APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EMPLOYMENT
We welcome your interest in summer employment with Camp Cayuga. Before you complete our staff application, please take the time to read the pages in this "Job" section of our website. We believe this information will enable you to make an intelligent decision about your summer employment. Our hope is that a forthright presentation will attract individuals with a high success potential and discourage those who might not do well in the camp environment.

ELIGIBILITY AND AGE REQUIREMENT
Although many of our staff members return year after year, each summer we hire a number of individuals who will be spending their first summer at Camp Cayuga. Staff applicants must have completed one (1) year of college/university or must be at least 19 years of age. Our staff members are high-caliber individuals who are attending/have attended fine colleges and universities throughout the United States and Europe. Our youngest counselor is entering his/her sophomore year of college. Some of our counselors are young teachers and/or graduate students who are 22 or 23 years old. The average age counselor is 21 years old. .

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
Each summer we employ many individuals from England, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and other English-speaking countries. If you're not a United States citizen, you are required to obtain the appropriate legal documents authorizing your job position in the United States at Camp Cayuga. This includes a valid work visa, green card, or valid J-1 visa with IAP-66 form. Without proper legal documentation, you're ineligible to apply for employment. To obtain the appropriate legal document necessary to authorize your position at Cayuga, please refer to the "Instructions" page in this "Job Section" for more details, or click here.

THE #1 REASON FOR OUR SUCCESS IS OUR STAFF
Each year we receive over 2000 applications for staff positions at Camp Cayuga. It is a difficult and time-consuming process in deciding which individuals will perform best in our camp environment. Our experience in camping since 1957 has taught us this fact - the key factor for a successful, safe, and fun-filled summer is our staff. YOU are the #1 reason why Cayuga is successful! For this reason, we place special emphasis on hiring individuals who have demonstrated competency in working with children and the capacity to provide warm mature guidance. We pride ourselves on our staff and our close-knit family atmosphere!

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Camp counseling is not an easy job and it can be very difficult at times. In order to do well in camp, it's important to have a genuine interest in children. Unless you truly enjoy living and working with kids on a 24-hour basis, it is best not to seek employment at a summer camp. Job satisfaction has to be a key element in your desire to work at a summer camp. Since camp counseling positions, for the most part, do not pay as well as other summer jobs, the rewards you derive from working with children must be significant. Otherwise, the job will grow very tiresome during the course of the summer and your desire to continue employment will wane. Enjoying your time with our campers is critical. Being able to relate to children and assume responsibilities of supervision & care for children are essential qualities of a successful staff member. In short, we’re seeking talented, fun, outgoing, enthusiastic individuals who can provide quality instruction on various skill levels in 2 or more activities. Some questions you might ask yourself in order to evaluate your potential for success at Camp Cayuga are:

Have you enjoyed working with children previously?

Have you had a positive camp experience as a child?

Have you ever worked at a summer camp before?

To what extent have you worked with children?

Can you live with children on a 24-hour basis?

Can you adjust to the camp community with its rigid schedules, rules and regulations?

WE’RE SEEKING ROLE MODELS
As part of Cayuga's staff, you become a role model for our campers. Your behavior will have a big impact upon the lives of these youngsters! It stands to reason, therefore, that we are seeking individuals with high moral character. In the past, our staff members have exhibited good sportsmanship, strong loyalty, honesty, and the ability to work hard in order for the camp experience to be a memorable & positive one for our campers! We intend to continue this tradition at Cayuga this coming summer.

WE'RE SEEKING MULTI-TALENTED COUNSELORS
We're seeking multi-talented counselors who are qualified to teach more than one activity. Counselors are typically hired to instruct up to 5 different activities. With multi-talented counselors, we always have 2 or more instructors qualified to teach the same activity. This allows for more variety in the instructor's daily schedule. It also gives our Program Director the opportunity to assign instructors to an activity where they're needed most. In addition, hiring multi-talented counselors allows us to continue our daily activity program for 60 activities without any interruptions. Keep in mind that you may not be assigned to all of the activities you were hired to instruct. It simply depends upon the number of counselors who are qualified to instruct the same activity.