Counselors at Camp Alleghany for Girls
Working at Camp will be the best job you’ve ever had and may ever have. It’s hard work, but well worth it. Make new friendships that will last a lifetime. Connect with coworkers and campers in meaningful ways. Be a mentor and a friend to the young women who will continue to change the world. Empower yourself and others, because “empowered women empower women.” Is Camp Alleghany the right place for me as a counselor?
Mandatory Dates
Counselors must be able to work the entire summer. Applicants can contact Program Director Stephanie Astley with specific time-off requests for graduations or college orientations that conflict with our mandatory dates.
2025 Summer Dates for Staff: June 8 – August 2
Head Counselors arrive June 5
International Staff arrive June 7
Domestic Counselors Arrive June 8
Application Process
JC Applications open on September 1st and are due by December 1st We begin accepting applications for counselor and leadership positions on September 1st on a rolling basis. Interview via video call within two weeks of submitting your application and apply early to insure you secure your first choice position! If you think you have what it takes to make a difference at Alleghany, apply now!
Training and Professional Development
All staff participate in our mandatory training program, including certification in First Aid and CPR if you’re not currently certified. Training is designed to give you the skills that will help you succeed throughout the summer and is in alignment with the American Camp Association’s standards and expectations.
During training, each staff member receives specific training for the activities she’ll teach that summer. Applicants with other certifications are eagerly welcomed including Lifeguard, Wilderness First Aid, Ropes/Challenge Course Facilitator, and Rifle Instructor.
During the summer we also hold supplemental In-Services for staff. These professional development events have included resume workshops, outside speakers from various industries, budgeting workshops, and more. We also send able and interested staff to a one-day Camp Con in Falls Church, Virgina, held each year for frontline camp staff.
Working at Camp is a proven way to build your resume and gain an array of marketable skills that easily translate to any field or profession — skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, flexibility, leadership, event planning, lesson planning, public speaking, and so much more!
Policies & Expectations
In taking care of children, and setting an exceptional example for them, we hold extremely high expectations for our counselors’ personal conduct both onsite and during off hours. Please read through our policies and expectations to ensure you are ready to commit to being a ‘Ghany Girl.
Current Staff Forms
Once you’ve been hired to work at Camp Alleghany you’ll need to fill out all of the following forms in a timely manner. All of the required form are available through your CampMinder Account. Questions? Contact Our Program Director Stephanie Astley.
- Staff Policies
- Staff Health Form
- Staff Health History
- Staff Health Policy
- Chain of Responsibility
- What to Pack
- Staff Reference Form
Fully Connected Camp
Retreat-based summer camps — that is, camps “away” from the hustle and bustle of life, and situated in nature for the purpose of connecting with nature, — have been a part of American culture since about the 1870s. Our camp itself is nearly 100 years old with our anniversary in 2022!
As a Fully Connected camp, we recognize the same need that people saw over 100 years ago to take time to slow down, retreat from everyday modern life, seek nourishment from the natural world, and really embrace the culture of a special camp place, is every bit as potent a need today as it was back then.
In fact, with the proliferation of cell phones, and the hyper-plugged-in realm of social media, we’d argue that this need may be even more urgent today.
It’s for that reason that we want applicants to understand that working at Camp Alleghany means that being Fully Connected is being fully connected to camp, and not to the outside world. We’re a cell phone-free, Internet-free, e-device-free girls summer camp for our campers and staff.
We love Being Fully Connected
The beauty of being Fully Connected is that we’re entering into our camp world committed to working closely and in a supportive way with one another. We’re committed to seeing each other face to face, talking and dialoguing about our work and camp needs, resting into place and simply being fully present and alive to that process in an open-minded, open-hearted way. We know that it brings out the best in us in our work!
We want our staff to see their time at camp not simply as a summer job, but also as a time for personal self-renewal, reflection, and deep connection to others with and through Mother Nature.
Of course we allow cell phones during days off and time off, just not during breaks on regular work days. If this is an approach that you, too, are looking for in order to find balance and a deeper connection to yourself and others, then Camp Alleghany for Girls might be just the summer job for you.