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I recently decided that I wanted to document my Camp America experience - this feels like such a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don't want to forget any of it, all the way from the highest highs and lowest lows. To start off, I thought I'd blog about my recruitment fair experience as I feel this is where my journey really began. Hopefully this will help you out if you're attending a fair, or just make for some interesting (ish!) reading.
On the 17th January 2017 I headed up to Edinburgh for the 1st of 4 Camp America recruitment fairs. Despite this being one of the smaller recruitment fairs in terms of the amount of camps and applicants attending, I knew there was still going to be a lot of camps to speak to and a lot of people going for the same roles as I was. I feel like the most important thing I did before I went was research (although I ended up being employed at a camp I hadn't previously looked into - more on that later). Camp America post a list of camps that are attending prior to the event. The list includes start dates, age limits and which positions the camps themselves wanted to fill. I was looking to be a general counsellor at a camp that started after the 12th June, therefore I did research into camps that filled this criteria. Unfortunately, I did find that although camps did state they were looking for general counsellors this was not the case - the roles the camps are looking for will be displayed behind their stand inside the fair, so don't be shaken by finding on the day the camp doesn't want to hire someone with your particular skill.
When I arrived at the venue, I was given a sticker to say I'd already had my interview with CA, and that I was ready to be hired instantly. Going into the venue was intimidating, I knew where I wanted to be instantly, so I headed straight to this camp. However, the decided they didn't want to hire general counsellors after all so I didn't sit down to interview. The second camp I went to speak to seemed great on paper but after speaking to the director I learnt it definitely wasn't for me - we didn't hit it off and my skill set wasn't going to be of best use at this camp. I felt shaken at this point, but still carried on.
The fourth camp I went to speak to ended up being the camp I was hired at. By chance I was walking past and saw they were looking for people with youth work experience. I got talking to a girl who had worked there previously through CA and I decided that I would like to be interviewed. The reason I hadn't researched this camp previously was that they had two separate start dates and only the first had been displayed on the list of attending camps, meaning that I thought I couldn't go.
I sat with the director of the overnight camp programme and she made me feel at ease straight away; I was asked typical interview questions and then she passed me a green wristband meaning I was hired. I was about ready to cry at this point, I was so excited! There's a few forms to fill in when you're hired, and then you go to be processed by CA staff who take your form off you so they can send you visa documents, take your t-shirt size for your CA shirt and check you've made all the necessary payments for this point in the process.
I feel like the most important piece of advice I can give for attending the recruitment fair is to be positive. Be yourself, and you will find a camp you will be excited to work at and a camp that is excited to hire you. Don't be disheartened if a camp that seems perfect on paper or online is not for you - not everyone is going to be a perfect match for a particular camp! Finally, if you are hired at a recruitment fair, great! If not, you have until May to be placed, and there are THOUSANDS of camps that can access your CA application and only a hundred or so at recruitment fairs. It is highly likely that you will be hired online.
Any questions, feel free to comment or get in touch!
Until next time,
Lucy
