Summer camp in America

Who can apply

To work at summer camp in America, you’ll need a J1 visa. This allows you to work at camp for up to nine weeks between Jun-Aug (depending on your camp dates), plus travel for 30 days afterwards.

The J1 visa consists of an online application and an in-person visa appointment at the US Embassy. The visa cost is currently USD $185 – paid directly to the embassy.

Most nationalities can apply for camp. You just need to be:

• Aged 18-30 (must turn 18 before 01 June 2025)
• Able to fly to the USA before 20 June 2025
• Able to commit to the whole camp season, usually 8-12 weeks from Jun-Aug
• Be a fluent English speaker with no criminal history
• Must have some prior experience working with children or young adults. (Don’t overthink this – most people will have experience without realising, so talk to us before you write it off)
• Must have a passport that’s valid for at least six months beyond your stay with a free double page for your paper visa
• Must have proof of an onward flight from the USA

• Must be able to provide proof of supporting funds, usually USD $800 in the form of a bank statement.

  How we help

To apply for your J1 visa, you need a US sponsor. Together with our visa sponsor in America, we provide all the checks and documentation to apply for your J1 visa. We then guide you step-by-step through your visa application and embassy interview.

We work with hundreds of camps across the States.

Blessed with all-American ‘Parent Trap’ good looks, most summer camps are located in incredible locations with activities spread across lakes and forests. You’ll usually have 1-2 days off a week to explore, and meals and accommodation are included at camp. Depending on the camp, accommodation might be in cabins, bunkhouses, dormitories or permanent tents; and be staff-only or shared with your campers.

Picked for their ethos and the experience they offer for staff and campers, and broadly fall into the below categories:

Private camps

The traditional ‘find your long-lost twin’ camp experience, these are the most typical summer camps in America and have often been family-run for decades. They’re usually in lakefront locations with a strong emphasis on sports, the creative arts and the outdoors. From lifeguarding to rock band, there’s often over 50 activities to get involved in.

Non-profit camps

Providing a more affordable camp experience and scholarship places for children from lower-income families, like private camps, non-profit camps are often located in inspiring locations with an emphasis on empowering young people to grow their skills. Both the impact you have and your own personal growth can be higher at these camps.

Disability camps

Disability camps are focused on providing an accessible camp experience for young people with differing physical and learning needs. With adapted sports and activities, they replicate a traditional camp experience but with smaller groups and one-on-one support – meaning your connection with your campers can be much stronger.

Girl Scout camps

Run by Girl Scouts of the USA, these camps are female only camps – although they may hire male and female staff. There’s a strong emphasis on adventure, the outdoors and connecting with nature – empowering young women to build their teamwork skills and support each other through activities and problem-solving exercises.

Religious camps

Faith based camps are common in the USA, and don’t usually require counsellors to share the same religious background. The level of taught religious values varies, with many just promoting traditional camp values of kinship and teamwork. Like all camps, they’re usually in stunning locations and teach a wide range of activities.

Types of roles

Camp Directors recruit for Camp Counsellors, Activity Specialists and hybrid roles where you do a bit of everything. It’s an opportunity to either turn your hobbies into paid work – teaching tennis, watersports, horseriding, climbing, art, theatre, gymnastics and everything in-between. Or if you’re looking to pursue a career in childcare or education, gain experience working with young people. As well as being the most fun thing you can do with your summer, you’ll also learn a heap of leadership and problem-solving skills – all things that will look great on your CV when you return home and start job hunting.

Your role

Working at camp, your main job is to make camp a fun and safe environment for your campers. So basically, you have fun and make sure others do too. You’ll be responsible for their day-to-day wellbeing – getting them to meals on time, helping to run activities and supervising rest times. Sometimes you'll be building fires, other times you'll be putting ones out. With training done when you arrive, most positions don’t require any previous qualifications. Just bags of enthusiasm, the ability to think on your feet, and a willingness to dive in and live life to the fullest.

How we help

You can’t apply for your J1 visa until you have a camp position secured. With most camp providers, you go into a placement pool where you’re picked up by a camp – giving you little or no control over where you end up. Our Camp Hiring platform allows you to view all of the camps profiles and show your interest in the camps you would love to work at! If those camps like your profile they can reach out and request a video interview with you, or you can wait for camps to place you on review. Your choice!

1. Apply online First, check you’re eligible in the visa tab above, pay your deposit, create your application in the US sponsor account and book a coaching session via your USIT account. Nothing scary, it’s just to assess your suitability for the summer camp program. Plus, your chance to ask any questions.

2. Get hired After your coaching call, make the final touches to your Camp USA application and enter the hiring pool. Camp Directors can contact you for video interviews, and vice versa. Plus, we have regular virtual hiring events where you can connect face-to-camera with camps to get hired.

3. Sponsorship application Once hired, we’ll start the sponsorship process to secure your DS2019 form (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor status) which is needed to apply for your visa. This can take up to eight weeks. We’ll then guide you through the J1 visa application process.

4. US Embassy interview We’ll help you arrange and prepare for your in-person embassy interview. Be prepared for them to keep your passport for around two weeks. Once approved, you can collect your passport or have it couriered – depending on what you’ve arranged.

5. High fives, you’re off to camp! We host weekly pre-departure group calls with live Q&As to answer all your questions and make sure you’re camp ready. You’ll usually arrive at camp 5-10 days before your campers to do your in-person training (camp dependent).