Eligibility and Requirements
You are eligible to apply for the AmeriCamp program if you are:
- 18+ years old (must be 18 or older by June 1st of the program year)
- A citizen or resident of the UK or Ireland
- Available for a minimum of June 18th to August 15th
- Experienced or interested in working with children
- Proficient in spoken English
- In good health
- Have a clean criminal background
- And you’re not afraid of a challenge!
You must be 18 by June 1st of the year of travel in order to apply for AmeriCamp. This is non-negotiable, and we cannot accept applicants turning 18 during Camp. If you are currently 17 years of age, you can only apply for AmeriCamp if you turn 18 before June 1st.
We tend to only accept First Timer applicants under the age of 28 unless they are highly skilled or have extensive previous Camp experience. We do not have an upper age limit for Returners and Direct Placements.
No, you do not need to be a University student to take part in the Camp Counsellor program.
At a minimum, applicants must be available before June 18th and up to August 15th - we cannot accept applications from those unavailable between these dates as this is the minimum period for the Camps we work with.
The majority of Camps will run for about 8 - 10 weeks, traditionally between early to mid-June through to mid-August, however, some start as early as May. The earlier you are available, the better, as the longer your period of availability, the more Camps you will be eligible for.
No, AmeriCamp currently only accepts applicants from within the UK and Ireland, whether a citizen, permanent resident or temporary resident.
We do, however, have partners globally hiring in countries such as Australia, South Africa, France, Germany, Mexico, Colombia and so on. If you are from outside the UK or Ireland and want to participate in the Camp Counsellor program, contact us and we will point you in the right direction for an agency in your country.
Yes, you can apply with a non-UK or Irish Passport, however applying for a US Visa with a passport that does not match the country in which you are attending the US Embassy can lead to an increased risk of Visa denial. Some passports have stronger restrictions for travel to the US than others so please do your own independent research regarding this before applying on a non-UK or Irish passport.
No, you cannot apply for the AmeriCamp program as a US citizen as you do not require Visa sponsorship to work legally in the US. This means that you would be paying for a service you do not use, as you will not need to pay or apply for a J-1 Visa. If you are an American citizen and want to work as a Camp Counsellor, you can contact Camps independently and secure a job with them, without sponsorship.
No, due to safeguarding regulations, Camps will not employ staff with criminal records. If you are unsure as to whether your past infringement will appear on a DBS or affect your ability to participate, then please contact the AmeriCamp team.
No, we are unable to offer Visa sponsorship for those with dependents.
Yes, the majority of Camps will allow you to have visible piercings and tattoos with some exceptions:
- Tattoos must be Camp appropriate, i.e. not offensive, disturbing, graphic or inappropriate.
- Piercings must be removable or coverable for safety reasons.
Some Camps may not allow either, but you will be required to share any tattoos and piercings you do have on your profile, so will not receive contact from those few Camps that cannot allow it.
Our program agreement that can be accessed at this link is a set of terms and conditions you will agree to upon signing up for the AmeriCamp program that outline the policies, expectations and legalities of the program.
The purpose of the program agreement is to clearly detail our expectations of you as an AmeriCamp participant, as well as to explain what you can expect from AmeriCamp as your cultural exchange facilitator. In this document, you can find an outline of our refund policy and the rules and regulations of the program.
You do not need any specific qualifications to do AmeriCamp as all experience is valuable. Qualifications in certain areas are always desirable, such as lifeguarding, boat driving, climbing and archery, but they are not essential. We find that a bubbly personality and positive ‘can do’ attitude make for a great Camp Counsellor.
On top of this, you may be surprised by how qualified you really are - even having a hobby can be a great starting point for running activities at Camp. When you complete your application, do your best to explain your skills and experiences in detail - you don’t necessarily need extensive teaching/coaching experience in order to help run an activity at Camp.
Experience working with children is always valuable for AmeriCamp, as this will be at the centre of your role on Camp - but you don’t necessarily need extensive experience teaching or working with children in order to apply.
In your application you must be able to show a desire to work with children and enthusiasm for making sure they have the best summer ever! If you apply earlier in the season, we would recommend using this time to gain some experience working with children before you head out to Camp, such as volunteering at your local primary school/guides/scouts or babysitting for friends and family.