A general counselor will usually spend most of the day with his or her charges, escorting them to various activities, such as scheduled swimming or sporting lessons. At some camps, while the campers are participating in a particular activity that a specialty counselor supervises, the general counselor might be offered a free period during that time. At other camps, or for particular activities, the general counselor will be expected to participate and help supervise.
General counselors usually spend mealtimes with their charges, dining at the same table, supervising behavior as well as contributing to the overall fun atmosphere camps strive to foster.
General counselors, especially those with young children as charges, will also supervise taking trips to the showers and toilet facilities, dressing, making beds, gathering clothes for the laundry, and various other day-to-day tasks of living.
Night-duty schedules at resident camps will vary from camp to camp, but general counselors should expect to be on hand several evenings a week, if not most evenings, to supervise their own charges, as well as the charges of other counselors during nights off.
Scheduling
Days and other periods off will vary from camp to camp. But in general counselors should not expect a lot of free time during their seasonal job.
Day camps usually operate on a Monday through Friday basis, giving the counselor his or her weekends and evenings free. Duties would generally be the same during the day for day camp counselors as for resident counselors, with the possible added responsibility of supervising transportation to and from the camp. This means that counselors will have to account for all their charges getting on and off the camp buses.
Salaries for General Counselors
Salaries are far from glamorous for camp counselors. Day camp counselors can be paid an hourly rate, sometimes just the minimum wage or slightly above that, or given a flat fee for the summer.
Counselors at overnight camps will be provided with free room and board in addition to their summer salary, which can run anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 for the season.
Firsthand Accounts
The best way to get a good idea of what it would be like as a general counselor is to hear it from those who have had the experience. The following firsthand accounts will give you a good look at life as a general counselor.
Ellen Raphaeli, General Counselor, spent one summer three-week sessions and a one-week orientation period at Camp Kingswood in Bridgton, Maine.
What Drew Ellen to Camp Work
"I was twenty years old, in the process of transferring out of state for my junior year of college. Since my senior year of high school, I had been working while going to school, and I decided that I wanted to spend this particular summer doing something fun. I had never been to overnight camp as a kid, only to day camp for a few weeks when I was seven, but I had found it all terrifying--the kids, the counselors, and the lake, which smelled like rusty metal. I finally convinced my parents that it wasn't worth having me throw up every morning just to give me an experience I was determined not to have.
"But at twenty, I was ready for camp. I liked kids. And I figured that a summer like this would help me unwind."
How Ellen Got Her Job
"My initial intention had been to work at a day camp. There was a day camp sponsored by the local Jewish Community Center, and I thought that would be convenient. I applied for the overnight camp job at Kingswood only because I did not get the day camp job. I filled out a form, I was interviewed, and I got the job."
The Skills Ellen Brought to the Job
"On my application I said something about my swimming (I was a pretty good swimmer) and that I played the guitar. During the course of the summer, though, I was able to call on a lot of little skills. I knew enough about sketching to take my kids on sketch trips; I knew enough about fencing to pull out some fencing masks that I found in the sports shed and let the kids parry a bit. Another counselor and I organized the unit musical shows- she did the drama and I did the music.
"All counselors worked in some capacity at the waterfront, too, and I taught the intermediate swimmers.
"But, in retrospect, I think my main qualifications were the fact that I really liked kids and the fact that having never been to camp, I was not jaded. There were three counselors who quit at the end of the first session out of disgust at what they saw as the lack of the kind of facilities they expected from a camp. But for me it was all new. I learned to canoe; I sort of learned something about archery. I got to tell ghost stories at night and make twelve-year-olds scream; and I got to sit in the semi-dark with a few of my peers and talk about hopes and dreams and fears."
Ellen's Duties
"Essentially, I was responsible for the five girls in my bunk. I got them up in the morning, tucked them in at night, and guided them through their activities for the day.
'The exceptions were when they were in their swim groups at the waterfront. That's when I had a period off.
"We had a period off each day. Usually three bunks participated in activities together. During some activities two counselors would supervise the three bunks, giving the third counselor an hour or so to read or sleep or write letters or swim.
"A typical day was getting up at reveille, marching to the waterfront to raise the flag, and then going into breakfast. Then there were the activities of the day--some with specialty counselors (arts and crafts, waterfront), but many based on whatever a bunk counselor or a group of three counselors could cook up."
The Upsides
"I still think of that summer as one of the best summers of my life. I enjoyed the camp activities, I enjoyed my fellow counselors, and I enjoyed company with the campers.
"And there are moments I still remember. A kid from another bunk crying in the washroom on her first night there. She'd been crying in her bunk, apparently, but her counselor had told her to go wash her face and get herself together. 'What's wrong,' I asked. She'd never been away from home before, she said. Neither had I, I told her. We talked about the difficulties of being away from home for the first time and decided we'd both get through it somehow. She stopped crying, washed her face, gave me a kiss, and ran back to her bunk. I guess that, in general, I tried to do for the campers directly or indirectly in my care what I would have liked someone to have done for me when I was seven and terrified of day camp."
Carol Montague, General Counselor
Carol Montague spent four summers working at various over-night camps in Texas, including a Girl Scout camp and a YWCA camp.
How Carol Got Started
"I started going to camp as a camper in 1971. When I was six-teen in 1978, I entered the CIT (counselor-in-training) program at the camp. Training was two years, four weeks each summer.
"You don't have to have the CIT training I had to be a counselor, though. If you're old enough, you just apply to the organization that owns the camp where you want to work. As for the swimming, you do have to be trained. Most camps prefer the Red Cross training rather than the YMCA training. I've had both, but neither is current any longer."
What the Work Was Like
"As a counselor, I did double duty. I had a cabin of kids and I taught swimming.
"Every camp is different. Most deal with nature. The camps along the Brazos River stand mostly on sandstone, covered with oak and white mountain cedar trees. And, of course, it's hot in Texas in the summer. But the facilities differ quite a bit. A typical day, remember, lasts all day, not just eight hours. The morning (after breakfast) is spent taking classes. The afternoon, immediately after lunch, is a two-hour rest period. Then free swim and an afternoon activity. After dinner, another activity. At the larger camps, activities alternate between involving just single cabins, sections (divided by age), or all camp activities. Once a week there is also a cook out.
"Activities include swimming, horseback riding, arts and crafts, hiking, canoeing, sports and games, archery, nature studies, and more.
'There is something going on all the time, so it never gets boring unless the activity itself is one you don't enjoy. However, it can get tiring. Counselors are generally allowed two hours a day away from their kids while another counselor looks after them. At one of the camps where I worked, we were not allowed off the grounds during those hours. At another, we were."
The Downsides
"For me, there was more pressure to the job than I expected. For one thing, as the kids change every week or two, you face a new set of problems. One camper, I recall, opened up to me, telling me the terrible situation she had at home.
"Some kids can become attached to a counselor and cause them trouble after camp, finding their telephone number and, sometimes, calling them to excess. It's happened. But many camps have the counselors choose nicknames so the real name is not known to the camper.
"Sometimes you may find you have a problem with another counselor. I did. My kids were accused of doing something I knew they didn't do. The counselor who accused them would not relent. A week later, she went AWOL.
"The worst part was burnout. To help with that, one camp allowed me one week during which I only taught swim lessons. Also, kids with problems are draining on counselors."
The Upsides
'The thing I liked most was teaching the kids. I also enjoyed joining the kids in activities."
Advice from Carol
"Be a camper before you're a counselor. Those who are campers, I think, have a great advantage over those who are not. Campers see how counselors work. They get an idea of what is involved.
"Barring that, it might be helpful to find some volunteer work dealing with children. Whatever you do, don't lose your temper with any child. You'll lose your job in a hurry that way. You must like working with kids.
"Also, most applicants for counselor jobs will need to be at least somewhat competent to teach one or more of the activities offered at camp."
Angie Hall, General Counselor
Angie Hall has had nine years experience as a camper. She works at Camp Tygart, an overnight camp in West Virginia. He became a CIT there and a full counselor later when she graduated from high school.
How Angie Got Her Job
"I have just graduated from high school and I am going on to college. I have been attending this camp for nine years now, and I always wanted to be a counselor. I worked my way up from being a special camper who does all of the dishes and general cleaning of the camp, to a counselor-in-training between my junior and senior years of high school, to being a full counselor this summer. I got this job because I was associated with the camp for so many years."
What the Camp Is Like
"It is an overnight camp, where children stay for a week at a time. It runs for four weeks with a one-week orientation period. The children go hiking, camping, horseback riding, and swimming; play tennis and softball; go canoeing and fishing; and practice archery.
'The ages of the children who attend this camp run from seven to fifteen. I get to participate with the campers in a lot of activities. When I work at the horses, we saddle them up and teach the children a little about the parts of a saddle; we show them how to actually saddle and ride a horse.
"With the younger children we walk them around the field on a horse, but with the older children we take them on a thirty- to forty-five-minute trail ride. Usually one counselor is at the front of the line and another is at the end.
"When we play tennis, we feed the children some forehands and backhands and help the children where help is needed. Basically, we teach them skills while they are having fun.
'There is also hiking and camping on Cheat Mountain for the older children. They can go on either a two-day or a three-day trail. Sometimes there is an overnight horse trail or an overnight canoe trail. The younger children also go on overnight trips, but they do not hike as far as the older children.
"Along with hiking and camping, the children also do arts and crafts, tennis, field sports, cooperative sports, and nature study."
A Typical Day
'The day begins with dorm inspection at 8:40 A.M. Breakfast begins at 9:00 and is followed by flag ceremony. Then the first activity period begins. In the morning there are two activity periods, each an hour long.
"After the two periods there is general swim for forty-five minutes. It is followed by lunch and then a rest period.
"After rest period we have canteen, where the children can get a soda and a snack. Then there are two more activity periods, followed by another general swim, and then dinner.
"After dinner the children get to choose their activity, usually swimming, field sports, tennis, or fishing. Then there's another canteen and the evening flag ceremony.
"Afterwards there is a short vespers, and then it is bedtime for the younger children and gym time for the older children.
"It is real busy. The workday goes from 8:30 in the morning until 10:15 at night, when the older children go to bed. But it is the best experience a person can have.
'The downside is that you are so busy that there is very little time for yourself, but that is also a good thing.
"You also make the best friends you'd ever want to have."
Days Off
"As far as time off goes, we spend one week in the dorms where the children sleep and that week we get very little time off. Other than that, we are allowed to do whatever we please after 10:30 P.M., as long as we stay on the property.
"On Saturdays we have to clean out the dorms, and at noon we are done. We do not have to be back on the property until mid-night."
Salary
"We start out at $135 a week, with $100 during orientation week. There is also a $10 raise each season you work."
Advice from Angie
"You need to have a lot of patience and a love for children, as well as tons of energy. You also need to be able to work cooperatively with others."
