How To Become A Lead Camp Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead camp counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average lead camp counselor salary is $24,155. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an psychology major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a lead camp counselor. Lead camp counselors with a First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 28,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLead Camp CounselorUS Average

Salary

1.9

Avg. Salary $24,155

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.08%

Black or African American 13.01%

Hispanic or Latino 15.19%

Unknown 5.60%

White 60.46%

Gender

female 58.98%

male 41.02%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead camp counselor

Explore lead camp counselor education requirements

Most common lead camp counselor degrees

Bachelor's

71.7 %

Associate

10.1 %

High School Diploma

10.1 %

Start to develop specific lead camp counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Child Care	27.32%
CPR	17.12%
Kids	15.79%
Mediation	9.37%
Conflict Resolution	9.19%

Complete relevant lead camp counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead camp counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead camp counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead camp counselor resumes.

Research lead camp counselor duties and responsibilities

Guide and nurture campers by accompanying them to and assisting with camp activities, and lead hiking and canoe trips
Insure safety, cleanliness and appearance of waterfront.
Demonstrate leadership, management and technical skills through effective collaboration, using team resources, progressive decision making and personal responsibility.
Plan bible study for the entire camp, create interactive games for the campers and act as mentor to the children.

Get lead camp counselor experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a lead camp counselor. The most common roles before becoming a lead camp counselor include camp counselor, internship team lead and volunteer.

Prepare your lead camp counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead camp counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead camp counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lead camp counselor resume templates

Build a professional lead camp counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lead camp counselor resume.