Your Role as a Camp Counselor

Camp counselors are the heart of American summer camps. You guide, support, and inspire campers while enjoying an unforgettable cultural exchange experience. Duties include daily supervision, activity leadership, and ensuring health and safety.

Earnings & Program Benefits

• Stipend: Earn a minimum of $2,300 USD up to $3,200 USD (pre-tax) for 9 weeks, with additional pay for extra days.
• Board & Meals: Free room, accommodation, and meals provided for the entire duration of camp.
• Insurance: Full accident and sickness health insurance covered throughout the program.
• Visa & Travel: Official J-1 Visa Sponsorship (DS-2019 form) + 30-day grace period to travel across the USA.

Eligibility & Who We Recruit

Who to Recruit

• Excellent English skills: Counselors must communicate clearly with campers and staff. Limited English can make placement difficult and may even lead to visa denial.
• Positive attitude and flexibility: Camp life changes quickly! Great counselors stay adaptable and handle challenges calmly.
• Maturity and teamwork: Participants must act responsibly around children and work well with others throughout long, active camp days.
• Genuine interest in children and cultural exchange: The program isn’t about earning money, but about personal growth and cultural understanding.

Requirements for Counselors

Before an applicant completes the full application, please pre-screen to ensure they meet these basic requirements:

• Availability: Must be able to start no later than June 12 and stay until at least August 15. A wider availability range increases their chances of placement.
• Age: We prefer candidates between 19 and 25, but will also consider those aged 18–28.
• Skills: The more specialized, the better! Applicants should have relevant certification or training in their activity area and/or strong teaching experience.
• Eligibility: Applicants must be a student, teacher, bona fide youth worker, or have specialized skills related to camp activities.

Program Steps

Transparent Program Fees (€500 Total)

Our Portuguese main partner Sociedade de História Natural holds a Quality Label for the 2021-2027 period under our consultancy as a hosting and leading organization in European Solidarity Corps (ESC) and Erasmus+ projects.

So far, we have hosted volunteers from Turkey, Germany, Italy, Estonia, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Azerbaijan, and Belgium. We are expanding our scope and keeping our doors wide open to all volunteers from Europe and neighboring countries!

Project Team

ESC Projects List

• 2025-1-IT03-ESC51-VTJ-000348869 [Geoconservation of Portuguese Jurassic Coast] 2 months - 1 Volunteer
• 2024-1-DE04-ESC51-VTJ-000198524 [Paleontological Inventory Management] 1 year - 1 volunteer
• 2025-DE04-ESC51-VTJ-000346590 [Paleontological Heritage Management] 1 year - 1 volunteer
• 2024-1-EE01-ESC51-VTJ-000-209801 [Geoheritage of the Jurassic Coast] 2 months - 1 volunteer
• Waterways Heritage Action Together2 weeks for 15 volunteers
• Natural Heritage Management1 year for 1 volunteer
• Health and Safety Management2 months for 6 volunteers
• ESC in Paleontological Excavation1 month for 1 volunteer
• ESC Short Term Paleo - 12 months for 4 volunteers
• ESC Short Term Paleo - 22 months for 2 volunteers
• ESC in Paleontology with Kozder2 months for 4 volunteers
• ESC in Paleo with Eurodesk Gursu2 months for 2 volunteers
• ESC in Paleontology with Kozder II2 months for 3 volunteers

Activities in Portugal

We aim to create a global awareness of climate issues to care for other ecosystems threatened by human activity and the conservation actions for natural heritages. According to this aim, we have some basic learning elements:

• GeoHeritage and GeoPark-themed field tours for social awareness on Earth Sciences
• Geographic Information System applications for understanding land degradation and climate change threatened by environmental and human impact
• Laboratory works with fossils to understand paleo-ecosystems and paleo-climate to shed light on recent issues on climate and ecosystems

Project Activities Gallery

Our Background & Expertise

Our J-1 program and mobility consultancy journey began in 2018. Over the years, we have built trusted relationships with camp directors across leading U.S. camps including Camp Watitoh, Point O'Pines, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, and Camp Greylock as well as leading ESC quality projects in Portugal. With our regional hubs in Lisbon and Bratislava, we ensure quick administrative responses and hands-on guidance for all candidates.