What does a Camp Counselor do?
Camp counselors' general responsibility is the supervision of a camping event. Camp counselors' duties include reiterating the rules and regulations, emergency drills and procedures, and related standard protocols to ensure that the campers maintain a safe camping environment. A camp counselor should possess strong leadership and decision-making skills to develop recreational programs and immediately resolve concerns that might affect everyone's overall camping experience. Camp counselors also help develop social interaction, promote teamwork, and monitor participation among campers.
Camp counselor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real camp counselor resumes:
- Manage camp check-ins by assembling and assigning check-in teams, and helping implement opening day camp check-ins.
- Guide and nurture campers by accompanying them to and assisting with camp activities, and lead hiking and canoe trips
- Mentore kids using healthy conflict resolution techniques.
- Organize group activities to facilitate communication between children with various health needs ranging from common allergies to severe developmental disabilities.
- Supervise campers, cook, and run activities.
- Provide support and host VIP visitors and guests.
- Learned and implement transitions according to each teen.
- Tutor 1st - 8th graders in mathematics and writing compositions.
- Prepare children for upcoming school year in the mathematics and reading.
- Design and run a camp craft program for girls ages 8-15.
- Engage with pet parents as they bring in their family members.
- Arrange visits and serve as escort for VIP training camp visitors.
- Help organize the final PowerPoint presentation of the young women's research experiences.
- Talk with guests about pet's behaviors and how they do that day.
- Plan, organize, and lead wilderness bike, canoe, kayak, and backpacking trips.
Camp counselor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 29% of Camp Counselors are proficient in Kids, CPR, and Summer Camps. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Flexibility, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Camp Counselors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Kids, 29%
Provided underprivileged kids an opportunity to develop a musical talent,
- CPR, 22%
Staff training included CPR certification and seminars on working with children with disabilities and identifying abusive situations.
- Summer Camps, 9%
Acted as Environmental Education resource for summer camps, providing curricula and facilitating instruction.
- Role Model, 7%
Identified children's needs by observing with care, being a role model, and responding quickly with respect and affection.
- Child Care, 5%
Delivered an unparalleled child care experience to children of diverse backgrounds, effectively communicating progress to parents.
- Incident Reports, 3%
Prepared written incident reports for camp director to review regarding escalation to parent notification* Ensured proper supervision conducted during bathroom usage.
"kids," "cpr," and "summer camps" are among the most common skills that camp counselors use at work. You can find even more camp counselor responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a camp counselor to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "recreation workers must be able to communicate well." Camp counselors often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "organized group activities to facilitate communication between children with various health needs ranging from common allergies to severe developmental disabilities. "
Flexibility. Another essential skill to perform camp counselor duties is flexibility. Camp counselors responsibilities require that "recreation workers must be flexible when planning activities." Camp counselors also use flexibility in their role according to a real resume snippet: "demonstrated flexibility and creativity when developing age appropriate recreational activities and programs under short notice and encouraging all kids to participate. "
Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of camp counselors is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday camp counselor duties, as "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "identifed and responded to camper behavior issues; communicated with parents, camp leadership. "
Physical strength. A big part of what camp counselors do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to camp counselor responsibilities because "most recreation workers should be physically fit." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical camp counselor tasks: "planed and implemented activities that supported safe strength, conditioning, and basketball skill development. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a camp counselor to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what camp counselors relies on this skill, since "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." How this skill relates to camp counselor duties can be seen in an example from a camp counselor resume snippet: "identify and provide solutions to camper behavior issues. "
The three companies that hire the most camp counselors are:
- Bright Horizons52 camp counselors jobs
- Ymca Of Metropolitan Atlanta25 camp counselors jobs
- Mad Science Group21 camp counselors jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable camp counselor resume templates
Build a professional camp counselor resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your camp counselor resume.Compare different camp counselors
Camp counselor vs. Recreation assistant
A recreational assistant is responsible for performing administrative support tasks while under the supervision of a recreational manager. Their duties revolve around planning various activities that align with the company's vision and mission, such as sporting events and other fun games. They also participate in arranging equipment and supplies such as tables and stages, facilitating programs, securing necessary permits and documentation, responding to calls and inquiries, and assisting participants. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with all workers and adhere to company policies and regulations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a camp counselor are more likely to require skills like "kids," "summer camps," "role model," and "child care." On the other hand, a job as a recreation assistant requires skills like "customer service," "mds," "recreation programs," and "patients." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Recreation assistants really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $29,963. Comparatively, camp counselors tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $29,249.recreation assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than camp counselors. In fact, recreation assistants are 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Camp counselor vs. Activities leader
An activity leader's main duty is to offer sports programs and exercises that are riveting in a positive manner. The activities typically assigned to leaders are the ones they understand for the smooth promotion and planning of events. Usually, hotel resorts and summer camps seasonally employ activity leaders to make time for different exercises throughout the year. Working as an activities leader can also be viewed as a way to practically enhance a person's teaching or coaching skills, leadership and communication skills, and marketing skills when it comes to publicizing upcoming events.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real camp counselor resumes. While camp counselor responsibilities can utilize skills like "kids," "summer camps," "child care," and "core values," activities leaders use skills like "direct supervision," "homework assistance," "physical stamina," and "after-school program."
Activities leaders may earn a higher salary than camp counselors, but activities leaders earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $28,776. On the other hand, camp counselors receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $29,249.In general, activities leaders achieve similar levels of education than camp counselors. They're 1.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Camp Counselors in the next 3-5 years?
Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University
Camp counselor vs. Recreation aide
A recreation aide is responsible for assisting with the planning of recreational activities, following the supervision of a recreational manager. Recreation aides prepare all the resources, guide the participants, maintain the activity equipment, facilitate the program, and reiterate the guidelines for the safe execution of the activity. They also ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities to be used. A recreation aide must have excellent communication and organizational skills, responding to the participants' inquiries and concerns, as well as performing administrative duties as the recreational manager advises.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, camp counselors are more likely to have skills like "kids," "summer camps," "role model," and "child care." But a recreation aide is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "rehabilitation," "cleanliness," and "recreation programs."
Recreation aides earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $29,131. Comparatively, camp counselors have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $29,249.Most recreation aides achieve a similar degree level compared to camp counselors. For example, they're 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Camp counselor vs. Site leader
A site leader is responsible for managing the staff's performance, ensuring the smooth delivery of daily operations, and guiding the successful project completion by maximizing the staff's productivity within the specified timeframe and budget goals. Site leaders work closely with the clients, together with the site manager, to identify their specifications and requirements, as well as providing progress updates and suggesting design adjustments as needed. A site leader also performs safety inspections, making sure that all the staff follows the required operational procedures and regulations to prevent hazards and delays in project deliverables.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between camp counselors and site leaders, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a camp counselor might have more use for skills like "kids," "summer camps," "role model," and "child care." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of site leaders require skills like "customer service," "project management," "logistics," and "patients. "
Site leaders reach similar levels of education compared to camp counselors, in general. The difference is that they're 4.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of camp counselor
Updated January 8, 2025