Residential Summer Camp Counselor
ACA-accredited overnight camps (independent, YMCA, Scouting, nonprofit)
Pays you
$325–$500/wk
Typical first-year residential counselor pay works out to roughly $325-$500 per week of the contract, usually quoted as a flat season salary rather than an hourly rate; specialists (waterfront director, head of kayaking, riding, climbing) and returning staff earn more. NOTHING IS DEDUCTED — room, all meals, and usually laundry are provided free and are not charged back. That is the entire financial argument for this job: the low headline number is also the net number. Beware that the flat salary divided by actual hours worked is often below minimum wage on paper; camps operate under a specific FLSA seasonal-establishment exemption, so do not expect overtime. Aggregator 'camp counselor' salary figures above $30k/yr are contaminated by year-round camp administrator roles and should be ignored. A 9-week season at $400/week is about $3,600 gross with essentially zero living expenses for those 9 weeks — comparable in real savings terms to a much higher-paying job where you pay rent. It will not fund a year off, but it costs nothing to do.
$50–$600 upfront to start
Live-in counselor at an overnight children's camp for an 8-10 week summer, paid a flat seasonal salary with room, board and laundry fully covered. Cash pay is low but the deduction is zero, so the savings rate is close to 100%.
- Term
- 8 wk–10 wk
- Housing
- Provided
- Meals
- Provided
- Airfare
- Not covered
- Selectivity
- Open enrollment
- Age
- 18+
- Citizenship
- Any citizenship
Deadlines
- 2027 summerrollingRolling / no fixed deadline
Camp hiring runs roughly November through April for a mid-June start, with the strongest camps filling by February and stragglers hiring into May. The ACA job board (jobs.acacamps.org) and CampChannel are the main aggregators.
Verified 9/12/2026 · kingsleypines.com