Careers
Year-Round Employment
Interested in working at Happy Acres year-round? We are always accepting applications for year-round staff even if we do not have a current opening.
Typical positions are:
- Lead Teacher
- Assistant Teacher
- Part-time Morning Assistant
- Part-time Afternoon Assistant
- After-school Counselor
- Substitute
To apply, you must click to fill out the Year-Round Employment Application. Contained within the application are two reference forms. The completed application and reference forms must be turned in together to apply.
Application Form
Contained within the application are two reference forms. The completed application and reference forms must be turned in together to apply.
Application Form
You love the outdoors. You love hiking and biking and sailing. And — your good friend says you’re great with kids.
Want to work at camp this summer?
Summer Camp Jobs: Why Work at a Camp?
Does this describe you or someone you know?
You love the outdoors. You love hiking and biking and sailing. And — your good friend says you’re great with kids.
If you relate to this, then there’s the perfect place waiting for you: summer camp at HAR. Over half a million high school and college students will find their way from their campus to camp this summer to fill openings at camps across the United States.
We are currently accepting applications for summer camp counselors and lifeguards. For job descriptions, click Camp Counselor Job Description.(must be 16 by the first day of camp) or Lifeguard Job Description. (must be 15 by the first day of camp). We generally hire staff for a full summer but will consider staff whose 15th and 16th birthdays occur during the summer. For the application, click Summer Camp Counselor Application. If you will be 13, 14 or 15 by the first day of camp and are interested in pursuing the role of Camp Counselor or Lifeguard in the next couple years, you may apply to be a Ranch Hand (counselor in training). To apply to be a Ranch Hand, please read and sign the Ranch Hand Information Sheet and fill out the Ranch Hand Application. Ranch Hands are still considered campers but pay a reduced tuition rate in exchange for their help. We only accept Ranch Hands who have been apart of the Happy Acres family for at least 3 years (as a camper, not just a family of a camper). We do not take Ranch Hands who are brand new to Happy Acres Ranch. Please fill out the application and references in its entirety before returning.
Imagine a job where almost anything is possible:
- Live, play, and work in the great outdoors.
- Go on active adventures.
- Experience other parts of the country.
- Make new friends from all over — even from other countries.
- Bank more money than you think — with few expenses.
- Become a child’s hero.
- Learn leadership skills.
Camp jobs offer invaluable skill-building, leadership, training, and enrichment opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else! Regardless of your college major, camp experiences allow you to learn and develop skills that will enhance your job marketability. The benefits go far beyond a paycheck, too. Business executives often note that experience as a camp counselor translates into excellent management and personnel skills. College credit can sometimes be obtained from working at camp. Check with your college adviser to see if you qualify.
Mandatory Requirements
1. Must be physically able to preform the job (outdoors all day, in the heat, moving around alot).
2. Must be able to pass a drug screen and background check (at your own expense).
3. Must be able to attend all of Staff Training (exceptions made no rare occasions, with approval, only if dates/times are noted on your application). Can you tell how important staff training is?
4. Must be able to work for most of the summer (you do not need to commit to the entire summer but at least 95% of it!).
Ready to apply?
Step 1 ~ Submit the completed application to the office. You complete it, not your parent.
Step 2 ~ If we like your application, we will call you for an interview. Make sure you answer your phone!
Step 3 ~ Attend your interview. Be sure to show up early. We don’t hire counselors who are unreliable.
Step 4 ~ If we think you might have potential as a counselor, we will call you with a conditional job offer and invite you to Staff Training
. Congrats!
What happens after I receive a conditional job offer?
Step 1 ~ Make an appointment to come back to Happy Acres to meet with Mrs. Colleen. You need your current address, you social security number, and your place of birth.
Step 2 ~ Take the Live Scan form printed at Happy Acres to All Clear Employee Screening. They take walk-ins but appointments are preferable. You will need a Level 2 Background Check ($65) and a 10 Panel Drug Screen ($40). You are required to pay for these. You must complete this step before attending Staff Training. If you are unable to complete this step before Staff Training begins, you will not be eligible to work at camp this summer.
Step 3 ~ Attend all of Staff Training. Staff Training 2020 is scheduled for Saturday May 30 from 8 am until we can’t keep our eyes open and Sunday May 31 from 8 am until we have covered all the training materials. Be prepared to stay overnight at camp. New counselors must attend ALL of Staff Training as it is all important for your success as a counselor. Counselors who miss parts of Staff Training risk having with conditional offer withdrawn. Exceptions can be made with approval by noting times you are unavailable on your application. Formal hiring occurs at the conclusion of the last day of training. We normally run 7 full days of Staff Training and have to cram it all into 2 days. Bring a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. It’s going to be long, information packed, and tiring but we are going to have fun and grow closed together. The strangers you meet Saturday morning will be great friends Sunday night. Just trust us!
When do I know I have a job this summer?
It may seem like you don’t know if you are hired until the weekend before camp starts and that is kind of true. If you make it to Staff Training Day 1, we feel you will make a good counselor with our additional training. So you make it this far, chances are you are in. However, we only hire the best counselors for our campers so we may turn down counselors after the first day or two of Staff Training. At the very end of Staff Training, we will meet with each potential staff member to decide it they are hired or not. If you are hired, there will be lots of paperwork to fill out! Please note, due to licensing and accreditation rules, your conditional offer will be automatically withdrawn if you fail your background check and/or drug screen.
Great! I completed Staff Training and have been hired!!! Do I need my ID or Social Security card of anything else like that?
You will need a bunch of legal documents. Two valid forms of identification. One of them must be a photo ID. If you can’t bring the originals, a photo copy works but we must be able to read all information on the card. Don’t forget to copy the backs!
Examples of forms of identification,
- Drivers License
- Passport
- School ID
- Social Security Card
- Birth Certificate
