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STAFF

REQUIREMENTS

All new staff must be at least 18 years of age and one year removed from graduating high school.

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Strong desire to work with children. 

 

Fun and outgoing personality.

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GENERAL COUNSELOR

General counselors spend the day with their division of campers; guiding, supporting, and supervising them as they go from activity to activity.

SPECIALIST COUNSELOR

Specialists concentrate on a specific area; teaching our campers new skills and expanding campers’ interests and abilities.

STAFF APPLICATION

Lifeguard Staff
June 15th, 2025

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SELECT SUPPORT STAFF & Ropes Staff
June 18th, 2025

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SELECT Specialist & ADVISORY Staff
June 20th, 2025

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Generals, select specialists

& support Staff
June 22nd, 2025

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Campers Arrive
June 29th, 2025

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Last Day of Camp
August 17th, 2025 (5pm)

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*All dates are subject to change

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  • What is the difference between Chipinaw & Silver Lake?
    We pride ourselves on being able to cater to campers of all ages with different needs and expectations for the summer. Having two campuses lets us also cater to the amount of time campers are looking to stay at camp. At Chipinaw, all of our campers attend for a full 7-week summer session, while at Silver Lake, we offer two shorter sessions (4 weeks or 3 weeks)that pack all the fun and excitement of a full summer camp experience in half the time! The campuses are directly next door to one another and share some facilities.
  • Where is Chipinaw located?
    We are located in the beautiful Catskill Mountains, about two hours northwest of New York City, in the town of Bethel.
  • Where do the campers and staff come from?
    The majority of our campers hail from the east coast in states such as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Florida. We have a few campers from other parts of the country and from other places around the world! Many of our staff are college and university students from all over the United States and around the world. We also hire young-adult college graduates, many of whom are educators or aspiring educators. We have many adult staff members who joined us when their children started summer camp. Our international staff comes to us from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, The Netherlands, and Mexico, just to name a few.
  • What is the difference between a general counselor and a specialist counselor?
    General counselors travel to camp activities with campers and participate in various summer camp activities. They assist specialists while they are at each activity. Specialist counselors are hired to run a specialty area. They teach campers skills related to a particular sport, craft, or adventure activity. General counselors and specialists live in the bunks with their campers.
  • What are the living arrangements for staff members?
    Bunk staff lives in cabins with 6-10 campers and either one or two other counselors. Each bunk is equipped with full plumbing and electricity. Our non-bunk advisory staff accommodations consist of single rooms with either private or semi-private bathrooms.
  • How does laundry work for staff? What about linens?
    Laundry for all bunk staff is done once a week by an outside service. The service returns clean laundry washed, dried, folded, and individually packaged. There is a small fee for this service. Non bunk staff has the option to usethe laundry service or do their own laundry on their off time. Linens are provided for international staff.
  • What are the meals like at camp?
    All meals are served family-style by our waiters and waitresses. Meals at camp are very kid-friendly, as we are a children's summer camp. Along with the served courses, we always offer a fresh salad bar, bread bar, and pasta bar. Our baker also creates some of the best desserts in the Catskills for lunch and dinner. For more information, visit our Health and Nutrition page.
  • What is the salary for staff and what is the pay schedule?
    Salaries for our American staff vary depending on position, year in school, and experience. A travel allowance is also given to assist with travel expenses. International counselors' salaries are negotiated through the staffing agency. All monies will be paid at the end of the summer. Staff may ask for a pay advance twice during the summer.
  • Does the staff have a certain dress code or uniform?
    We provide each staff member with staff shirts that are to be worn every day.
  • Does the camp have any religious affiliation?
    Chipinaw is open to campers from any religion, though the vast majority of our campers come from Jewish families. Our staff comes from many diverse backgrounds and different faiths. Bunk counselors and campers attend a short service every Friday evening and Saturday morning.
  • How do staff members get to camp?
    We offer staff pick-ups from New York City on a few specific dates. Once you are hired, you will receive the information with dates, times, and location. Staff who are arriving by air should fly into one of the three major New York/New Jersey airports - LaGuardia, Newark, or JFK. If you will not be able to catch one of our pick-ups, you can take a bus from New York City Port Authority to Monticello, NY bus terminal. We will arrange to pick you up from there. Staff with their own transportation can drive directly to camp. Directions can be found on our homepage.
  • How much time off does a staff member get?
    Each staff member receives six days off during the summer and one period off each day. Many nights, staff have additional time off from 9:30 until 12:30 at which time you must be back in your bunk.You can check out the Days & Nights Off page to get an idea of what there is to do in the area.
  • What are some important policies I should know?
    There is no place for smoking, alcohol, or drugs on the Chipinaw campus. If you are caught with or under the influence of drugs or in possession of alcohol or cigarettes on camp, you will be dismissed immediately. Staff members should not accept or request any camper as a friend on Facebook or any other social network. You are also prohibited from posting pictures of campers or of Camp Chipinaw. Cell phones are allowed, but may not be kept in your bunk. They will be stored in a personal lock box and may only be used in designated areas around camp on your off time. Campers are never allowed to use your phone, nor should they ever see you using your phone. Laptops and tablets are allowed, but must be kept out of sight of campers.
  • What is a typical day like at camp?
    Each day at camp is different from the day before. Campers choose their schedules each day for the following day. Please go to the Daily Program page to see a complete schedule. 7:30 a.m. - Reveille, followed by line up at each campus's flagpole for daily announcements followed by breakfast and a quick bunk clean up. The morning consists of three 50-minute activity periods. 12:40 p.m. - Lunch followed by a quick rest time and three more activity periods. after sixth period, campers shower and get ready for dinner. 6:00 p.m. - Dinner followed by a "Free Play" time and an 8:00 evening activity and a late-night snack at the canteen before bedtime.

TRAINING

Staff training begins before any meetings take place at camp. Camp Chipinaw utilizes Expert Online Training to provide the finest online training program. Each staff member is assigned a specific curriculum of video modules that teach them how to supervise, lead and nurture healthy relationships. The faculty of instructors include leaders in the field of child psychology, summer camps, youth development, and education. We also provide a week long orientation at camp.

INTERNSHIPS

Chipinaw & Silver Lake pride themselves in being able to offer internship opportunities while still getting the full summer camp experience. If you are interested in a summer internship at camp please email jobs@chipinaw.com

Come spend the summer
of your life with us!
Working at Chipinaw & Silver Lake will be one of the hardest jobs you'll ever love.
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Work Hard Play Hard

Staff Dates
Want To Know More?
Thank you for your interest in working at Chipinaw & Silver Lake!

Our summer camp is only as good as the staff it hires. That is why we search the globe for the most experienced and enthusiastic staff members we can find, from England to Australia and across the US.

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We are looking for general counselors, specialist counselors, leadership positions, and support staff for the upcoming summer. The leadership roles we fill each summer range from department heads and group leaders to medical staff and office assistants. Our support staff members work behind the scenes as kitchen staff, maintenance workers, groundskeepers, and housekeepers to ensure the day to day operations of camp are handled professionally. Generally, most of our counselors are aged between nineteen and twenty-five, while our leadership staff are more experienced and have worked their way up the camp ladder. For a complete list, view our staff positions.

 

If you feel you have the outgoing, fun personality to be a part of the Chipinaw Family, then make sure to apply! Don't forget to visit our FAQ's section to learn more about our traditional coed summer camp.

 

If you have any additional questions please email jobs@chipinaw.com.

We Only Hire The Best
It's all about
the kids!

LEADERSHIP & ADVISORY 

  • Adventure Director

  • Athletic Director

  • Bus Drivers
    (CDL)

  • Camp Moms

  • Camp Photographer

  • Digital Arts Director

  • Doctors

  • Drivers

  • Fine Arts Director

  • Nurses

  • Office Assistants

  • Special Events Coordinator

  • Staff Liaison

  • Theatre Director

  • Waterfront Director

ADVENTURE

  • Archery

  • Horseback Riding

  • Mountain Biking

  • Mountain Boarding

  • Nature

  • Pioneering

  • Ropes Course

  • Skate Park

ATHLETICS

  • Baseball

  • Basketball

  • Fencing

  • Flag Football

  • Golf

  • Gymnastics

  • Hockey

  • International Sports

  • Lacrosse

  • Soccer

  • Softball

  • Sports Fitness

  • Tennis

  • Volleyball

  • Weight Training

DIGITAL MEDIA

  • Black & White Photography

  • Computers      (MAC based)

  • Digital Photography

  • Digital Video

  • Radio Broadcasting

  • Robotics

  • Video Editing

FINE ARTS

  • Ceramics

  • Cooking

  • Creative Crafts

  • Drawing & Painting

  • Glass Fusion

  • Jewelry - Beaded & Metal

  • Leather Craft

  • Magic

  • Model Building

  • Needle Craft

  • Rocketry

  • Silkscreen

  • Stained Glass

  • Woodworking

PERFORMING ARTS

  • Acting

  • Costuming

  • Dance

  • Circus Arts

  • Lighting & Sound

  • Set Construction

  • Set Painting

WATERFRONT

  • Boat Drivers

  • Fishing

  • Lifeguards - Pool & Waterfront

  • Sailing

  • Waterskiing & Wakeboarding Instructors

  • Water Safety Instructors (WSI)

SUPPORT STAFF

  • Maintenance

  • Groundskeeping

  • Housekeeping

  • Kitchen

  • Laundry

  • Garbage

Positions Available

Sound On >

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