Camp life is intense, tiring and requires a lot of energy. You can expect to work hard, have a strong positive impact on your campers, develop new friendships and learn new skills in your position.

Each Canadian camp is unique and has their own rules, traditions and activities. Most camps divide their activities between active programs such as tennis and water skiing and creative activities such as arts and crafts and pottery. As well, most camps have a strong wilderness outdoors or tripping program. As a counsellor, you will be expected to try all activities and encourage campers to participate.

Your time off will depend on the camp you work at and the position you hold at camp. Most camps provide a 24 hour block of time off each week to every staff. Other camps provide 2-4 days off in a row every few weeks. Support staff enjoy more time off than the counsellors, however, their work is typically more physically demanding. Most support staff finish their work at around 6 pm every day while the counsellors must stay with the campers until 9 or 10PM and even right through the night on some occasions.

The campers are all very excited to be at camp. The true benefit of camp work is spending time with the campers. Most campers make significant improvement in a variety of areas; they become more self-confident, independent, better communicators and develop new ways to cope in social situations without the support from their parents or guardians.

The staff at camp learn just as much as the campers. You will develop stronger communication and risk management skills. You will learn new decision making tools, camping skills, strategies to motivate people, conflict resolution skills and techniques you can use if you become a parent.

The community bonds that are formed at camp are very strong. You will live in an often crowded/intimate setting with a group of campers and staff. This forces campers and staff to learn about one another, share many memorable experiences and develop strong friendships. At the end of your work experience you will have a new network of close friends, a feeling of accomplishment and a sad realization that your work placement is over.