Coniston Staff…
who are they and how can you become one?
Who? How Old? Where From?
Our staff is made up primarily of college students from across the world. Many of the staff were once campers at Camp Coniston themselves, which gives Coniston a great sense of tradition and continuity. All staff are chosen for their maturity, commitment to children’s growth and a love of the camp community. All counselors have completed at least one week of specialized training before the campers arrive.
Join the Summer Camp Staff
Applications are now being accepted for Summer Staff positions.
Applications for summer staff positions are traditionally sent in December/January. Interviews are often not conducted until after all applications have been received.
Returning Staff: Priority will be given to applications received by January 15th.
New Staff: Priority will be given to applications received by February 1st.
Applications will continue to be reviewed throughout the spring for the few positions not yet filled.
See below for job descriptions and more on the Coniston hiring process!
If you would like to apply for a staff position, please download the appropriate application and references forms (the links are below), fill them out, and mail them to the camp as soon as possible:
All forms and documents are Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Click the button below to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader if you don't already have it!
Benefits
All full summer employees are offered on-camp housing (preferred in many positions).
All staff with family members have the option to enroll their children in camp for either day activities only or for the full cabin/overnight experience. Staff with children who are too young to participate in the traditional camp are provided with childcare on site. The staff-child counselor is a day-sitter that stays with the young children at all times, and rotates through the camp facilities for an exciting fun-filled day. Parents are responsible for their children after 5pm each day and Sundays.
All staff receive one day off a week from a designed rotating schedule that provides appropriate coverage for all program areas, cabins and support departments. This may mean your days off are during the week.
Staff Selection Process
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Applications (including recommendations) that are received by FEBRUARY 1st will be considered in our first round of the selection process. Hiring tends to continue through the spring, but many leadership positions may be filled from the first round of applicants.
REFERENCE LETTERS
All staff applications need to have two (2) letters of reference included. This can be on our Coniston reference form (link above), or in business letter format. References should not be family members.
REQUIREMENTS
All staff must be at least 18-year-old to be considered for a live-in summer position. All staff must get their first aid & CPR certifications before the start of the summer.
INTERVIEWS
New Staff: Local applicants may be asked to come to camp for an interview. Phone interviews and other arrangements can be made for those at a greater distance.
Returning Staff: Interviews may be necessary if leadership positions change. All staff will at least have a phone interview before contracts are offered.
CONTRACTS
Contracts will start to be offered late February and continue through the spring months. Contracts are traditionally 9-weeks but may be 10+ weeks for specific leadership/administrative positions.
SELECTION TIMELINE
Hiring over 100 staff for the summer takes a lot of time due to the volume of applications. The screening and interviewing process may take up to 2 months. If you face a time limit with another position, please let us know.
NEW INTERNATIONAL STAFF
If you or someone you know is not a US citizen and is interested in working at Coniston, have him/her look at the following organizations that Coniston works with for hiring and visas:
www.campleaders.com – Camp Leaders
RETURNING INTERNATIONAL STAFF
Once you have worked for a summer at Coniston, the “return counselor” forms through your same organization are much easier. Contact camp before contacting your host organization. The web site of your organization will have forms for you to download and complete.
Positions Available
CAMP COUNSELORS
This is a live-in position with the campers. There are between 2 and 4 counselors per cabin depending on cabin size.
This staff member needs to be sensitive to child developmental levels, a positive role model, assist in teaching and leading a program area as assigned, assist in emergency drills and situations, participate in running evening programs, chapel, Sunday program, and all aspects of running a quality residential summer camp for boys and girls.
Additional responsibilities to those interested are campfire coordinator, chapel coordinator, and music coordinator.
Current Program Areas:
All program areas have a director of the program who is responsible for the safety of the campers, safety of the equipment, quality of the instruction and camper interactions, supervision of staff, coordination of coverage for days off, administrative evaluations of program and staff.
Most program area directors are in-cabin staff.
All instructors in these areas are in-cabin counselors.
| Archery | Arts & Crafts | Basketball |
| Campcraft | Canoeing | Dance |
| Drama | Ecology | Games for the Mind |
| Gymnastics | Horseback Riding (English) | Kayaking |
| Landsports | Photography | Riflery / Skeet |
| Ropes | Sailing | Snorkeling |
| Soccer | Swimming Lessons | Swim Team |
| Tennis | Waterskiing | Woodshop |
ADVENTURE TRIP LEADERS
Two leaders (one male, one female) are responsible for each adventure trip. The trips have 10-12 campers. Each trip has one 15-passenger bus for all of the travel which the trip leaders share driving time.
This is a full-summer employment contract.
As a team the leaders need to be knowledgeable in hiking, white water rafting, rock climbing, biking, camping and general wilderness safety.
Trip leaders must be at least 21-years-old with a clean driving record, Wilderness First Aid, CPR and Lifeguard certifications before the start of the summer.
ADVENTURE & SERVICE TRIP LEADERS
Two leaders (one male, one female) are responsible for one adventure trip and two Appalachian Adventure & Service Trips. The trips have 10-12 campers. Each trip has one 15-passenger bus for all of the travel which the trip leaders share driving time.
This is a 9-12 week employment contract. As a team the leaders need to be prepared for in camping, campfire cooking, hiking, general wilderness safety, water safety and community service work.
Trip leaders must be at least 21-years-old with a clean driving record, Wilderness First Aid, CPR and Lifeguard certifications and valid passport before the start of the summer.
NURSES
Coniston has 3 Registered Nurses working each session. The infirmary staff works together with a head nurse to originate, update and monitor health care, maintain records, and keep up-to-date reports on each child and staff member for ACA standards, NH resident camp standards, YMCA standards and insurance purposes.
These positions can rotate for one session only or for the whole summer. Often our nursing staff utilizes the camp benefit of their children gaining the full Camp Coniston experience.
KITCHEN STAFF
Our kitchen staff has their own scheduling system. Positions include cook, baker, prep-cook, dining room manager, and dishwashers. We have international staff living at camp and working on the team. We have many staff that live on-site, but also have other staff who live locally and commute to camp either full time or part time.
STAFF-CHILD COUNSELOR
This person is a day-sitter for children of other camp staff that are too young to be in the traditional camp program (8-years and younger). This staff member can utilize the camp facilities as long as does not interfere with the programs happening throughout the day.
Close communication with program directors about available activities is helpful. The daytime hours are 8am-5pm, and include eating meals with the children when needed. This position is needed for Monday through Friday and includes every other Saturday.
OUT-OF-CABIN POSITIONS
Some of our staff positions during the summer require extra efforts, and have hours that conflict with the cabin-counselor positions. The staff positions that do not include in-cabin leadership are:
Girls Camp Director
Boys Camp Director
Program Assistant/Director
Nurses
Kitchen Staff
Horseback Director & Instructors
Waterfront Director & Associate / Assistant
Waterski Director
Campcraft Director
Drama Director
Staff-Child Counselor
Office Assistant
Camp Driverand others as needed