Counselor Requirements and Expectations

Requirements

Camp Alleghany for Girls abides by the following application and screening processes for all applicants:

Application Process

To apply for a job with Camp Alleghany read all the information below before clicking the APPLY button at the bottom of the page. Knowing the information on this page is essential to your application.

Dates: As stated on our dates page, we hire seasonal staff for the entire summer season. If you’re unavailable for any significant portion of the contract dates, please do not apply.
Eligibility: All applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States. (US citizen or appropriate work visa.)
References: All online applications come directly to the Camp Alleghany Office. ONLY NEW APPLICANTS need to list references. Those references will automatically receive an email requesting their completion of an online reference form.
Questions: Please direct any questions about summer employment to Casey Tucker, Program Director.

NOTE: Camp Alleghany is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or age.

New applicants (Junior Counselors and new counselors)

After reading this page, you’ll fill out an application and set up a personal CampInTouch account with CampMinder. Applicants must submit names and contact information for three references for applications to be considered complete.

REFERENCES: A minimum of three references is required for new Camp Alleghany counselor applicants. References should not be related to you, the same age as you, or live in the same house.

Returning Staff Applicants

After reading this entire page for the latest employment requirement updates, please log in to your CampInTouch account and fill out a Returning Staff application.

All APPLICANTS: Work History & Background Checks

Work History: Please list work history in order starting with the most recent. Fill out as completely as possible. Former employers may be contacted to verify employment.

Background Checks: All staff are required by the American Camp Association (ACA) to have an annual background check prior to beginning work with children. If expected to drive camp vehicles, an insurance company driver license review is also required. As part of the pre-employment screening process, you might also be expected to pass a drug test. You can find more information about the importance of drug screening tests when working with vulnerable individuals by visiting the Countrywide Testing website.

Personal Interviews: Personal interviews are normally face-to-face interviews or via Skype/FaceTime. Interviews are conducted by one of the camp directors or their designated representative.

Certifications

Because Camp Alleghany is an American Camp Association accredited camp, certifications must be recognized by the ACA to be considered valid. Valid certifications MUST list one of the following sources on the certification card itself. Please consult this list for approved ACA certification providers.

Copies of certification cards are required to be on file in the camp office during employment.

ALL STAFF: All staff will be certified in CPR/AED and First Aid during Staff Training week, if you don’t already have that certification.

Waterfront Staff (Canoeing and Swimming): To work in these areas of camp you MUST hold current certifications in open-water life guarding or life guarding. You may acquire this certification after you are hired.

Ropes Course Staff: Opportunities to be trained to teach Ropes Course are available on site during Staff Training week.

Rifle Staff: All Rifle instructors will undergo 20 hours of NRA-certified Rifle School instruction during Staff Training, and may have to arrive a few days earlier than the rest of the staff if you wish to work in this department. Check your dates.

Time Off During Camp

During a three-week Term Camp session time off from camp is as follows:

Counselors: One full day off (10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) per week beginning 1st Term. Additional time off given during Staff Training and Mini Camp. All counselors may have up to 2-3 hours “off duty” on site per day.
Head Counselors: Time off varies during the sessions. You will consult with your supervisors on this.
All Counselors: There’s a roughly 8-hour time off break between the two three-week Term Camp sessions (called Changeover).

Staff Training

Staff training is one of the most important and valuable investments that Camp Alleghany makes in its employees. Staff training is a mandatory one-week training and orientation period at the beginning of each summer for all seasonal/summer staff.

What is taught and learned during the Staff Training week is in alignment with the American Camp Association’s standards and expectations for counselor training.

Staff Training week includes, but is not limited to:

Instruction/training in the rules and procedures for being a tent counselor.
Instruction/training in the rules and procedures of the Activity Departments.
How to design lessons to suit each activity, along with basic child development knowledge, so that each lesson is age appropriate.
Training in positive communication with campers, to foster personal growth in each camper.
Training in specific areas of communication, such as homesickness, discipline, sensitive issues, and more.
Health and Wellness, as well as basic first aid, covered by the medical staff.
CPR certification.
Team building exercises.
Specific camp rules, schedules, and expectations.
Training in specific program areas (Rifle, Ropes, etc).
Bonding activities for the counselors to get to know each other better and build community.
FUN!

All training materials are ACA approved, with specific material credited to camp industry experts Michael Brandwein and Bob Ditter. Additionally, two of Alleghany’s directors have earned education degrees and will impart their experience, skills and knowledge of child behavior and development to the counselors when appropriate or necessary.

To supplement your skills, hired counselors are encouraged, if possible, to attend the one-day Camp Con conference in the Washington DC-area held in late spring. This worthwhile event focuses on programming and games with campers and is an invaluable resource toward becoming the best, most informed counselor you can be. (Camp Alleghany will pay for the registration fee for any counselor who attends).

Essential Functions

Staff members must be able to perform the essential functions of their job. Specific job duties require several prolonged physical and mental challenges throughout the 24-hour day. Essential functions include but are not limited to:

Reading written documentation both on paper and on screen.
Listening to and comprehending oral communication.
Effectively communicating in both verbal and written communications.
Going long periods of time without electronic devices – phone, Internet, etc.
Working several days in a row, sometimes with little rest.
Working with and having patience for children for up to 24 hours a day.
Being comfortable and working effectively in an outdoor or natural setting.
Being able to complete moderate hikes daily with campers.
Lifting and carrying up to seventy-five (75) pounds.
Making decisions in high-stress situations.
Functioning and thriving in a community with very little personal space.
Coping with interrupted sleep both in energy levels and health management.
Respecting and obeying authority, including following reasonable work orders. Camp authority includes but is not limited to our Camp Directors, Staff Heads (such as Kitchen and Facilities, etc.), and even supervisors in a close age relationship to you who are empowered with camp leadership positions that must be respected and followed.
Living and working with other people up to twenty-four (24) hours a day.
Utilizing discretion when faced with sensitive issues.
Maintaining personal hygiene and health (bathe, eat, use the restroom) without assistance of others.
Caring for and supervising children with various physical and emotional stressors throughout the 24-hour cycle.
Tolerating extremes of temperature, hydration, and humidity.
Exposure to insects, wildlife, sun, allergens, and wind.
Exposure to communicable illness, such as viral and bacterial diseases common among groups in group housing.
Changes in schedule and routine, as well as eating a diet different from the individual’s usual and customary diet.

Dietary Restrictions

Accommodations are made for employees with food allergies and dietary restrictions. Employees may supplement meals with personal food if they wish. Clearly labeled personal food may be stored in the camp kitchen.

Activity Teaching Preferences

Camp Alleghany strives to offer a wide range of activity choices as well as expert instructors. All staff receives activity specific training during Staff Training. Employees should be prepared to have two or three activities they specialize in and to work in those areas the entire summer, understanding that first choices are not guaranteed. Being flexible is extremely important in ensuring that proper supervision ratios are maintained for the safety of all campers participating in the activities.

Camp Alleghany’s Expectations of Counselors

The following is the list of Camp Alleghany’s expectations of all our employees. This should be the first document you consult when considering your counselor application. After reading these, if you feel you can adhere to these expectations, then please proceed to the application process.

Rules and Policies

1. We expect our counselors to honor the Counselor Policies, including:
  a. Honor Code
  b. Counselor Code of Conduct
  c. No Gossip Policy
  d. Drinking and Drugs Policy
  e. Staff Training and Time Off Policy
  f. Counselor Contract
2. We expect our counselors to turn in anyone in violation of any of the above policies; otherwise we will consider that counselor in violation of the policy as well.
3. We expect our counselors to turn in their health forms before arriving at camp. International counselors may scan their forms and email them, or turn them in immediately on arrival.
4. We expect our counselors to complete online staff training assignments before arriving at camp.
5. We expect our counselors to read the entire Counselor Handbook and refer to it initially when they have questions. Ignorance of the Handbook is not an acceptable excuse for not adhering to Alleghany’s rules, and counselors should counselors ask questions when they don’t know or can’t find the answer, rather than doing nothing.
6. We expect our counselors to take pride in Camp Alleghany by being responsible for picking up any lost and found or trash they see, keeping their tents and departments clean, and cleaning up after any events that they supervise.
7. We expect our counselors to keep their cell phone, iPad, and any other device that has videos or internet in the Counselors’ Lodge at all times, never taking it anywhere else in camp. JCs are also permitted to keep electronics in the Purple Palace.
8. We expect our counselors to wear the appropriate clothing and apparel – closed-toed shoes at all designated times, and appropriate clothing that is not revealing, in order to set a good example for campers.
9. We expect our counselors to value their public appearance and the image they represent as Camp Alleghany staff at the following times (but not limited to just these times):
  a. Online
  b. In town
  c. Wearing camp clothing / carrying camp apparel or anything with the Alleghany logo
  d. Representing themselves in written communication to parents

Attitude and Development

We expect our counselors to understand that there are certain things, due to privacy and privacy laws, that they may not be able to know. If a camper or a counselor has to leave camp for a medical reason or any other reason, we expect our counselors to understand that they may not know the reason the person had to leave. We also expect our counselors not to complain about not being told all of the details.
We expect our counselors to come to camp with a desire to grow personally, and to be open to feedback, which they will then use as a way to grow and improve their performance in their position.
We expect our counselors to actively cultivate a positive attitude, and strive towards giving their all in any situation.
We expect our counselors to show respect at all times to their colleagues at camp.
We expect our counselors to be adaptable, and accept that we work in the outdoors, with no air conditioning, in varying and uncontrollable weather conditions.
We expect our counselors to be flexible, and willing to spend some of their free time with their campers. Counselor free time is there for counselors if needed, but the expectation is that you will also appreciate the value of spending time with your campers, and make the effort to do so.
We expect our counselors to understand that attitude, actions, and words affect the entire Alleghany community. Employees must be respectful to other staff members and campers at all times and must also embody the “Can Do” attitude and be willing to assist in any and all aspects of camp with a smile, even if they are outside of one’s specialty skills.

APPLY TODAY!

If you’ve read this far, and done so in a thorough manner, you may be just who we’re looking for. We also believe that your sense of clarity of what is expected from you makes us a good fit for you, too.

Being a camp counselor is one of the most important jobs you’ll ever have, because you’ll be caring for other people’s children, and helping those children grow into positive adults who will change the world for the better. Therefore, your answers on this application should reflect the kind of time and care and thoughtfulness that that kind of responsibility entails. If writing isn’t your strong suit, don’t worry, please ask someone to look over your application before you submit it. However, it is important that YOU do the work, not someone else.

If you’re ready to apply for the hardest job you’ll ever love, click below!

Apply or Re-apply to be a ‘Ghany Counselor

Save