Tips for hiring safe staff

I have been running MySummers since 1999. All camp directors are looking to hire staff that are caring, experienced, skilled and above all, safe with campers. In hiring staff, there are phone/in person interviews, reference checks and background checks. All of these are a must, but then what about staff who have worked at other camps, but don't list those jobs on their staff application or on the MySummers registration form. I would recommend asking potential staff what they have done the past 2-3 summers. Also, ask for references from these jobs. If the applicant can't provide that information, that is a red flag and camp directors should move on to other applicants. Also, camps can subscribe to Staffer Index, a database provided by A.M.Skier. MySummers camps have use of Staffer Index during the busy hiring months (for free!). Staff can be the key to a successful summer, so in hiring for summer camp jobs, camp directors should take as many precautions as possible. I read an article by a former camp director who said he never regretted not hiring specific staff. There are always good applicants, and if you're unsure, move on. There will be less headaches than dealing with problems at camp. Best of luck in finding the best staff for summer camp jobs, one of the most rewarding experiences of all!

Rick Mades
Camp Director, Maine Arts Camp
Owner, MySummers & Camp Finders

Reference checks, interviews

We are in the busy time of the year for interviews of staff applicants. Along with the interviews, and very important, are the reference checks. I was just on the phone with a couple of references for a guy that we interviewed on Thursday. The interview went well. He was personable, caring, thoughtful and probably will become a good teacher upon graduating college. The first reference I talked to was an important one as the applicant had worked for two weeks last summer at a day camp. One thing the camp director said was that the applicant took directions well and doesn't take those directions personally. I asked her about this and she has had staff in the past who takes directions, constructive criticism and more personally. Haven't we all seen this at camp? It is almost human nature to take things personally to some extent. Although we have questions during the interview which address constructive criticism, it is always better to hear from an employer how an applicant actually reacts to constructive criticism. Hiring strong camp staff takes a good set of questions, strong listening skills during the interview and in talking to references, and a bit of luck. Parents often ask whether we do background checks, which we do, but such checks don't tell us anything about most applicants since 90% of the checks come up with completely clean records. Good luck to everyone with camper enrollment and staffing!

Rick Mades
owner of Camp Finders & MySummers
owner/director of Maine Arts Camp

American staff, interviews

I just read an interesting article in the Boston Globe, written by a Babson College professor. It is entitled "My lazy American students". At Maine Arts Camp, we run a shorter camp season than most camps (5 weeks), with most staff only staying for 4 weeks. Since we run for such a short time, we don't hire international staff like most camps, as those staff come on longer visas. Some of the article certainly rings true, as last year we did have a problem with some staff texting and/or taking cell phone calls while on duty. It was limited to just a few staff, even though we made it clear in our Staff Handbook and at staff training that while on duty, the only time staff would use their cell phone would be a camp related call. We have also had to talk with staff about checking e-mail during meals a couple of years ago. We will make our policies even clearer this summer during staff training and discuss the rationale. Any camp staff need to understand that if the campers can be unplugged, the staff needs to set an example and do the same. Taking a summer camp job is different than working a 9-5 job and staff need to set aside some of their normal habits. As a whole, I think that our staff are quite good and dedicated to working with campers. The interview process is the key. If we receive a staff application and the reason that the applicant wants to work at our camp is to just have fun, we move on to other applicants. During the phone or in person interview, and through checking references, we can also quickly gather what level of dedication an applicant will have toward being a camp counselor. I think that the professor from Babson (the author of the article) is probably accurate as a whole, but there are lots of quality American staff working at camp. Camp directors just need to be picky, which is easy with so many people looking for summer camp jobs. If you're looking for some good interview questions, we have sat in on a good ACA workshop with Gary Forster. Noel Corpuel of Camp Wayne is also quite expert at staff interviews. We appreciate all of the great resources and fellow camp directors, but these two come to mind first.

Rick Mades
owner of Camp Finders & MySummers
owner/director of Maine Arts Camp

Interviews, staffing

We're on the road in New England, meeting with families interested in Maine Arts Camp and interviewing staff applicants. With the current economy, there are so many quality teacher and professionals looking for summer work. We had one of our best days ever for interviewing on Thursday. We met with a professional woodworker who specializes in marquetry. Unity College has a incredibly well equipped woodshop and we will be adding woodworking as an activity this summer. It should be a hit for both boys and girls as they learn some basic skills that one can't find in schools any more. We also met an experienced and interesting art teacher, with over 20 years teaching elementary through college. We met with a dance instructor from Belfast, Maine, as well as a drumming and guitar instructor from the area. Being at Unity College, the surrounding areas are chock full of creative professionals, educators and artists. As for parents, we just met with two families in CT and hope to meet more in the Boston area tomorrow. Overall, a fruitful trip!

Rick Mades
owner of Camp Finders and MySummers
owner/director of Maine Arts Camp

Staff retention

I'm on the e-mail list for a blog by Steve Maguire. Steve is a dynamic speaker that I met last February at a camping conference. After reading his last blog, I started to be more proactive with staff from last summer. Thinking she wasn't going to be asked back, one of our staff who we would like back had already started to apply to other camps. We only gave her positive feedback over the past two summers, so that was a surprise. We needed to contact her earlier, probably in October sometime. After contacting the returning staff we want back, I already have a good idea about what areas we need to start addressing. We have moved our camp from Bethel, Maine to Unity College, in Unity, Maine. It is a very exciting time as the communities around Unity, especially Belfast, seem to be very artsy & full of creative and talented teachers. We need to transfer that message to parents and staff, to get them ready for a new adventure this summer. Within the week, I'll follow several of Steve's suggestions, including either listing returning staff at our Facebook page or e-mailing staff directly about summer 2010. He has many other great suggestions, including getting their input about camp (we have done this by phone over the past few weeks and by evaluation forms at the end of the summer), thinking about ways returning staff can take on new responsibilities and leadership roles, and getting out summer 2010 agreements in the past few weeks. Here is the full article from Steve's blog. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Rick Mades
owner of Camp Finders and MySummers
owner/director of Maine Arts Camp