Jobs
KAMP Jobs - Get a fun summer job in the sunny USA
with free food and accommodation, access to camp amenities and a great team of new
friends to work beside!
KAMP usually runs for 8/9 weeks between May/June and
August and you have the chance to work with other KAMP
participants as well as international students and American staff, making it a great
opportunity to make new friends!
Kitchen
Most KAMP staff are employed in this area. In the kitchens, you can expect to be
dishwashing or pot-washing, usually with automatic machines, cleaning work areas
and generally helping in food preparation and serving. You will be needed before
and after the three daily meals to prepare food and clean up and occasionally required
take deliveries. Those who have catering and cooking experience also have the opportunity
to work as assistant chefs (see below).
Dining room
This will involve some kitchen work, plus serving food, setting up, clearing and
cleaning tables, floors, etc. for each meal. You could be preparing food, or helping
to serve it to campers and other staff, either as waiters/waitresses or in a cafeteria
style setting, or at a snack or salad bar.
Cooking
If you have previous experience of cooking, you can work as an assistant chef in
the camp kitchen. Anyone wishing to help with cooking must clearly state their relevant
experience on their application, for example; are you skilled in baking? Have you
been involved with menu preparation and if so for how many people and what types
of menu? As with other kitchen staff, your presence will be required before each
meal and will involve early morning preparation.
Maintenance
Maintenance involves outdoor work such as cutting grass, trimming shrubs and trees.
You may be driving tractors and trucks, and may have some dangerous equipment to
handle, e.g. such as chainsaws etc. Obviously, most of this work is in daylight
hours but as a maintenance person you’ll be on call 24 hours a day for emergencies.
Indoor work including painting, changing light bulbs, repairing sports equipment,
repairing fixtures may also be involved so carpentry skills will come in useful!
Indoor work may involve cleaning as well as general repairs which may involve plumbing
and electrical skills. Again, clearly state your relevant experience on your application.
Laundry
An efficient laundry is crucial to the smooth running of camp! Laundry staff are
always in demand at camp and includes the collection of laundry from the cabins
and other areas, plus the washing, folding and redistribution of the laundry. Laundry
staff members are also responsible for laundry supplies and minor equipment maintenance,
such as cleaning filters as well as keeping the laundry room dry and organised.
Cleaning
Hygiene is taken seriously at camp! This role involves maintaining the cleanliness
of restrooms, floors and kitchen surfaces. You may also be involved in other areas
such as general maintenance.
Housekeeping
General cleaning and tidying of cabins will be involved but also general ‘domestic’
duties for the living quarters of the director, senior staff and guests as well
as some laundry and maintenance duties.
Security
This job will vary from camp to camp, from sitting by the camp gate directing and
admitting visitors, to patrolling the camp at night and being a combination policeman/firewarden/surrogate
parent! Inevitably, the job entails ‘policing’ your peers to some extent (many camps
have a curfew) and you need to have the maturity, responsibility and management
skills to be able to handle this appropriately. For obvious reasons, camps prefer
older applicants who can respond well and safely to both the routine and the unexpected
from inside and outside the camp.
Driving
Working as a driver involves the transportation of children, staff and equipment
to various destinations. You will also be required to do a range of errands such
as collecting the mail or travel at short notice. Both a full UK and International
Driver’s Licence (I.D.L.) are required and we need photocopies of both sides of
your UK licence with your KAMP application form. Most camps stipulate that you be
over 21 in order to comply with their insurance regulations (at some camps you need
to be over 25). You will probably be asked to take a further driving test on arrival
at camp. You should have some experience of driving on the right hand side of the
road. When not actually driving, it is assumed you will be available for just about
any other necessary work, both indoor and outdoor. A practical knowledge of car
mechanics is always useful.
Office
The camp office is the hub of camp and the centre for all camp business. This is
a great way to get experience of clerical and administrative work. Your job could
involve working in any of the busy office areas at camp - answering telephones,
bookkeeping, photocopying, computer/word processing, helping children with problems
and general reception duties. If you are applying for an office position you must
like children as you will be in frequent contact with them. You must be organised
and flexible, and be prepared for potentially long hours - this is unlikely to be
the 9 to 5 job as you might expect at home!
As a KAMP participant, you are placed in a support role
at camp according to your skills, preferences and experience. Previous work experience
is an advantage for any position but essential for maintenance, office and kitchen
(cooking) work.
Don’t miss out! The sooner you apply, the more placements will be available to you.
As more and more vacancies start to fill, you will probably need to keep more of
an open mind and be prepared to be more flexible.