Summer Camp Rock Climbing Instructor

Taking campers to a higher level.

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Summer Camp Rock Climbing Jobs

Overview

At Camp IHC, we’re looking for experienced climbers who want to share their love for climbing and bouldering with the next generation.
As a rock climbing instructor you will work in our 40+ element adventure course and help manage our rock climbing and bouldering areas. You will help campers with their harnesses, their helmets, belaying them onto the courses, encouraging them and instructing them to learn, try and improve their climbing across the different elements.
Along with the on camp climbing instruction, you’ll also have the opportunity to guide on real rock in the northeast. We run day trips and overnights where rock climbing and rappelling are a large part of the adventure.
Why Teach Rock Climbing at Summer Camp?

Our outdoor adventure program at Camp IHC is rooted in the experiential education world of learning. You’ll work alongside over a dozen guides and outdoor adventure specialists from around the country and world. You’ll help run one of the leading outdoor adventure programs in the camp world. You’ll get to learn from experienced guides with over 20 years in the industry.
This role provides great experience for anyone seeking future employment in the outdoor adventure industry.

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5 things we look for in our adventure team

Outdoor Survival and Technical Skills: An in-depth understanding of outdoor survival techniques, such as navigation, shelter-building, fire-starting, and first aid, is crucial. Proficiency in activities like hiking, rock climbing, and orienteering ensures that the instructor can safely guide and teach campers in various outdoor adventures.
Risk Management and Safety Awareness: Ensuring the safety of campers in outdoor environments is the top priority. An outdoor adventure instructor must be skilled in assessing risks, managing group safety, and responding effectively to emergencies or unexpected challenges in nature.
Leadership and Confidence-Building: The ability to lead groups confidently and instill a sense of courage and adventure in campers is key. A good instructor can encourage children to step out of their comfort zones, face new challenges, and develop confidence in their abilities.
Environmental Stewardship and Education: Teaching campers about the importance of respecting and preserving nature is an essential part of outdoor education. The instructor should be knowledgeable about the environment and passionate about fostering a sense of responsibility and appreciation for the natural world.
Problem-Solving and Adaptability: Outdoor adventures often come with unpredictable elements, such as weather changes or unexpected obstacles. An effective instructor needs to be resourceful, quick-thinking, and adaptable, able to solve problems on the fly and adjust plans as needed to ensure a positive experience for all campers.

Mark Tjaden

"As the Outdoor Adventure Director, I believe that our adventure staff are the heart of every camper's journey into the wild. Their expertise, passion, and commitment to safety help campers to push their limits, explore new challenges, and connect with nature in meaningful ways. They don’t just guide; they empower each child to discover their own strength and sense of adventure."

FAQs

No two days of our outdoor adventure program are the same. There are usually around 6-7 periods of Outdoor Adventure each day, each period is around 50 minutes long. Each period the ropes team will help campers get ready for climbing, there will be different climbing options for campers and we promote a challenge by choice culture.
You will help harness, belay and instruct campers across the varies elements.
Unlike other activity specialist, our outdoor adventure staff don’t live in a bunk with campers. As a rock climbing instructor, your activity area is open almost all the time and requires a lot of demand. On top of that, other outdoor adventure/ropes staff may be required for lifeguarding, trips or archery etc. There is always tasks to be done so you won’t be asked to re-join a camper bunk or division.
As a rock climbing instructor, you are part of the outdoor adventure team, this team consists of 25+ people from around the world. You will live together in yurts. This area has showers, a lounge area, bathrooms etc. You will live, work, and grow as an incredible team and the summer experience will be like no other.
You will also have one full day and night off each week. This is your chance to rest, recover and try some new things on camp and explore new places off camp with other staff.
Typically there are one or two bunks of campers in the ropes course at a time, so each activity period will have around 12-24 campers.
Absolutely! Our outdoor adventure program goes through an extensive training program led by our on-site directors and outside professionals. The training alone will help make you a better instructor. Outdoor adventure staff go through ropes training. Some of our outdoor adventure staff do ropes, off-camp tripping and lifeguarding so you will also have an opportunity to go through life guard training too and gain a free certification through us.
The IHC outdoor adventure program requires you to have a wide range of skills and experience to make you eligible. We hire staff from around the world, so when you apply please let us know what qualifications and experience you have.