Camp Weequahic is located in the endless mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, just over two hours from New York City. Camp Weequahic’s beautiful campus overlooks our spectacular Sly Lake.
The majority of our campers come from the East Coast including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, and Florida. We also have a number of campers from others areas of the United States such as California, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Colorado and more. Camp Weequahic is also a summer home to international campers who come to us from France, China, Mexico, Russia, Spain, countries in South America, and more!
Camp Weequahic hires approximately 120 mature and enthusiastic bunk counselors each summer. We pride ourselves on recruiting only the most skilled and caring college students, graduate students and educators. While we recruit counselors from all over the world, two-thirds of our bunk staff come from the US.
We are looking for individuals who share a similar outlook on the world as we do (our GAC values), have spirit, a strong desire to work with and better the lives of children, a passion for what they do, a vigilant eye on safety, and a strong work ethic. Our counselors are exceptional people who truly have the desire to create an amazing experience for every person they encounter through gratitude, attitude, and courage.
At Camp Weequahic we hire staff to serve in a dual role both teaching in one or more activity areas, and living in a bunk with campers. Essentially all our staff are ‘specialist counselors.’ Many camps operate with ‘bunk or general counselors’ that will stay with their bunk group all day and move from activity to activity with them, while the ‘specialist counselor’ will teach in a specific area and see a variety of campers and age groups each day in the designated area they teach. All our staff are ‘specialist counselors’ teaching both genders and a variety of age groups each program day, with a rare few designated as ‘general counselors.’ General counselors at Camp Weequahic assist in multiple activity areas and need to be very flexible. Enthusiasm and being helpful are far more important than skills in a general counselor role at our camp.
Our camp counselors spend between 5-6 hours a day teaching their particular activity. You will spend the rest of the time with your campers. You will eat meals with them, spend rest hour in the cabin with your campers, and you’ll also participate in many Evening Activities with them.
This means that the campers who show up to your activities want to be there! Our campers sign up for activities that are appropriate for their age and skill level and our counselors work hard to create engaging and exciting lessons. As the campers get older and progress in skill, the classes may be more advanced or challenging.
We feel it is our responsibility to give counselors as many tools as possible to help create the most successful summer possible. Staff training is about nine days long. Our training will prepare you for the next six weeks of intensive interaction between you and your campers and other counselors and staff. Training is meant to give you the tools on how to handle your campers, what to do in certain circumstances, defusing situations, how to work in your program areas, and general leadership and teamwork skills. Orientation also gives you the chance to become more familiar with your surroundings, bond with the other staff, and learn the expectations and styles of the leadership team. Not only is it useful training for any walk of life, it’s a lot of fun!
Camp Weequahic has bunks that incorporate the comforts of home with the rustic nature of camping. Each modern duplex cabin houses 8-12 campers with two to three counselors on each side. The campers are assigned to cabins by grade. All bunks have instant hot water heaters, electricity, at least two toilets, sinks, and showers, a smoke alarm, front and back entrances, an outside clothesline, a loft for storage, and windows. The front of each bunk faces inward towards Main Campus, a housing semi-circle, which is designed to promote cohesiveness among age-divisions.
We are one, big family at Camp Weequahic and our family is grouped into six divisions. Our campers entering 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade are our Junior campers. Our Jinter campers are entering 5th and 6th grade. Inter campers are entering 7th and 8th grade. Seniors are entering 9th and 10th grade. Our CITs (Counselors-in-Training) are entering 11th grade. Each division has a female and male Division Head who will serve alongside you to make sure each camper has an amazing experience at Weequahic.
Meals are served buffet style in which campers and counselors eat all meals together by bunk. Food substitutes are available for all meals. We provide a fruit, cereal and yogurt bar every morning in addition to the hot breakfast that is served. During lunch and dinner times, our kitchen staff put out a beautiful salad bar with an array of vegetables, proteins, and more. We also have our share of outdoor barbecues. Additionally, our kitchen staff prepare vegetarian and gluten-free meals for those who have dietary restrictions. Our camp is a peanut-free camp as we do serve campers and staff who have peanut-allergies.
Our competitive salaries are determined by experience, ability, qualifications and personal skills of each individual. In addition to salary and travel allowance, counselors are provided with meals, lodging, and laundry service. At any time during banking hours, a counselor can withdraw money from his or her salary account. It is important to remember that most people who work for summer camps do so out of the pure love for the experience of working with children and not for financial gain.
A successful summer is determined by the staff and counselors. Time off is a very important aspect of every counselor’s summer, and we try to keep our counselors happy and enthusiastic with consistent time off. Days off begin on the preceding evening (there is no curfew the evening prior to the day off) and end at 12.30 A.M. on the actual day off. Any staff member, however, who has not reached the age of 18 will have a curfew at all times. Staff members are given five days off per season, one per week each week except the first and last weeks of camp. Days off are not cumulative and must be taken in the week they fall due.
Staff shirts will be provided for all counselors. Counselors are required to wear a staff shirt every day while camp is in session. Most counselors are comfortable wearing athletic-style or khaki shorts that are of an appropriate length. Sneakers or tennis shoes are appropriate footwear. Our lifeguards may wear shoes appropriate for being in and out of the water and our rock climbing/outdoor adventure staff often pack climbing shoes or hiking boots or both. We insist that your appearance be appropriate for a children’s community. We also have many fun dress up days and dances so we encourage our staff to pack costumes and accessories!
It is the policy of Camp Weequahic that the possession or consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs is strictly prohibited on any part of Weequahic grounds and is cause for immediate dismissal. In addition, returning to camp under the influence of mind-altering substances following time off is also prohibited and is also grounds for immediate dismissal. The usage of cellular phones and personal computers are prohibited during working hours or while in the bunks. These items may be used in specific areas when off duty.
Being a camp counselor may be one of the most difficult yet rewarding jobs you’ll ever experience. A counselor’s responsibility to their campers is a 24 hour a day job for 6 weeks. Not only must you act as the adult role model in your bunk, you must also be ready to observe and act on camper interactions, help plan and execute special events, mediate issues between campers, and ensure that your campers have a fantastic summer. If you have carefully considered all of the information provided and are interested in creating the summer of a lifetime for our campers, please complete the online application. We will review your application and will contact you to arrange an interview if we have a position that would be a great fit for you.
