CSW Internship
Internships can be valuable employment experience – especially at a young age. Camp Stonewall is proud to offer young adults aged 16 & 17 the chance to serve the camp as part of a seven-week internship program. 15-year-olds with camp experience may also be considered for the position. CSW will offer paid (full-time) and unpaid (part-time) internship positions. To apply, please click here.
Working at Sleepaway Camp
Working at overnight camp is unlike working in any other industry. Camp interns are held to an incredibly high standard of expectation, 7 days a week. Interns are relied upon to complete a variety of tasks that require constant flexibility and creativity. Sleepaway camp is hard work from the earliest hours in the morning to the latest hours of the night. Camp staff are charged with creating a fun, dynamic, high-energy, engaging environment for campers – all the while, making it look easy. Camp staff must place their individual needs and desires second, prioritizing instead the needs of the camp and its kids. Interning at camp is a commitment to a program, to a philosophy, and to a group of people much larger than oneself.
Working at camp is also, arguably, the most fun work you will ever do! Employment at camp is collaborative, it is energizing, and it is empowering. The time spent at camp can be some of the most memorable of one’s lifetime. Friendships forged in the camp context – among campers and staff alike – happen quickly and endure indefinitely.
In short, a camp internship is not an office job. Nor is it an internship one should seek primarily for the purposes of enhancing a college application profile. Indeed, it is a role to which one should apply only if the description above sounds inviting, exciting, and rewarding. We welcome students aged 15-17 to consider this opportunity seriously. In turn, we will review applications with due care and award internships to those students whose profiles hold the most promise for strong, impactful camp leaders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the application process include?
Intern applicants will submit a formal application and three letters of recommendation. Later, they interview 1:1 with the director(s).
What do you look for when you choose interns?
We select interns based on the quality of their application (all parts). Equally, we consider the needs of camp and what each candidate would add to the staff team. The ability to support activity programming (athletics, performing arts, visual arts) is critical, though it is most important to be able to do/learn/try many activities (versus do one or two things exceptionally well). Good counselors are confident, energetic, committed, hard working, flexible, responsible, and caring. We seek these qualities among others. Our choices are based on adding the best combination of young people to our outstanding group of 18+ staff.
How old do you have to be?
We seek interns who have completed their sophomore or junior year in high school; they are at least 16 years old by (or during) the summer of employment. We do consider exceptional 15 year olds with camp experience for the CSW internship.
Do you have to be a former CSW camper to be considered for the internship? Do you have to be a Marianapolis student?
You do not have to be a Marianapolis student to become a Camp Stonewall intern. Attending Camp Stonewall is not a prerequisite for internship consideration; however, former CSW campers do have a distinct advantage in the process, as they already know camp inside and out. If you are currently 15 and new to us, we strongly recommend you attend camp as a senior camper to get to know us (and so we can get to know you!).
What is the difference between the paid and unpaid internships?
The paid internship is a full-time, eight week commitment. While paid interns may occasionally miss camp time for a doctor's appointment or a family emergency, they should expect to be on site for the full eight consecutive weeks. Periods off, nights off, and weekend days off are all assigned. Interns anticipating missing any more than two consecutive days (or more than 4 days total) should apply for the unpaid internship.
The unpaid internship is a commitment of 3-5 weeks. Time off (periods off, nights off, weekend days off) is assigned with significant attention paid to the intern's external schedule. Prospects who anticipate a family vacation, a sports obligation, or other similar significant conflicts should present these dates during the application process (with updates later as they arise).
I really want to be an intern - should I apply for both paid and unpaid spots?
Yes. The number of spots available for full time interns is finite. An application with a preference towards the paid internship, but a willingness to do the shorter-term internship, gives you maximum opportunity to become an intern at camp. While every staff member - paid and unpaid - is subject to performance review, a successful unpaid intern is in excellent standing for "promotion" to a full internship the following summer.
What is the full-time commitment like?
Paid camp interns are on site working from mid-June to mid-August. Every full-time staff member gets 24 hours off per week, one 45 minute period off per day, and one 4-hour night off per week, as assigned. The occasional conflict (eg: an orthodontist appointment) should not deter an applicant from completing the process. However, if you have an extended summer conflict (eg: a family vacation, a sports team), you should apply for the unpaid internship.
