What You Can Do for Camp:

What you can do for camp is different from anyone else – we want to get to know you and support you in your own growth while you contribute your skills and enthusiasm for working with young people.

Working at a summer camp is hard work. The hours are long, you might make more money doing other things, you give up significant control of your life (cooking, privacy, creature comforts, etc.) and working with kids will test your flexibility, patience, sense of humor and self-control. That being said, it can also be some of the most rewarding work you’ve done so far.

Living in our community means being part of a culture whose primary focus is on respect, responsibility, and stewardship. Our home on Johns Island provides the ideal outdoor classroom where staff and campers become active members of a dynamic and supportive community. Deep and meaningful friendships develop when you live, play and work with a group of individuals over a period of time and we all contribute to this experience.

Our staff are essential to our camper experience – they are with campers day in and day out each summer leading activities and guiding them through our program. We value what each of our staff have to offer – different skills and experiences, new perspectives on what our program provides and how we support young people in building their own interpersonal skills, confidence and independence.

What Camp Can Do For You:

Personally – You will meet people from all over the country and the world who share similar interests and ideals and have a desire to spend quality time with children. As a role model for young people who will look to you for acceptance and understanding, you can have a significant impact on their self-esteem and confidence. You will test your personal limits and be surprised at what you are capable of doing.

Professionally – You will gain experience in the areas of leadership, communication, organization, teamwork, conflict resolution, risk management, and community building. Pre-camp training sessions with various professionals will cover such topics as safety, emergency response, and working effectively with children.

Besides financial compensation of your salary, these may also be interesting to you as you consider your summer options:

• College or Internship Credit – We are more than willing to work with you and your school or program administrators to determine how your job at Nor’wester could meet the requirements of a summer internship or even credit towards your studies. Especially for students studying to be educators, working with campers can be directly applicable to your future career. Or if you plan to major in theater or performing arts, environmental studies, outdoor recreation, visual arts, music or another field related to a program area offer, we can discuss how your job at Camp might give you documented experience to put toward a school requirement.
• Outdoor Living Skills – Building a fire, knife use, camping, Leave No Trace ethics, preparing for and planning an outdoor trip, hiking and more! All of these you will learn or practice at Nor’wester. These skills are important for continuing to enjoy the outdoors in your life beyond Camp, and may set you up to be qualified for a future outdoor job like leading trips, outdoor education, and more.
• Certifications – Certain jobs at camp require special training and certifications, which you might get through a class before Camp or during Staff Training. Camp provides these courses or offers a stipend to cover some of the course costs. These certifications are typically valid for two years, and may be applicable to other job/volunteer opportunities after the summer.
• Technical Skills – Depending on your position, you may get direct experience building your own skills in areas like arts and crafts, use of watercraft (canoes, kayaks, sailboats), gardening, nature education, cooking and meal planning, food preparation in a large industrial kitchen, trip planning and leading, rock climbing, biking, and more.
• Experience with Children – In addition to benefitting future studies in education, camp experience can be very applicable to future job opportunities like babysitting, nannying, and opportunities abroad as an au pair.
• Room & Board for 10 weeks – Your summer salary includes lodging and meals for the duration of your work contract (these are not additionally deducted from your paychecks).

International Staff Opportunities

Camp Nor’wester is always looking for qualified international staff because they can add a unique dimension to our summer program. Cultural exchange has been a focus of our philosophy since Frank Henderson founded camp in 1935. We typically hire 8-10 staff from outside the US each summer, and providing an opportunity for them to learn and grow from working with children in the US is important to our history and mission as well.

Please contact our Program Director Harper McFadden at harper@norwester.org to start the application process. If we determine that we have a position to offer you, we will work with an international staffing agency to help secure the visa that you will need to work in the United States. We look forward to discussing the possibilities with you.