Current Summer Openings: (as of January 2022)
Special Needs Counselors
Lifeguards
Ropes Course Instructors
Teachers- Arts, Sciences, Tech, Life Skills, Special Education
OT/PT/SLP; Behavioral Therapy, Counselors, Guidance Counselors, Social Workers
A few notes on working in our programs:
Working at Summit is fulfilling, challenging, and for many, a defining moment of early adulthood. Working and living in an environment where you serve to help youth that have struggled to find acceptance is both amazingly rewarding and intensely difficult at times. Your own personal development- the ability to demonstrate resilience, professionalism, and endurance- will be tested in entirely new ways.
There are a wide variety of factors that support the applicant’s reason to work at a program like Summit:
- You wish to gain experience and training in working with special needs youth
- You wish to develop leadership and teaching experience in an area you will be working in the near future
- You wish to fulfill a requirement of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree
- You wish to make a difference in the lives of youth that have had limited success and are looking for direction on what type of work that might entail
- You wish to find connections with other young adults who share your views and interests, professionally and personally, in the special education or therapeutic communities
- You wish to be part of a community that extends far, far beyond the reach of the summer season
There are also a wide variety of reasons that, on their own, are NOT good reasons to work at a program like Summit:
- You always wished to have a summer camp experience of your own
- You want to have a fun, easy going summer
- You are looking for a change/different direction
- You observed some of our program options and they look interesting or enjoyable to you
- You need to make some income this summer
- You always wanted to do “Camp America”
It is not to say that these are not appropriate reasons to wish to work in a summer camp environment, in part. Summit’s services extend far beyond the capacity and requirement of a traditional summer camp, however- and include a level of dedication, experience, and flexibility that will quickly exhaust any reason to be with us that does not include a purposeful choice in wanting to work with us and our unique populations.
So, if having reviewed the philosophy of Summit, gaining an understanding of the children and teens we serve, and finding yourself in agreement with our goals as a program, we encourage you to apply to work for us this coming season- and hopefully, like many of our staff- for many more seasons in the future.
Each season, Summit hires a wide variety of seasonal staff for our camp programs, all of which entail:
-Living in resident camp for a minimum of 6.5 weeks (Orientation plus 4 camp weeks)
-Working directly or indirectly with special needs populations of ages 8-25 years
-Having a particular skill, either in working with special needs or fragile individuals, or in a particular talent or teaching area, or in a support area- nursing, lifeguarding, and kitchen assistance are in high demand.
These positions include:
- Camp Counselors: Individuals 21+ years of age that have significant experience working with youth that have social and/or learning challenges, special needs populations, and/or at risk youth.
- Specialist Instructors & Assistants: Individuals 19+ years of age that have experience in a skill set that can be directly instructed or instructed with support to our populations, such as ceramic arts, music instruction, nature instruction, computer/video arts, or activities of daily living/occupational therapy.
- Waterfront Instructors & Lifeguards: Individuals 19+ years of age that have a current certification from their home country as a lifeguard who are willing and able to re-certify through the American Red Cross training provided by our camp, swim instructors, boating instructors, and motor boat operators.
- Adventure Instructors: Individuals 19+ years of age that have prior experience in ropes course instruction: belaying, climbing wall, high ropes, mountain biking, zip line instruction that are willing and able to be certified on our course.
- Athletics Instructors: Individuals 19+ years of age that have prior experience coaching or teaching in one of the following areas; trampoline, archery, martial arts, soccer, basketball, baseball/softball, track & field, tennis, and health & fitness. Archery and trampoline are certified positions.
- Medical staff: Individuals that have a current RN/LPN license that have experience working with and caring for special needs / fragile populations and large scale systems of medication distribution, such as Medication on Time.
We do not accept applications from potential counselors solely to work in the Summit Teen Travel program, as positions are rarely available for hire. If you are interested in such a role we suggest contacting us directly to see what, if any, options might be available. All positions will include some portion of work experience at our resident camp in Honesdale.
American applicants can go directly to Summit’s CampInTouch account and complete an application. Full applications include at least two professional references (former supervisors, professors, volunteer coordinators, coaches; NOT, former co-workers, friends, or family). American applicants will need to complete a skype interview, demonstrate skill and experience in their area of application, and obtain the proper references; as well as submit to a full background check by Summit.
International applicants can apply directly to Summit through CampInTouch and complete the same process as an American staff. Once hired, Summit will refer you as a direct hire in order to obtain the required J-1 Counselor or J-1 Support Staff VISA in order to work in the United States. There are costs to both the Sponsor agency and the US government in order to obtain a J-1. New hires must produce a background check from their country of origin to Summit and to the US Government prior to the issuance of the VISA. This is a cost-saving procedure for International applicants who are certain they only wish to apply to and work at Summit Camp, such as referrals from our prior staff and families, versus applying to a general camp sponsor program.
Once given the opportunity to become a staff member, all staff will complete the following:
Submission of background paperwork, medical forms, and other necessary documents in order to Summit for the purposes of human resources,
Submit a signed contract concerning work dates, payment, time off, and other necessary details,
Attend the full length and successfully complete the assigned Orientation session.