I’ve posted before about our great camp staff and our intensive staff training, but a question I find myself answering a lot is, “What do we look for in a camp counselor?” Since the beginning of January, the resident camp supervisor, Brittany, and I have been interviewing a long list of applicants to join our teams this summer. Last I checked the list was at well over a hundred.
So what do we look for? Two key ingredients:
First, a love for working with children. When parents send their kids to camp, whether its day camp or resident camp, or just to spend one night at the Jack Hanna Sleepover, they are entrusting their child’s life to us. We want someone who enjoys being with kids. Whether it’s the first week of camp, or the last week of camp, our counselors should enjoy being with these kids and should provide the same experience to each of the over 6,000 campers that experience our programs.
Along with this, is the realization of the responsibility they hold as a camp counselor. As much as camp is about having fun, making friends and learning about animals, counselors should realize that above all else, the safety of that child is their priority. We are in loco parentis (in place of a parent) during camp. It’s a huge responsibility, but for the right people, it is a responsibility they understand and never compromise.
Second, they have to love animals. Not all of our counselors are animal experts when they apply; some of them have never been to SeaWorld. That’s one of the key parts of our two weeks of training. I’ve often said I’d rather hire someone that knows kids and I teach them about animals than have to hire an animal lover and teach them to work with children. But they all enjoy teaching about the amazing animals we have at SeaWorld and spreading our message of awareness and conservation to all of our campers.
Besides that, we’ll interview anyone that meets the qualifications. We talk to outgoing people and some quiet people, some biology students and some education majors, former campers and some who have never heard of us before now. It’s a wide variety of applicants and it’s always a challenge to put together a team of individuals who make a difference in the lives of our campers. But it’s a challenge we look forward to every year.
Related posts:
- What makes Adventure Camp so great? The Staff!
- SeaWorld Camp Season Is Over: So Now What?
- It all starts tomorrow…
- Animal Connections: Meet Nurra the Wallaby!
- Where has all the time gone?
Tags: camp counselor, campers, conservation, day camp, Jack Hanna Sleepover, resident camp, SeaWorld San Antonio
Posted in Adventure Camp, SeaWorld Camp
Hi, my name is Holly Phillips and I have been in LOVE with killer whales my whole life! I am currently in the BIMS program at Texas A & M University, which is the prerequisite to either a veterinarian degree or some type of medical degree. I am extremely interested in an internship or some program that will allow me to work with these animals in order to make my decision as to whether or not I want to become a veterinarian or marine biologist.
I am animal and kid friendly and would LOVE an opportunity to intern at SeaWorld, but I am not sure how to begin this process. Please email me back with some contact information so I might be able to apply and reach my goal.
Thank you!
Howdy Holly,
It’s great to hear from another Aggie. Our camp counselor position is posted right now at http://www.becjobs.com and you can apply online. If you have specific questions about the position, shoot me an email at jack.harvey@seaworld.com. Look forward to hearing from you.
Jack
Twitter Comment
The camp counselors at #swsa are picked with great care [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
Do you know where I can find information about becoming a camp counselor at Busch Gardens?
Howdy Skye,
http://www.becjobs.com is the site that all of the SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment jobs are posted on. You would find any camp counselor positions available there or should find a contact number to ask specific questions. Let me know if you have troubles with it and I’ll try to help as much as I can. Thanks for the comment.
Jack
Hi,
My name is Hannah and I actually went through the interview and application process of becoming a counselor and I was just wondering when you would know who was chosen for the positions and also if you would let the ones who didn’t know that the selection has been made? I am so excited just to be a part of this whole process. It really is wonderful to be considered for such an amazing opportunity.
Thanks,
Hannah
Howdy Hannah,
Brittany and I are finishing up interviews this week and next and will be making our decisions within the next two weeks. We’ll most likely contact folks to offer positions first, but then, yes, we will let those who were not selected know as well. Let me know if you have any other questions. I apologize for the delay, we’ve just had a lot of outstanding applicants.
Thanks,
Jack
Hey Jack my name is Zach Richards, I believe you have already talked to my Mom Stephanie lol. My 3rd interview is today, kind of nervous just for the fact that my dream is within arms reach. This has been a dream of mine since i was 5, and i have never strayed away from this, not once. I attended 5 camps, and every time was just as fun as the last one, and since then i always wanted to be a counselor, to be a counselor and share the experience with people that enjoy your passion for this park and all the animals would be absolutely amazing. Hope to see you soon.
Zach
Is the job posting for Sea World San Antonio Camp Couselor closed?! I am very interested. If so, will it open again? Please Help
Howdy Emalie,
The posting for camp counselors for San Antonio’s Day Camp and Resident Camp position has closed. We may be hiring one or two more counselors for our Sleepover program, so keep a lookout on http://www.becjobs.com for that. The camp programs for the other two parks may still be hiring. That website is where you would see those postings too. We usually post the position in January and spend January and February (and even a bit of March, this year) interviewing a lot of applicants and make our decisions around mid-March. Look for us next year.