Recruitment

BUNAC participants are part of the staff at every type of camp in every corner of North America. Our participants work in traditional private, residential camps and also at day camps (private and agency), YM/YWCA or YMHA camps, Girl Scout camps, inner-city agency camps, arts and music camps, primitive wilderness camps, upmarket sports camps, camps for the disabled child (or adult), science camps, riding camps, soccer camps, computer camps – the list is endless!

Assessment

In countries where we actively recruit, all first-time counselor applicants attend one of our one-on-one interview sessions. We rigorously screen applicants and accept only those candidates who our interviewers feel will genuinely relate well to children and who have the potential to become fine counselors.

All applicants have to provide a criminal background check and at least two college or professional references.

Placement

The next step is to match our qualified applicants to your requests as indicated on the Staff Requirements form which you complete for us. Our placement team will draw upon their in-depth knowledge of summer camps to select the "right" staff for your camp.

Our staff have many years' experience of visiting camps, interviewing and successfully placing many thousands of counselors. When we feel we have the right people for you, we will send their dossiers to you for your consideration via our online Camp Directors’ Portal. Registered camps also have the option to search our database of quality staff awaiting placement if preferred.

You are encouraged to update us on your staff needs throughout the season via your online account. Our placement team will also be in regular contact with you and you will be able to meet us in person at the ACA National Convention as well as at various regional camping conventions in the spring.

Visas

The International Branch of the YMCA of Greater New York, is the official program sponsor. Participants come to the USA on a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa which allows them to be in the US for up to 4 months during the period of May to early October. An additional 30-day grace period is allowed for travel.

Please be aware that participants are required to visit their nearest US Consulate or Embassy in person before a visa can be issued. This can be an expensive matter and can add considerably to the time it takes to get a visa. Also before a visa is issued, the sponsor is required to enter the participant and camp details into the SEVIS system. Once the participant is in the USA, this information must be validated. The YMCA and BUNAC will work with camps on how to do this.

For Canadian camps, participants need an official contract from the camp and can then, with BUNAC’s help, apply to the Canadian High Commission for the employment authorisation. Further information is available from BUNAC.

Insurance

Every program participant has full travel/work insurance coverage arranged by BUNAC. Coverage includes medical and accident, baggage loss and cancellation/curtailment. Such insurance is secondary to and is not to replace, any coverage under the camp’s Worker’s Compensation or liability policy.

Please note that although this policy is negotiated by BUNAC for participants, it is for the individual counselor to make all claims, on the form provided, directly to the insurance company and NOT to BUNAC. Full details of coverage and claims procedures will be sent to each camp.

Social Security

All J-1 program participants are required to obtain a social security card after they have arrived in the USA. However, you do not withhold social security payments since overseas staff are ‘excluded from coverage under the Social Security program’ (IRS Pub. 518, p.21) and are neither subject to federal social security withholding nor unemployment benefit. We will provide up-to-date information with our invoice in June.

Direct Placements and Referrals

If your camp has already accepted someone from overseas we can provide the correct visa and other program services for them at a reduced fee both for the applicant and the camp. Procedures differ according to the applicant's country of residence so please contact us for further information.

If you are expecting an application from a particular referral (brother/sister/friend of former counselor, etc.), please let us have that person’s name so that we can be sure that the dossier does go directly to you after we receive it in Connecticut.

Camp visiting

During the summer, we try to visit each camp where we have staff. The BUNAC camp visitors are either interviewers or BUNAC office staff. These visits are considered extremely valuable from every point of view – participants, camp directors and visitors. The camp visitor reports are an important part of our overall information about each camp.

Further feedback is provided through the questionnaires sent to each camp and counselor at the end of the summer.

Orientation

Although BUNAC does thoroughly prepare staff for camp life in general, we expect each individual camp to prepare staff for their own camp. We ask you to be sure to write to your international staff and to send them as much information as possible. The more you communicate, the better prepared your staff will be on arrival and the quicker they will adjust to their new environment.

All Summer Camp USA participants attend an in-depth orientation before departure for North America. Orientations are mainly presented by US camp directors so participants arrive with realistic expectations of camp life. BUNAC provides each counselor with a Program Handbook. Counselors continue to refer to this throughout the summer.

Looking after your overseas staff

• Before they arrive, your international staff will be eager to hear from you about camp life, their role on camp, the children, the camp location, the activities, their daily routine and absolutely anything else you think would be useful information.
• The necessity of communicating with participants once you have contracted them cannot be overstated. They will have many questions for you and it is disheartening if such letters and emails go unanswered. Generally speaking it is not sufficient to send a copy of the standard camper brochure. This brochure can give a misleading impression to an overseas staff member who has never been to a US camp before.
• You may find that you need to supplement your pre-camp orientation with an extra session for overseas staff. Some camps have found it helpful to arrange for international staff to arrive a day or two before the American staff. This gives them a chance to recover from the long flight and find their way about before camp gets underway.
• We ask you to provide such things as sheets and blankets for overseas staff as they are not really able to bring such bulky items with them on the flight.
• Participants will also appreciate as much help from you as possible in arranging transportation out of camp on evenings and days off. Inability to get out of camp in time off is a major source of frustration for overseas staff.
• Your overseas staff will thank you for the provision of internet and email facilities for them. Email is especially important since it enables them to easily stay in touch with friends and family.
• Counselors expect to share something of their own culture with their campers and fellow counselors. British nights (or Irish, Scottish, Australian, etc.), staff soccer or cricket games and the like are all standard fare on camps with BUNAC counselors.

Flights/Travel to Camp

Summer Camp USA participants are booked on the flight which allows them to reach you for the first day of pre-camp unless you specifically request otherwise in advance. All participants have a choice of return date within our program and so are free to determine for themselves the extent of their post-camp travels/vacation.

For New York arrivals, participants are usually met at the airport and bussed to their overnight accommodation. The morning after arrival, breakfast is provided and participants attend a briefing by the US program sponsors. They are then free to head off to camp. The BUNAC New York staff will be on hand to assist with any problems and to make sure counselors know exactly how they are getting to camp.

For camps in other areas we can usually arrange direct flights into such cities as Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, St. Louis and Toronto. This significantly reduces the fare differential. We keep this cost as low as possible! Please check with us for further information.

NB: The above information applies mainly for counselors coming from Europe. For Australia/New Zealand participants, different travel plans may be made. In all cases everything is discussed and agreed up-front with each camp before any travel is confirmed.