Skills
Our Camps hire for a huge range of Skills, the full list of which you can see on your application portal under the Skills section. For a general idea you can check out the Camp Activities page of our website.
Some skills are more hireable than others! A skill might be more hireable if it is more common at Camps, thus in higher demand; or more rarely included on applications, needing more specialised or niche experience. Other skills are less hireable as they are less relevant to Camp or are very commonly listed on applications. You can still list these skills on your application, but they are less likely to stand out to Camps.
Examples of more hireable skills include:
- Watersports and boat driving
- Swimming and lifeguarding
- Commonly played sports in the US e.g. tennis, basketball and volleyball
- Horseriding and equestrian
- Specialised art and design skills e.g. woodworking and ceramics
- Outdoor adventure skills e.g. archery and high ropes
Examples of less hireable skills:
- General Arts and Crafts
- Childcare
- Animal care (unless highly qualified)
- Cooking
Childcare is an available option in the Skills section of the application, but where possible, you should avoid listing this as one of your three skills. Other skills are a lot more eye-catching to Camps looking on the hiring portal as Childcare related information can be included in the Work Experience section.
If you are worried you won’t have skills to list on your application, you probably have more than you think! The full list of skills you can choose between will be visible on your Matchio portal under the Skills section, which you can use for inspiration. Think about your hobbies and interests e.g. activities you have participated in at school/University or as a hobby in your spare time. Remember you’re teaching children not adults, so you may have enough experience to apply your skills at Camp.
To improve on your chances of being hired, you could:
- Spend some time gaining more experience - if you apply earlier in the hiring season, you have time to get some additional experience and add that to your application later down the line by contacting AmeriCamp.
- Consider working at a Special Needs or YMCA/Underprivileged Camp as these Camps tend to hire applicants for more general roles, rather than for specific skills.
- Contact us to discuss your background and we will be able to help you highlight your strengths!
Skills are divided into three categories of expertise and you need to choose one for each of the skills you list. This could be:
- Beginner: You participate in this activity as a hobby sometimes and/or it is something you only started recently.
- Intermediate: You regularly participate in this skill and feel confident in various aspects of it.
- Advanced: You have multiple years of experience in this skill and/or have experience leading/coaching this skill.
We would recommend including the following for each of your skills:
- When did you learn this skill and how long have you been doing it?
- In what capacity have you participated in this skill? E.g. team, club, with family.
- Why do you enjoy this skill?
- What techniques, styles, projects have you got experience in?
- Have you got experience in a leadership/coaching role? If so, with what age groups?
- How would you lead this skill at Camp? E.g. any games/ideas.
Certifications can be uploaded to the skills section of the application, but this should only include certificates or qualifications that are not school or University grades. Exam results and University degrees will not be accepted as proof of certification in a skill.
Yes. In the hiring portal, Camp Directors will usually filter their search by skills, regardless of if they are hiring general counsellors or activity leaders, so they can staff their Camp with counsellors who are versatile and able to support in the areas they need support the most.