Camp Loyaltown Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Employees

1. Participating at a US summer camp provides many great opportunities regardless of job type. For example, both international and domestic participants reap the benefit of building their resume.
2. The experience of participating with people from around the world as well as sharing ideas to help others.
3. The opportunity to gain practical experience as well as learning about the person-centered approach to caring for others. The experience includes both the training and the practical implementation of these approaches. Skills like self-care, making choices, animal care, arts and crafts and how to socialize.
4. The opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn new skills. Each camper is unique and will require different approaches to meet their everyday needs / wants while prompting and supporting their independence.
5. The opportunity to participate and function effectively in a diverse / multicultural setting.
6. The ability to use the practical application of theory to gain a wide range of experiences with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
7. To develop patience, creativity, passion, and empathy for the people we care for.
8. Coming to camp gives you the ability to bring out the best in yourself and step out of your comfort zone.
9. The observation of personal growth and development throughout your camp experience.
10. Feeling a sense of belonging.
11. Learning the importance and benefits of selflessness.
12. To gain a wider insight into camp culture.
13. The opportunity for non-native speakers of English to learn and develop their English skills through camp’s diverse culture.
14. Different types of training to support the development of skills for participants to become leaders in their roles.
15. The development of problem-solving skills.
16. The development of self-respect and appreciation for the people we support.
17. The opportunity to travel anywhere in the USA for 30 days after camp ends to gain a broader understanding of the US culture and aspects of daily living.
18. Participating at a US summer camp provides many great opportunities regardless of job type. For example, both international and domestic participants reap the benefit of building their resume.
19. The experience of participating with people from around the world as well as sharing ideas to help others.
20. The opportunity to gain practical experience as well as learning about the person-centered approach to caring for others. The experience includes both the training and the practical implementation of these approaches. Skills like self-care, making choices, animal care, arts and crafts and how to socialize.
21. The opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn new skills. Each camper is unique and will require different approaches to meet their everyday needs / wants while prompting and supporting their independence.
22. The opportunity to participate and function effectively in a diverse / multicultural setting.
23. The ability to use the practical application of theory to gain a wide range of experiences with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
24. To develop patience, creativity, passion, and empathy for the people we care for.
25. Coming to camp gives you the ability to bring out the best in yourself and step out of your comfort zone.
26. The observation of personal growth and development throughout your camp experience.
27. Feeling a sense of belonging.
28. Learning the importance and benefits of selflessness.
29. To gain a wider insight into camp culture.
30. The opportunity for non-native speakers of English to learn and develop their English skills through camp’s diverse culture.
31. Different types of training to support the development of skills for participants to become leaders in their roles.
32. The development of problem-solving skills.
33. The development of self-respect and appreciation for the people we support.
34. The opportunity to travel anywhere in the USA for 30 days after camp ends to gain a broader understanding of the US culture and aspects of daily living.

1. Even though summer camp has its perks, it can also be challenging. There may be situations where tough conversations with the people we care for or other staff may occur. This may be due to a language barrier, understanding or personal needs/wants, and/or other conflicts that will require you to problem solve.
2. Working long hours.
3. Culture Shock – the feeling of disorientation experienced when suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture or way of life. This can happen if it is your first time participating in a diverse setting with people from different parts of the world.
4. Home sickness, especially when you are not used to being away from home for extended periods outside of your home country.
5. Having the ability to lift 50 pounds / 23 kg or more.
6. Adjusting to eating different types of foods from what’s typically served in your home.
7. Sharing living space with other people from different cultures and backgrounds. This sometimes limits privacy and may require you adjusting and adapting to a different setting from what you are typically used to back home.
8. Waking up early (this can be as early as 7:00am Eastern Time).

US summer camp employment requires that foreign nationals obtain a J1 Exchange Visitor Visa in the category consistent with the position accepted. Camp counselors require a J1 Camp Counselor visa while support staff require a J1 Summer Work and Travel visa.  Each visa has specific eligibility requirements. The camp counselor and summer work travel exchange visitor visas cover almost all the camp employment opportunities. To apply for summer camp, you will need to find out what international recruiting agency is available in your home country/ region/ local office.

The following are the recommended recruiting agencies that camp has been using:

• Camp America
• InterExchange
• AmeriCamp
• IENA
• Camp Leaders
• CCUSA
• Camp Staff USA
• Odyssey International
• United Studies

To be eligible for the program, what do I need?

1. Applicants for the Camp Counselors program must:

• Be the age of 18 and over.
• Possess strong English language skills.
• Be willing to work long hours with adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (prior experience preferred).
• Possess two or more camp related skills that you can teach or assist teaching both adults and children at camp – the stronger your skills and application, the better chance of a placement at camp.
• Be open-minded, energetic, flexible, adaptable, and prepared to work long hours!
• Be in good health.
• Have no criminal record.
• Own a valid passport which has at least 6 months validity before expiration.
• Have sufficient funds to pay for program fees, flights and all additional costs.
• Be independent and self-motivated. You are required to be pro-active in the application process. It is important to understand that living and working in a new country will be challenging at times and is a learning and life experience, not simply a holiday.
• Be adaptable and flexible to changes.
• Be respectful to campers, supervisors and colleagues.
• Be willing to endure during challenging times, not willing to give up.
• Be willing to learn.
• Be a role model.

2. Applicants for the Summer Work Travel program must:

• Be age 18 and over.
• Be enrolled full-time and pursuing studies at accredited post-secondary classroom-based academic institutions physically located outside of the US and have successfully completed one semester or equivalent of post-secondary study.
• Possess competent English language skills.
• Be willing to work long hours in a team setting.
• Have no criminal record.
• Own a valid passport which has at least 6 months validity before expiration.
• Have sufficient funds to pay for program fees, flights and all additional costs.
• Be independent and self-motivated. You are required to be pro-active in the application process. It is important to understand that living and working in a new country will be challenging at times and is a learning and life experience, not simply a holiday.

A typical arrangement at camp has 12 campers living with 12 counselors. The cabins are built from wooden structure, painted in white and brown (typically camp). All participants must understand that they will, in most cases, be physically in the same cabin as a group of campers during the summer (sometimes privacy is at a minimum). Support staff also live in cabins, apart from living with campers. Support staff will share a cabin with 2 – 4 members based on diversity.

Camp provides free accommodations on camp for participants to sleep / stay during their day off. Participants will sleep in cabins designated as the “Day Off Cabin”. Each participant is required to sign up the day before their day off starts with their assigned Unit Head, if they wish to sleep in the day off cabin.

If the participant does not wish to use camp’s provided accommodation during their day off, there are local motels in Hunter/Tannersville which participants may use. Participants must understand that this will come from their own expenses.

Yes, camp will provide meals on the participants’ day off.

Camp provides the following compensation for participants:

• Free housing
• Free meals
• The pocket money / stipend of 63-day contract with pay per day worked (participants pocket money / stipend / wage earning is determined by the recruiting agency)

The US summer camp season runs from as early as May, beginning of June through September with average employment of 9-11 weeks. Some pre-camp and post-camp work opportunities are possible.  This time frame is perfect for those who want to work and still have time to travel or to rest up for the upcoming school year or job back at home. Camp Counselor / General Camp Counselors work 16 hours a day or more depending on the needs of camp.

Support Staff work schedules vary depending on the role and the camp.  Most employees work up to 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, which although long, is less than the counseling staff.  The hours may vary and there may be split shifts.  Most camps are exempt of minimum wage laws including overtime pay as it is a seasonal industry.

Cabin Counselor, Lifeguard, Unit Administrator, Cabin Leader, Activity Counselor, Social Media Counselor, Maintenance, Housekeeping / Laundry, Office Staff, Kitchen Staff, Dining Hall Staff, Night Watch, Driver, Health Care Assistance, Camp LPN, Camp RN, Respite Counselors

1. Visit our website at https://www.camployaltown.org/campstaff/
2. Scroll the bottom of the page to see the different positions offered at Camp Loyaltown
3. To view our current job openings, click on the “Click here” option and it will take you to the jobs available.
4. You may go back to the main page and click on “Apply” which is at the bottom of the page in green.

Employees are given one day off per week.

Employees are given an hour each day they are scheduled for work.

No, but staff are provided with specific travel instructions prior to their arrival at the camp. These instructions will be based on the closest pickup location for staff to be dropped off at camp. Additional information is provided in the Staff Handbook.

If you miss the bus, travel instructions will be provided on how to get to Camp Loyaltown directly (further information is available in the Participants Handbook).

Staff members will typically get one day off per week. Days off will be on a rotating basis within your cabin or work area depending on the needs of the camp. Your day off begins at 9 PM on a given day and ends at 9 P.M. the following day.  At this time, a staff member who has had that day off must be back on campgrounds and report back to their cabin.

General orientation and training are from June 10^th to June 14^th, 2024. Leadership, Lifeguard, CPR / First Aid, and SCIP will be held within the first week of June 2024. Any participants arriving after these dates will still be provided with the opportunity to go through the orientation and training.

Staff are encouraged to book flights to JFK International Airport in New York. Staff are also strongly encouraged to book flights that will land in JFK at approximately 11am or 12pm.

If there are questions about camp, please reach out to the Program Coordinator of Training and Development via email at yrichards@citizens-inc.org or WhatsApp at 516-587-7199.

Yes, all seasonal participants should be back in their cabin by 12:30AM. If it is your day off and you decide to stay on campgrounds, you will be required to adhere to curfew hours.

Staff are allowed to use their personal electronic devices during their hours off, days off or after 9pm (when off duty). If there is an emergency that requires use to use your device, please notify your immediate supervisor. Participants are strongly encouraged to use their cell phone in the Palace on camp. The Palace will be shown upon your arrival at the camp.

One of the goals of participating in a summer camp is to connect with others. This provides an opportunity for engaging in meaningful conversations, finding value in yourself and others, reducing distractions, and reducing stress that you may be dealing with from home. In addition, spending less time on your cell phone provides an opportunity for you to connect with the outside world while in a camp setting.

Some days can be cold, other days can be super warm. The warmest days usually occur during the months of July and August. Staff and campers are reminded to apply sunscreen / sunblock and drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated. If it gets warm outdoors, staff and campers engage in mostly indoors activities.

Day off trips to shopping malls / outlets, food courts, fried food night, campfire, international night, waterparks, sightseeing, games night, movie night, and gym to name a few.

There are computers available in the Palace for staff to use during their hours off, day off or after 9 pm (off duty) to continue working on projects.

Yes, our operations Manager will provide guidance on how to send and receive mail at camp.

Yes! Camp will help with setting up appointments for participants to apply for social security numbers. A part of the process requires that you fill out an application form online, have a valid passport / ID, visa, DS-2019, and SEVIS form. Participants who are applying for a social security number for the first time in the US will be required to be in the US for at least 10 days before applying. This is due to errors that may happen if you apply before the 10-day period.

Yes, Camp has been successful with assisting participants to open a US bank account. If you wish to open a US bank account, please let us know. Upon your arrival to camp, you can send an email to Yesika Richards at yrichards@citizens-inc.org and the bank will be contacted to assist with further processing, KeyBank.

Camp strives to provide the best meals respective of a person’s diet. For example, vegan, vegetarian, regular diet, meat lovers, gluten free, and lactose free.

While the camp does not provide uniforms for staff, each staff member is given a Camp Loyaltown t-shirt which can be worn throughout the summer.

Yes, camp can provide a certificate upon request.

A maximum of 75 campers may be in each session.

Some sessions will last for 2 weeks and others for 1 week. An outline of each camper session will be listed in the participants’ handbook.

Participants are paid weekly and will receive their pay in the form of a check. Checks are paid by our designated accountant for the camp. If you cash your check and do not wish to keep the cash on your person, camp will provide a secure safe to keep your money in until you are ready to collect it. Please note that there will be a schedule posted for when participants can visit the main office to collect their money.

Yes! The camp has nurses working both during the day and at night should there be an emergency or any concerns that require medical attention.

No, camp provides free accommodation and food for all staff and campers.

1. Breakfast is served for campers and staff at 9am
2. Lunch is served for campers and staff at 1pm
3. Dinner is served for campers and staff at 5pm

*Please note that all campers and participants eat in the dining hall for all meals.

Yes, as of now, there is Wi-Fi access in the Palace, Dining Hall, Recreational Hall, Main Office, Health Center, and Woodshop.

Heaters and air conditioning units are installed in cabins.

Each person is unique and has their own style of learning. Camp provides the opportunity for participants to learn the theoretical and practical part of caring for a person during the orientation process (pre-arrival of campers) while also providing updates on specific topics throughout the summer.

Participating in a camp program can be used to build your resume.

Camp is a great avenue to foster public speaking. This will make you feel more confident in leading presentations in college / university during group or individual projects.

• Communication skills (written and verbal)
• Patience
• Empathy
• Being a role mode
• Teamwork
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
• Enthusiasm
• Problem Solving
• Having the ability to remain calm in unforeseen circumstances.
• Experience providing care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (is a plus, but not mandatory as this can be trained and taught to people before the individuals arrive at camp)
• Be willing to live with others from different cultures.

Yes, to remain in full compliance with OPWDD’s (Office for People with Developmental Disabilities) guidelines and regulations, it is mandatory that all participants providing direct care and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are fingerprinted in the United States and have received clearance before being eligible to provide care to the people we support.

• Visiting local shops / shopping mall / restaurants. For example, Woodbury Commons Outlets, Kingston Mall, Hudson Valley Mall, Cross gates Mall in Albany, Food Court in Albany (Cross Gates Mall), Catskill Walmart, Kingston Walmart, Target in Kingston
• July 4th Celebration on Camp
• Bonfires
• Campfires
• International / Cultural Night
• Spirit Night
• Games Night
• Visiting monuments
• Improving languages
• Volunteering at the Hunter Fire Department Block Party