Residential Camp Counselor

Job: Camp Counselor
Counselor Purpose:
A counselor’s purpose is to help create community, help campers build relationships, to be a role model, help campers build self-reliance and provide campers opportunities to learn and master new skills.

Being a counselor means putting campers needs ahead of your own, being organized, timely and reliable with planning and leading activities, providing an emotionally and physically safe cabin environment so campers feel they are taken care of and are at their home away from home, working long hours, sometimes being sleep deprived, working productively with fellow counselors, giving campers the attention they need to grow and being fun, funny, silly, crazy, creative and in costume on occasion.

Our Ideal Candidate:

• Our ideal candidate is a strong communicator, able to self-regulate one’s own emotions and cohabitate peacefully with others.
• Our ideal candidate is a positive thinker, passionate about children and team-work, and consistently strives to better oneself and others.
• We are looking for people who have a sincere desire to work and live with children, people who are ready to work an irregular work schedule, people who are caring, nurturing and patient, people who are capable of leading activities, living in a group setting, and people who are truly kids at heart.
• Our ideal candidate will understand the importance of building relationships, have an outstanding work ethic and believe it is their job to make a positive difference in a child’s life.

Qualifications:

• Must be female at least 18 years of age (males may apply for our activity leader positions).
• Must have High School diploma or equivalent and preferably one year of college.
• Some paid or volunteer experience working with children is desired but not mandatory.
• Ability and desire to identify and put campers needs first.
• Ability and desire to work as part of a team.
• Present a neat and professional self-image.
• Ability and desire to teach a variety of activities.
• Have an enthusiastic and positive outlook.
• Ability and willingness to accept supervision, constructive criticism, and guidance.
• Be a person of good character, integrity, judgment and adaptability.
• Desire and ability to live and work in a community environment.
• Have a strong desire to make a positive difference in a child’s life.
• Ability and desire to develop fun and positive relationships with campers and co-workers.
• Ability and desire to communicate and work with a variety of ages and skill levels.
• Ability and desire to supervise children in an all day and overnight environment.
• Ability to speak and perform in front of large groups.
• Excellent communication skills, and ability to take accountability.
• Ability and willingness to be patient, sensitive, understanding and nurturing.
• Posses critical thinking skills and techniques to be applied to situations that may arise with campers.

General Responsibilities:

• Supervise children in an all day and overnight environment.
• Responsible for the general wellbeing of campers.
• Identify and meet campers' needs.
• Carry out and follow camp programs, policies, and procedures.
• Provide a safe, friendly, loving, encouraging environment to campers and co-workers.
• Camp runs from June 8, 2026 - August 7, 2026.
• Dates may vary depending on LAUSD school schedule.

Hiring Process:

• Fill out an application (scroll to the bottom of our website to find the application or go to counselor2026.pdf) and submit to: Camp Hollywoodland 3200 Canyon Dr. Hollywood, CA 90068 or email to [email protected]. We request that you do not use AI to complete your application. The use of AI may disqualify you from the process.
• If your application is selected, you will be contacted for an in-person interview. The interview process could include up to 3 interviews. An interview does not guarantee a position.
• Applications will be accepted December 16, 2025– April 18, 2026 or until positions are filled.
• If you are selected to be a camp counselor you must fill out an official City of Los Angeles hiring application, get a TB test checked by City of Los Angeles Medical Services and be fingerprinted at an official City of Los Angeles fingerprinting facility.
• Once selected to be a camp counselor, you will need to be certified in Infant, Child and Adult CPR, First Aid and AED by the American Heart Association. Classes must be completed in 2026.

Training:
Our staff informational is Friday May 15, 2026. Our mandatory in-service training is the week of June 8– 12, 2026. All dates are mandatory. During the week-long training you will be living at camp just like in the summer.

Salary:
First year counselors start at $800 per week. In addition to the weekly salary, all meals and snacks are provided, lodging for Monday through Friday, staff shirts, memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.