Anyone's DC worked at Camp America? Spent a summer doing similar abroad?

[Miljah]

Posting here for traffic.

DS2 is considering this for next summer. Can he have your opinions and experience, please?

I did it 3 years ago at 25. Best thing I ever did - massive confidence boost.

The downside is the costs and the fact you don’t earn them all back, but I had enough to get by while I was travelling afterwards.

I did it a long time ago ( around 1995). Didn't like the camp but travelled all around the US sleeping on the Amtrak trains, up to from New York , Boston, Niagara falls across to west coast, LA and san Francisco, the grand Canyon, Memphis, new Orleans and back to New York. Had a great time travelling.

Didn’t do America but works for Acorn Adventure (like PGL) in the Italian alps. Had an amazing time. Wages are peanuts but you get free food, board and travel plus get to do loads of cool activities like climbing and white water rafting.

Don't know much about it but those who I know who've done it have gone on to do teaching jobs/ ta jobs - excellent work experience in this area. Also if working with Sen out there, great transference to jobs here. So v good on a cv. I also know a few who've gone back year after year and done supply ta jobs here, eventually getting permanent jobs here (the summer hol there is longer) due to all their experience, or going on to do teacher training.

I did it 15 years ago but with CCUSA. It was amazing experience.

It was very hard work and you got paid very little. But I loved it. I ended up at a camp for people who had special needs. I probably didnt know i could do half the things I did. Was a stretching experience.

That said my friend ended up at a soccer camp and hated it!

I had to spend out a fair bit of money on registering, a dbs check, a medical and the visa and you had to come to London to the American embassy. Not sure if that's still the case.

A friends son did it this year, they heat treated his luggage and it caught fire! Luckily he had his passport and electronics in hand, but was left with the clothes he was stood in

I’ve done it twice. 19 and 23 I think. I absolutely loved it. No the money is not great. I wasn’t looking to work with kids and already had lots of experience anyway so I was there for the fun, travelling and outdoor lifestyle.

I’d definitely recommend it.

One of my daughters did Camp America for 2 consecutive summers and spent time afterwards travelling round America. She loved it, it was hard work but she is still in touch with other people who worked there and some of the children who are now adults!

Best summer ever! Many years ago with Camp America in the wilds of West Virginia, on a camp for very rich Jewish teenagers, spent the summer in the launderette working with local girls-had a fab time! At the end of camp the helicopters (I kid you not!!) came to take the kids home, they left everything behind-clothes, tech the lot and we were told to take what we wanted so had a bag full of designer gear to take home😳Travelled along the East coast of the US afterwards with other UK students on the Greyhound buses, a real eye opening experience-loved it!

Did it and really enjoyed. Don't do it for the money but for the experience.

Mine worked at Camp Suisse for several summers and would happily return now. Came home with some money, glorious tans and memories and longstanding friendships.
One of mine also worked at watersports summer camps for a few years but preferred Switzerland.
My husband and I met doing Charity children’s camps in UK. No money but great fun and excellent management experience at a very young age. We did it for about 12 years. We met some of our lifelong friends through camps. The chair of the trustees we had for the children if we died was a fellow summer camp leader. We are godparents to several friends from camps children. It was incredibly hard work with little sleep and uncomfortable beds but we have such happy memories and can name many of the children who passed through our hands still.

I did the Scout version when I was 21. Is still one of the greatest experiences of my life. You work hard, you play hard, you survive on minimal sleep and you don’t do it for the money. One of the guys from my camp even came to my wedding! I would totally recommend it. Was a defining experience of my life.

You dont work for camp america. Its an agency that finds staff for us summer camps. So does ccusa and bunac. I did one summer with CA in 1999 and 3 summers with CCUSA and was an area rep for them too.

Loved loved loved it. Still have contact with staff and former campers.

Does ds have any good skills he can teach? Its just that having interviewed participants for ccusa I can tell you that every single british male has soccer as a skill and its not that sought after. Would he want to be an instructor or a general counsellor?

I did it as a student, 4 summers in a row. Best thing I ever did.

TBH, my DS is quite shy; his 'skills' are not people skills, but he'd be fine with 'domestic' tasks etc. Are there jobs in that sort of thing, like the laundrette as mentioned?

I did Work America years back and spent the summer working in the San Francisco aquarium. Great experience and great time. There were all sorts of jobs all over the States.

My DBro did it at 18. Not so much with the people skills but keen scout so went sailing/kayaking etc. It was a bold move for him but he liked it.

I was a counselor in American campus and had camp America colleagues. I'll repeat what others have said - it's an amazing experience, but don't do it for the money - they'll get paid less than their American counterparts.

I did it at 19 , it was fantastic and one of the best experiences of my life

However be warned he will not be able to pick and choose jobs if it's like my camp(err to be fair mine was connected to the girl scouts in the states so wouldn't be if you have a ds but I heard from others on other camps)

It's a real muck in job , it's easier anyway if you go with the attitude it's a small period of time just get on with it

It really is worth doing I promise, hard work and long hours but I am so glad I did it and would encourage my DC to do it

If it helps my social skills are not great either and I don't always feel comf9rtable but genuinely a word of warning for him not to attend and try to pick and choose jobs , fine to mention a preference but be prepared for him to be expected to do a bit of everything

Also, being a counselor is amazing for increasing people skills and confidence. The kids think their counselors are the most amazing people in the world and the coolest ever. Maybe he could try being a specialist counselor - but I wouldn't rule out working directly with kids!

I went to a fair for it a long long time ago, nearly 20 years ago and some camps were desperate for me to go because I was an experienced play worker.

Camp America is a matching service which matches summer camps with people who wish to work on them. I felt like I would not b paid what I was worth so I did not do it.

It’s really not worth thinking of it as a paid job. Most of what you are paid goes into the visa, flight and admin costs. What you get in your pocket out there is basically pocket money, but I made really good local friends whose parents really kindly let us stay with them during session breaks, let us use cars, filled their fridges ready for us to eat our way through etc...

I worked on a girl guide camp in 1993 . I was 18 and based in Iowa . One of the best things I’ve ever done.
I also got a coach ticket to travel around after. We traveled over night and slept on the coaches to save on accommodation 😃

My DD worked as a councillor at camp in Pennsylvania a few years ago, met another councillor who was american, now they are married and live in the USA! So you never know what it may lead to.

My DD is there at the moment. On the travelling part. I think she’s had a good time. As others have said it’s an experience but he shouldn’t expect to make any money.
Can he easily get to London? Best to go to the job fair thing. They hire on the spot if they want him. Applying on line is a longer process. Also he needs to apply for the visa in person.