A Prospective Staff Interview
Where are Camps Equinunk & Blue Ridge?
Camps Equinunk and Blue Ridge are Pennsylvania summer camps located in the beautiful Pocono Mountains. We are approximately 2 1/2 hours from the New York and Philadelphia areas and just a scenic drive away from the local airports.
What dates do I need to be available to work at camp this summer?
For specific information regarding dates for this upcoming summer, please visit the IMPORTANT DATES FOR STAFF page conveniently located right here at CECBR.com! It is important to note that we require all staff to be available for the duration of our session. This includes our June Staff Training & Orientation.
Is there an orientation or staff training before camp begins?
You bet! Our primary focus at Camps Equinunk and Blue Ridge is childcare. While all of our staff are hired with some level of experience working with children we want to refine and define these skills through our intensive staff-training program. We bring in child development experts from around the country and the world, and you will have a chance to learn what the Equinunk/Blue Ridge Experience is all about.
How would I get to camp?
Good question! It really depends on where you are coming from. If you are joining the CECBR team with one of our International Staffing Agencies, we will provide pickup at your hotel upon arriving in America OR we will provide specific instructions on how to meet us at one of our transportation locations. We also arrange pickups at area airports on select days prior to orientation.
If you are a domestic staff member who will be joining one of our resident camps this summer – you are welcome to bring your car up to camp or if you live outside of the northeast, please contact our winter office and a member of our full time team will be in touch regarding all of our transportation options.
Equinunk is for Boys and Blue Ridge for girls...right?
Another great question! Yes, Equinunk is our boy’s camp and Blue Ridge is our camp for girls. However, we use the term “Brother/Sister Camp.” It’s one of those things that make us truly unique. During the day we run separate programs, although there is some crossover with use of our shared facilities. At night we sometimes come together as a full camp family for evening programs or special events. We should note that Equinunk and Blue Ridge are a convenient three-minute walk from each other.
How many staff members are hired each summer? Are they mostly domestic or internationals?
We hire approximately 280 staff each summer, many of them returning! In fact, 90% of our general staff are homegrown, meaning they grew up at Equinunk or Blue Ridge as campers and have transitioned from CITS to Junior Counselors. Some of our former campers are now in Leadership Positions with our resident camps and they are a tremendous resource as camp approaches and certainly once you arrive.
Most of our domestic staff make up our bunk counselors and we hire many internationals to work at all of our specialty areas each summer, providing specialized instruction in athletics, adventure, aquatics, and the arts!
What positions are available and what are my primary responsibilities?
You should check out all of our Positions at Camp. We are not only providing life experiences for our campers but for our staff too. We want the area you are working in while at one of our summer camps to reflect your career goals, personal hobbies and interests and we have created that area of our website to help weigh your options.
Where will I be living?
Our counselors live in bunks with our campers. There are typically two or three counselors placed in a bunk, one of which will be a specialist. This means you are instructing, teaching, or coaching during the day and are back in the bunks at night.
It looks like CE and CBR are 'uniform camps' - what does that mean?
We are certainly a Uniform Camp. This means that all of our campers and staff are dressed in red or gray for Equinunk, or blue, white, or gray for Blue Ridge. We believe strongly that having both our campers and staff dressed in the same colors each day over the course of the summer helps to preserve the wholesome, inclusive, and nurturing environment that we have worked so hard to create at both of our summer camps.
Who will be my point of contact as summer approaches?
Another thing that makes Equinunk and Blue Ridge so special are the incredible people throughout our Leadership Team. We pride ourselves on great communication and just like our campers, we take great care of our staff! When we receive your application, one of our year-round staff members will be in touch with some additional information. From there, you can always email staff@cecbr.com and someone will be in touch!
Kids are great, and I love working, but is there any time off?
There is certainly time off for our staff, in fact it becomes very necessary during a marathon seven weeks at summer camp. There will be five days off over the eight weeks our staff spends with us plus a couple of nights out each week. We strongly recommend using your time off to reenergize, but our administrative team works very hard to provide some pretty exciting travel and trip opportunities as well.