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Summer Camp Counselors: Provide Great Opportunities to Build Your Resume

If you like working with kids, have a few weeks available in the summer months, need a little extra cash, and love being outdoors, you may find that being a Summer Camp Counselor is a fun and truly rewarding experience. Summer camp counselors usually undergo a week or so of orientation and then enjoy anywhere from 10 to 14 weeks worth of summer fun working with and supervising children, usually between the ages of 7 to 16.

Summer camps provide recreational and bonding experiences for kids, as well as offering specialty camps for those interested in certain areas. As a camp counselor, if you are interested in helping children develop in particular areas, you may enjoy working in one of these specialty camps. One such specialty area you might consider participating in is weight loss camp for overweight children, which include recreational fun, but exercise and fitness routines as well as healthy meals, and class instruction that focuses on maintaining weight loss in the future.

Other specialty camps include sports camps, which are dedicated to providing instruction and practice in team sports; Christian (or other religious) camps, whose emphasis is on religion, daily meditation, prayer, and religious studies; riding camps, which place an emphasis on horseback riding; arts program camps, focusing on dance, art, music, theater, and creative writing. There are many such specialty camps in other areas as well. In addition, there are camps especially devoted to teenagers only, as well as camps for special needs children, such as those who are disabled. Along with these specialty camps, there are many camps that offer no specialty and give kids well-rounded instruction and recreational activities in many areas.

Most summer camps employ anyone age 18 or older who has a high school diploma and can pass a drug test, background check, and orientation session (these orientations sometimes double as interviews). The salaries vary, but most counselors report that they earn anywhere from $7 to $10 per hour, which isn't bad, considering that usually you are given room and board and other free services (such as laundry or paid transportation). It's a great way for college students to earn money during their summer hiatus and it looks great on a job resume later as well, especially if you are working toward a degree in childhood education, social work, or any other specialty involving children.

As a summer counselor, you can usually work in pretty much any area in which you have experience or some knowledge of a particular subject. Most of the time, you'll be expected to spend a great deal of time outside; however there are positions, such as supervising art or drama classes, or participating in religious or classroom studies, that involve indoor learning, so if you are not the athletic type, you may still find something available involving indoor activities that you can do.

Overall, summer camp counselors usually find that they enjoy the experience and make money for college or graduate school at the same time. If you have a great attitude and like being around children, it may be the perfect job for you.