff. Don’t bother applying if you are male – all the counselors here are women and that is one of the requirements. Point O’ Pines doesn’t reveal the income range, but it is said you get higher payment if you return to the camp. The camp was founded in 1957 and is considered one of the best girl camps in the country.

4. Brant Lake Camp

Location: Brant Lake, New York

Here is a very nice boys camp on our list of best summer camps to work at. It has a huge number of sports fields, but also a section for arts and crafts. As for the salary, college age staff can receive a salary between $1800 and $2200 for the period of eight weeks. You don’t have to be a boy to apply for the position, but the majority of the staff is male, to be honest. The staff members are mostly American but they offer positions for overseas workers, too.

3. Tripp Lake Camp

Location: Tripp Lake in Poland, Maine

There are around 175 people working in Tripp Lake Camp, one of the best summer camps to work at. This is a beautiful camp for girls, which spreads on 260 acres. If you can’t remember one of the reasons why it is important to be in an exclusive camp, here is one. Your accommodation will usually be with seven campers, but there are separate staff facilities, too.

2. Camp Laurel

Location: Echo Lake, Readfield, Maine

Camp Laurel, besides being one of the best summer camps to work at is a co-ed camp and it offers a wide range of prospective jobs for you, depending on your area of expertise. What is more, even if you aren’t an expert at sport or something, you could still join and work with the young ones. The salary is a secret, but since it is one of the most prestigious camps in the country, you should be just fine.

1. Raquette Lake Camp

Location: Raquette Lake, New York

If this one is described as “the hardest camp to get into” (only 10 to 12 vacancies for new campers), and it has a reputation for being the Harvard of summer camps, it is clear why it is in the top place of our list of the best summer camps to work at. Raquette camp doesn’t say much when it comes to conditions, apart from being very rigorous when picking staff. After all, it is expected to hide its recipe for success. Working there will undoubtedly turn out to be a success, too.