Preparing For Your Camp Interview
We’re so excited you want to join our summer team! Having a team that is ready and enthusiastic starts even at the very beginning with the interview. The interview for most people is the first interaction you will have with our camp and is a glimpse into how we think you will work this summer.
We hope this helps to prepare future staff for the interview and give understanding to what is coming in the hiring process. This way, you feel like you are as much in control as possible. You’ve applied to work at camp, and that’s perhaps the hardest part! This page is dedicated to helping you get ready for your interview and preparing you for a role as a Summer Camp Counselor/Staff. Please be sure to read this page in full.
*You should only be here if you have already applied to camp and have set up an interview with us.*
The Basics
Below you will find the basics of a camp job: Dates, Pay, and Time Off/On. We want you to know these basics before your interview to help you decide if we are the right fit for your summer. You may have already read all about these in the "Thinking About a Summer Job" section of our website.
Dates
Summer camp for our staff starts with staff training and goes through the Sunday after camp ends. In 2023, staff training will begin May 21st and the summer will conclude August 14th. We give preference to staff who are able to commit to this entire time frame to have consistency for our campers and camp program. Those who are not able to attend Staff Training in entirety are welcome to apply, but should know that their position may depend on their training time. Camp offically begins when our campers arrive and there will be 10 weeks of camp. On the last session of the summer, all campers will leave by noon on Saturday. Saturday afternoon and Sunday are camp wide clean up days, so all staff should prepare to leave camp no sooner than the Monday after camp ends.
Pay
A full summer's pay begins at $4000*. Most staff will also receive a $100 credit in our camp store! Also, keep in mind that while you are at camp, all meals and lodging are free; you aren’t driving to work; and you’re getting hands-on experience in a field that can boost your resume greatly. * International Staff contracts and pay vary depending on the agency and applicants individual agreement.
Daily Schedule & Time Off
A typical camp day begins about 7am and ends when campers go to bed at about 10pm. A traditional camp counselor can expect to be getting up with their campers in the morning and heading to breakfast; Throughout the day they would be leading activities around camp and meeting up with their campers between activities and for meals; After dinner, cabins gather for an all camp activity (evening activity) and end the day with wind-down chatting and games in the cabin. Staff have one scheduled day off every week. Staff also have two one-hour breaks every week day. Other days off (family vacation, school orientation, etc) must be approved prior to the summer.
Working at Camp
We’re a summer camp. This means that you must be willing and able to handle different children, being in the sun, exposure to bugs and the outdoors, and more!
Summer Camp counselors should be able to be enthusiastic, optimistic, and encouraging even in unenthusiastic, pessimistic, and discouraging times. Our days are long and our work is hard- but it's all for the kids. Our first priority is the selfless, kind role-modeling to a younger person that helps them have a good, safe, healthy, and enriching time at camp.
Camp is one of the most rewarding ways to spend your summer. It will be unlike anything else you’ve done before. You’re being paid to dress silly, sing camp songs, eat s’mores and make friendship bracelets. Yes...your job is much more in-depth than that and it isn’t always s’mores and smiles. But when all of your friends are bored at home or working a desk job or fetching their boss coffee, you will be teaching kids about animals, working with your campers to build a cardboard boat for an epic pirate-themed ship race, and watching kids face their fears on the Zipline. 'A Rewarding Job' is just the beginning.
We want to hire staff who understand that they are joining our team to help make a fantastic summer camp experience for children.
We’re excited to talk to you! We hope that reading this has made you more excited to work with us this summer as well! We look forward to getting to know you!
Goal of Camp
It’s our goal at camp to encourage a love of science, teach the difference between facts and opinions and maintain a respectful and welcoming environment. Cub Creek Science Camp is be a place where we model how to live in peace with one another, by modeling kindness and avoiding foolish arguments. Camp’s role is to help grow knowledge based on facts rather than on opinions. Many popular scientific opinions are often presented as unquestionable facts. This leads to disagreements based not on facts, but rather on one’s worldview. For this reason it is important that our staff are skilled at telling the difference between fact and opinion and you may be asked questions regarding this during your interview.
How do I set up an Interview?
Interviews with us are set up in Calendly. To get to our interview calendar you must have first filled out our application here . If we feel that you are a good fit for our team you will get the link to our calendar! We may first want to reach out to you to ask you some clarifying questions before sending you the interview link.
When will we talk about making this an Internship?
We are able to help all interested summer employees fulfill any necessary internship requirements! Because so many of our camp counselors have interest in the exact subjects that camp covers, we can either fulfill internship requirements or aid you in educational credits. You will be able to discuss this further in your interview and if you have not already done so, read more about this on our Internships page .
What if I need to reschedule my Interview?
You should be able to do that all in Calendly. But if you prefer, you can send an email to programs@cubcreeksciencecamp.com or call us at 573-458-2125 to cancel and reschedule. If possible, give us more than 24 hours notice. We are in the office Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm (central), so any emails or calls sent after 5 pm or on the weekend will be answered the next working/business day.
What if I have questions before my interview?
You are always welcome to send us an email prior to your interview if you have questions. But first, we suggest that if you have questions about the job, you read our staff manual or the website's staff pages. Both of those have lots of information that can help you prior to the interview. We then would like to be able to talk to you about any of your unanswered questions about camp during an interview. It gives us the chance to explain in detail or have a conversation about the question.
Having Trouble Finding the Answer to a Question?
We are here to help! If you're having trouble with any part of this process, just use the button to contact us!
Staff Manual
Have questions about camp or the role of being a Counselor? Read our Staff Manual! You can find a downloadable version via this button. Reading the manual prior to your interview can aid you in knowing what we are expecting and what you can look forward to. Plus, we love when people have done their research 😉 . PLEASE NOTE: This is 2022 version, and some details may be changed for summer 2023. Please use this as a guideline only.
