10 Simple Reasons to be a Summer Camp Counselor

“It was the best summer of my life” — pretty much every camp counselor ever.

Have you ever heard the saying “life is better at the beach”? It’s pretty true right? Beaches are good, everyone likes beaches.

But did you know we have our own saying in the summer camp world? It’s “life is best when you’re at camp”. You see, we’re going to let you in a little secret… we have our own magical world that’s better than Disneyland, good pizza and new socks, combined!

Summer camp is an American tradition that goes back decades, year after year staff travel from all over the world to work at Camp IHC. Here’s 10 simple reasons why!

1. The Campers

Without children there is no summer camp! The campers are wonderful, little bundles of joy. They will make you laugh with the things they do and say, their energy is infectious! Believe us, it’s hard work looking after a group of kids day after day, week after week.. but despite that there is a clear and obvious reason that our staff come back summer after summer to be with them… because they are amazing kids! It’s also just really cool to be a big sibling, a make shift parent, a role model and a friend to them. It’s the most rewarding job you’ll ever have.

2. The Friendships

This easily makes number 2 on our list of reasons to work at summer camp. The staff you work with quickly become your best friends. The bonds of living and working alongside such likeminded people for 2–3 months has such a profound effect on you. You’re sharing such a unique experience together that you’re all going to remember for the rest of your life. Once you realize how quickly the summer goes, you’ll know how to make the most of every opportunity.

3. The Office is a Playground

It’s not too bad waking up and knowing that this will be your work view everyday… There’s no such thing as a Monday morning (or a Friday 5pm) at camp. Everyday is just a happy one with so much to look forward to.

4. You Get to Try New Things

Working at camp is a summer of endless opportunity. Every day you’re going to have the opportunity to try new things and gain new experiences. One day you could be on the ropes course, or learning archery, or stand up paddle boarding, how to hit a golf ball, how to draw, paint, sing, dance, play drums… shall we go on?

5. The Summer Tan

Okay… so it may not be the most complete tan of your life, (picture a watch tan, a t-shirt tan, an ankle tan etc) but you’re going to be enjoying life outdoors in the sun. You’ll have an amazing camp tan and you’ll be rocking it all summer long.

Even the Brits manage it!

6. The Days Off Rock

Each week you have opportunities to get off camp and enjoy some well earned down time. You’ll be able to go exploring, head to local towns, national parks, malls, cities, lakes, beaches, mountains, Walmart, Mcdonald’s, pizza parlours, ice-cream places… you name it. There’s always something fun to do. It’s all part of the summer camp experience!

7. Food, Always Food

No-one wants Michelin star level food ALL the time, we need everything in moderation right? Summer camp food can only be described as an experience. For two months you pretty much have all you can eat meals, 3 times a day. You’ll be hungry, stuffed, tired, hungry, stuffed, tired, hungry, stuffed, tired. It’s a cycle where you’re so busy having fun during the day that suddenly it’s meal time and you’re starving.. so you eat to replenish, go have more fun, and repeat the process until you’re so tired at night you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

8. The Summer Camp Traditions

Olympics, color war, campfires, stargazing, July 4th, s’mores, group sing, the dance off…

Outside of all the regular activities there are numerous camp traditions that happen year on year, these really bring the entire camp together in a fun and engaging way. There’s such a buzz on these days that you won’t want to miss out!

9. The Camp Bubble

Camp is a small community where everyone looks after everyone. Everyone is there to have the summer of a lifetime and you get so caught up in the magic that sometimes you forget there is a whole other world outside of the camp bubble. You’re not constantly on your phone or laptop, you’re not getting notifications every few minutes. You’re connected to the environment around you and suddenly all the small things you sweat about in the real world don’t really matter. Enjoy the cleanse, it’s refreshing!

10. The Post-Camp Travel

Once camp is over you’ll still some time to enjoy the rest of summer, you’ll meet so many people at camp that will be going traveling afterwards that you’ll probably be bitten by the travel bug. Go see the best of what America has to offer!