Are you thinking about working as a Summer Camp Director but are unsure about what it takes? Learn a little about what it's like to be in charge of a whole summer camp. LifeHacker sat down with an anonymous camp director in Hawaii and details his work.
This Hawaiian camp director works at an overnight camp between the ocean and the mountains. He supervises over 700 kids with 30 camp counselors over the course of a 10 week period. He initially started out as a teacher for Teach for America. He realized he wanted to work with kids but not in a classroom setting after a long-travel stint. But being a camp director is not easy, it requires a very organized leadership role and presence.
His friends often asked him what he's doing when it's no longer summer. He went on to say that he had a lot to do outside summer. He explains that his "...job is tied to making sure that I meet budget. Bottom line, if there are no kids at camp, we don't have a camp (and I don't have my job!). So marketing the camp to parents is my number one priority." He is also responsible for interviewing staff and running the whole operation. For the most part, camps now are moving toward a more professional work environment. Camp directors are required to attend workshops and conferences that teaches best practices in marketing, program development, and risk management.
But that's not the worst part of the job. "Living where you work has its challenges. Many camps provide housing for year-round staff, which is financially great because room and board is typically free. My commute from my house to my office is a 30 second walk. On the flip side, that can really suck," he explains. However, he enjoys the transformational experiences he gets to see from the kids. "As a former teacher, It's great to see kids feel successful at camp in ways they couldn't at school," he explained.
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