Camp hiring teens - tips / ideas?
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Anonymous
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I really wasn't sure where to put this quesiton as it crosses a number of categories, so thought I'd try here.
My son applied to be a camp counselor at one of the larger DC-area companies that runs a number of camps, including one for soccer, to which he applied. He applied in April, had an very positive interview in April (he was asked about his soccer experience, and if he'd be able to work at a different location outside of DC and said yes), was told he'd get a call in two weeks, and has heard nothing since. He followed up once with an email still expressing interest. We've talked about a number of things that might be at play here - curious what others are experiencing: * is the economy for camps bad in the DC area given layoffs and rifs? Are camps not hiring as many kids, or enrollments slower/lower this year? (could he still get called?) * do soccer camps hire from kids who have previously attended, or have a long track record of attending every year? * Did he apply too late? Is this all settled in January/February? * should he do another follow up? * and I guess the biggest question - should he apply to any other camps? Anyone know of any hiring at this stage of the game? |
Anonymous
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My 20 year old college kid was hired back at his previous summer camp job two weeks ago. None of his internship applications, that he's started back in November, panned out. I think the DC area particularly has been hard hit by job cuts and hiring freezes, and there's a trickle down effect: some employees are taking jobs meant for college kids, and college kids are taking jobs meant for teens.
It has probably nothing to do with your kid and his abilities or how he presented himself, OP. Does he have work experience? My kid got his first experience getting paid by neighbors to do various yardwork, pet sitting, etc, and put that on his resume when applying at businesses. It's a little late but he should keep looking, in case someone declines a post. |
Anonymous
+1 I did take a look at our county website and they still have some camps hiring staff. So, start looking around and probably need to be willing to deal with a bit of a commute. |
Anonymous
| My neighbors kid and a friend both grew up going to CONGO camp, applied to be a CIT there and all was going well, talked about start dates, pay, etc but then BOTH got ghosted. Not sure what's going on. |
Anonymous
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Marymount University is looking for soccer camp counselors
https://marymount.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Careers/job/Girl-s-Soccer-Camp-Counselor-I_R3532-3 |
Anonymous
| Yeah, my college kid with some decent experience (previous summer job and on-campus job) has applied for probably 30 positions (retail, camps, food service, landscaping, etc.). He has had to do a couple video interviews and a couple in-person interviews, but he has not heard back from most. He has started to call and go back into places he applied to, but still nothing. |
Anonymous
| How old is he? Camps will hire all college-age counselors if they can before considering high schoolers. |
Anonymous
| Last year my DD had an easy time getting a counselor job. This year, she was hired (new camp) and then ghosted and eventually told they had enough. They had over hired. It sucked because she had been anticipating a job and stopped looking. |
Anonymous
| OP here just bumping this up - I was talking with some neighbors yesterday and they said their kid was also ghosted from a camp job that had seemed promising. Not sure if it's always this way or if camps are hurting this year with all the cuts and losses in the DC area. |
Anonymous
| Following for ideas |
Anonymous
There are literally thousands of parents out of work this summer. They may be worried about money and so aren't sending the kids to camp this year or maybe they took the government deal and are home being paid but figure they can entertain the kids themselves. I haven't seen any news about this affecting camp but I think it must. Meaning less kids, less counselors needed. |
Anonymous
| This is interesting to hear. My kids are still camp age but are doing fewer this year due to interest, my availability to be home more, and their ages. And, I said no to outdoor sports camps because the weather is too hot. I'm just one family, but I've heard similar things from others nearby. |
Anonymous
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Keep emailing. He can tell them he’s available for sick call-outs. Also, many college kids say they’re available all summer, then quite before the end because they want to chill and hang out with friends. So he might get late July or early August work if he keeps in close touch.
FWIW: my org runs camps in the DMV and we are down a little, not a lot, compared to last summer. Maybe 2-4 fewer counselors per week total. Which affects the younger HS counselors. |
Anonymous
My kids said no to an outdoor sports camp this year. They did one for their primary sport (which they adore) last year at the peak of the heat wave and it was just so miserable. |
Anonymous
Some parents have definitely pulled their kids out of camps when they lost their jobs, and perhaps some anticipate job loss and their preteens or younger teens who might have gone to camp are staying home or with family. Our youth orchestra runs a series of summer intensives that are usually fully booked as soon as registration opens, but this year they has open seats. Unheard of! If your kid doesn't find something, try not to worry, OP. Lots of kids are in the same situation. It won't be a deal-breaker moving forward. |