Activity Specialist Summer Jobs at Camp

Share your passion and teach a skill you love at camp—no certifications required, just your experience and enthusiasm!

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Your Role

As an Activity Specialists you will teach children of all ages your particular skill/specialty program area. This activity could be anything from dance instructor, to archery and horseback riding. As part of your role, you have to find a way to engage the campers in your lessons while keeping them fun! Activities is what makes camp an exciting place for campers. They can learn new skills and have a sense of accomplishment with you as their guide. Activity Specialists may share cabins with campers and other Counsellors, or stay at a staff cabin with fellow instructors.

Your Impact

When working as an Activity Specialist, you have the freedom to plan and lead your own program. This will be an incredible experience that will make you confident in working with children which could be applied for other roles in the future. As part of your role, you'll have to understand what different campers require and provide individual support when needed. It's important for you to boost kids' confidence and act as a true leader while helping them develop and grow this skill.

Why Should You Work as an Activity Specialist?

Working at a Canadian summer camp is an extraordinary experience that will allow you to improve various skills such as leadership, problem solving, and behavior management strategies. Activity Specialists learn how to adapt to different situations, and need to be open to helping campers on their low points. Seeing the campers succeed more than they ever thought they possibly could will be one of the most rewarding experiences you'll ever have!

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The best thing about being an Activity Specialist is that you get to run a really fun program and interact with all the campers, without having to keep track of a specific set of kids. Canoe tripping, has given me the opportunity to better get to know campers & counsellors I took on trip. Sleeping in tents, portaging canoes & swimming in some of the most wild & beautiful spots in the country - and being paid to do so is incredible! I’ve learned so much from my summers at camp, both the hard skills (tying knots, making fires) and soft skills (managing a group, conflict resolution & de-escalation techniques) that I can take with me moving forward in life and my future career.

Nikki

Canoe Tripper Leader

FAQs

I don't have qualifications within my activity, do I need qualifications to lead an activity?

Short answer - it might not be a problem. For most activities, you won't need any particular qualifications to teach your activity at camp. For others, we may be able to provide training before camp starts - you'll still need a decent amount of experience in your activity, but we'll make sure you're ready before the campers start arriving. The best thing to do is apply for the role you want, and if it doesn't work out, you may be able to lock down a similar role. Whatever you end up doing, you'll still be fully trained for camp!

Do I still get days off?

Of course! Everyone needs time to recharge their batteries after an exciting but hectic week at camp, as well as the opportunity to explore the local area and further afield. Most camps will give you a 24-hour block of free time every week, whilst some others provide 2-4 days off in a row every few weeks. It's advised that you ask camps during your interviews about their day off policies.

Should I be an activity specialist or a general counselor?

Today's your lucky day - you've just stumbled upon one of the least-known summer camp application hacks out there. Ready? Here it is - on average, activity specialist roles are the most available, yet least applied for roles at camp. If you apply for one of these roles, you're giving yourself a great opportunity to work in a position you love.

Ready to get started?

Apply now