All staff are required to hold current certifications in First Aid and CPR, from either American Red Cross or American Heart Association.

Unit Leaders are required to be either Wilderness First Aid or Lifeguard certified.

Waterfront Staff must be Lifeguard certified.

Trip Leaders must have at least a current Wilderness First Aid certification (Wilderness First Responder preferred).

We encourage all staff to consider advanced certifications like Wilderness First Aid or Lifeguarding, and we offer pre-camp trainings in WFA (June 8-9) and Lifeguarding (June 8-11). Wilderness First Responder is also a great course, especially for those likely going on trips.

We provide certification stipends for staff that take certification courses outside of camp.

We have a 10+ day Staff Training prior to campers arriving.

A large part of the time is spent in seminars and practice sessions, where staff members receive information on camp policies and practices as well as get practical training in emergency response, age group characteristics, and conflict resolution.

Department staff will be trained and evaluated on their respective skills and Unit Staff will receive in-depth training on group management. In addition, the time is used to set up camp, get program areas ready, and get supplies and equipment out of storage.

Community development within the staff is also a large focus, including compassionate communication practice and giving feedback, so we all know each other and are ready to welcome campers on a similar foundation of understanding of the philosophies and values of Nor’wester.

We are located on Johns Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The islands are approximately 70 miles north of Seattle. Johns Island is a small non-ferry served island, just east of Stuart Island and north of Spieden Island.

Our camp boats go in and out of Roche Harbor, which is about 3.5 miles from Camp on the north end of San Juan Island. This is where staff are dropped off for Time Off, where staff can park their cars, and where Camp runs errands and picks up mail. On San Juan Island, is the town of Friday Harbor (the closest town to Camp).

Whether you’re flying from across the country or driving up from Seattle, all staff are responsible for getting to the Anacortes Ferry Terminal in time to board the designated ferry on the first day of their contract. There will likely be other staff (new and returning) on that same ferry, carrying their trunks and luggage with them. We try to help people connect ahead of time to make carpool plans – use the pre-summer staff forums for this.

Once the ferry reaches Friday Harbor, staff drivers will head up to Roche in time to unload, park and meet the barge to camp. Walk-on passengers will be met by a camp representative at the ferry terminal and will ride in a camp van to Roche. Then we all get on the barge or boat for the 30-minute ride to camp!

Typically less than 30% of staff bring cars to camp. If you do, you’ll be parking your car for the summer at Roche Harbor, on the north end of San Juan Island, since the camp property is only accessible by boat. On time-off, you can use your car to get around San Juan, and everyone is willing to give others a ride to and from town. There is a free parking lot just over a mile walk from Roche Harbor, or staff can pay for parking (arranged directly with Roche Harbor, not through Camp).

About 50% of our campers come from Washington State, 20% from Oregon, 10% from California with the remainder coming from across the United States and international countries.

Staff members are more diverse geographically. Many past campers who return as staff will come from Washington, Oregon, and other parts of the West Coast, but we hire staff from all over the country and usually 18 or more International Staff each year.

In general, the day begins at around 7:00am and ends around 10:00pm. Everyone comes to breakfast at 8:00am and morning activities start at 10:00am. There are two one-hour activity periods in the morning, lunch at 12:30, a rest period from 1:30ish to 2:30, followed by either 3 one-hour, or 2 ninety-minute activity periods. Dinner is at 6:00pm and evening activities begin around 7:30pm.

Unit Leaders attend daytime activities with their unit, while Department Staff provide instruction to the various units coming to their department. All staff help with supervision at meal times, and evening activities are supervised by a combination of Unit and Department Staff..

At Nor’wester, all camper units go on weekly overnights, and staff play a key role in making these a memorable part of the camp experience. All staff, except Support Staff, will go out on overnights. Unit Leaders will go on all overnights with their unit, and Department and Program Staff will rotate through overnights as well. Overnights involve packing up your backpack, camping out for a night, sleeping under a tarp shelter (or sometimes under the stars), cooking meals over a fire, and teaching campers essential outdoor skills. It’s a great opportunity to build relationships and enjoy a night in a beautiful location.

In addition to weekly overnights, our older campers also go on longer 4- or 5-day trips. These trips vary and include activities like backpacking, bike touring, kayaking, and sailing. Select staff will go out on extended Trips. Trip Leaders, Unit Leaders for the units going on these extended trips, and Department and Program Staff with relevant outdoor skills and experience will be assigned to these trips to support the adventure. These trips are a chance to go deeper into the outdoors, challenge yourself, and help campers develop new skills in unique environments.

If you are interested in bring staff on trips let us know during your hiring and we can talk through what positions are best as well as necessary certifications.

For more information visit the Trips & Overnights section.

Working and living at camp is a very demanding effort that requires a lot from all of us.

All staff receive a day off during Staff Training, three 24-hour time off period during each camper sessions and Changeover, a 48-hour period of time off between the sessions. Staff get to sign up for which days during the session they want to take off, within a series of constraints based on their position (such we can’t have the whole kitchen on time off at once and you can’t take off when you’re schedule to be out on a trip). We have a whole process for signing up, which we will walk everyone through during Staff Training.

Each staff member also has at least an hour and half break period during each workday. In addition, there is a schedule of supervisory duties for each staff living in a unit, to cover rest-hours (after lunch) and night time supervision each day. The frequency of these duties depends on your position, but you will cover a few each, each week.

Time Off typically means taking a boat shuttle driven by our skippers from camp on Johns to Roche Harbor on nearby San Juan Island. Staff share rides to and from the town of Friday Harbor and we also offer free tickets for the shuttle service on San Juan Island through San Juan Transit.

In the town of Friday Harbor, Nor'wester owns a house, called Argyle House, for staff to stay at on their Time Off. With bunk beds, hot showering, fast reliable internet, and a kitchen to cook in it's a great place to relax and recharge.

Explore Friday Harbor, buy some “necessary” treats at the grocery store, check out the thrift stores, see a movie or spend the afternoon on one of the island’s beautiful beaches. We hope time off is helpful to you – mentally and physically – so that you can return to camp ready to be back “on” with campers.

One of the best perks at Nor’wester is getting to live outdoors!

Almost all staff will be assigned to live with one of the camper units, and will have supervisory duties to that unit from time to time. Each unit has typically 3-5 camper tents and 2 tents of staff. Most staff tents will house three staff from a variety of different positions at camp. Unit Leaders will live with their unit and Department and Program Staff will be assigned to live with a unit as their 'home base.'

You will have your own bed frame, mattress with mattress cover provided. All US based staff are responsible for bringing their own bedding, international staff have their bedding provided by Camp. Most staff use their sleeping bags; some bring a fitted sheet or light blankets as well. Weather is pretty moderate in the San Juans in the summer overall – temps cooler in June but warm up to the 80s daily in July and August.

We all arrange our belongings differently – some keep everything in their trunks, others build shelves or hang items with hangers or fabric closet organizers. Again, use the pre-summer staff forums for suggestions.

Laundry facilities are available on island – there is no charge and laundry detergent is provided.

We have two showerhouses with shower stalls, sinks, and cubbies to store toiletries and hang towels. Water for showers is heated by wood stoves behind each showerhouse. It’s a community effort to keep those fires going, but sometimes across the summer we all end up taking a couple cool/cold showers. Camp provides shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in all showers for anyone in the community to use! Both showerhouse are open and used by staff and campers of all genders.

The weather in the San Juan Islands can vary quite a bit, especially early in the season. During staff training in June, you should be prepared for cooler, cloudy, and sometimes rainy days. Temperatures often range from mid-50s to low 70s °F (13°C to 21°C), but mornings and evenings can feel especially chilly. Rain is common, so having a waterproof jacket or rain gear will be essential to staying comfortable during this time.

As July and August approach, the weather becomes more consistent, with warmer temperatures during the day. Throughout the summer, you’ll notice big temperature swings, sometimes within the same day. It’s not unusual for mornings to be cool and cloudy, warming up to 70s to low 80s °F (24°C to 29°C) by midday, and then cooling down again to around 50s to low 60s °F (10°C to 15°C) in the evenings. You might even find that different parts of the camp feel very different at the same time—one area could be sunny and warm, while another spot might be cooler due to shade or a breeze.

It's important to pack a variety of clothing to handle this wide range of conditions, including lighter layers for warmer parts of the day and cozy jackets or fleece for cooler mornings and evenings.

Camp Nor’wester is a technology-free experience for our campers and a great chance to “unplug” for staff!

Staff may bring their personal devices such as phones and laptops but they must be stored in staff-only spaces and they may only be accessed when staff are not on duty. Staff are not to keep phones on or with them when on duty.

Camp has satellite internet service in the summer office. Staff are able to use camp laptops to access that WiFi. In another staff-only space), staff can connect personal devices to a staff-only WiFi network. Because of our remote island location, Camp’s internet is not the fastest or most reliable at times. If there is a need for special internet use, such as for school or a post-summer job opportunity, we can work out special access to the office internet as needed.

Meal times are very important at Nor'wester. As a community we eat all of our meals together in our Lodge and all staff sit at table's with campers (typically two staff and five or six campers per table). We eat meals 'family style,' with only one person getting up from the table to get things from the kitchen, passing everything around the table, and chatting and catching up with table.

The camp provides all food for staff, except when you are off-island for Time Off. A typical day might be eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast, ham or turkey sandwiches for lunch, and veggie stir fry for dinner with brownies for dessert.

Our kitchen works hard to accommodate dietary restrictions and will have vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, diary-free alternatives at each meal.