What it's Like Working at Camp Arowhon in Ontario, Canada: An Interview

Camp Arowhon is an overnight summer camp in Ontario, Canada where campers ages 6-16 can discover their best selves through adventure, friendship, and growth. Each summer they hire international staff who have the opportunity to connect with these campers while developing skills of their own and spending a summer living and working in Canada. To get a behind the scenes look at what it’s like to work at Camp Arowhon, I interviewed Izzie who is originally from Australia but has been working at Arowhon for over three years. In this post, Izzie will explain how she got a job at Arowhon, what it's like working at a summer camp in Canada, and why she chooses to return to Camp Arowhon summer after summer. 

Q: How long have you worked at Camp Arowhon and what keeps you going back summer after summer?

A: I’ve worked at Camp Arowhon for the last three years as the drama instructor. I keep coming back because of the magic. I grew up really quickly. I’m the eldest of 10 kids and I really never got to be silly and goofy and just be a kid. Camp is the first place ever that I’ve been able to just be myself. I’ve built this amazing community and I dread the day that I have to stop going back.

Q: What is the application process like to work at Camp Arowhon?

A: I applied through Camp Canada and I got accepted for a couple camps. [Arowhon was one of them] and I interviewed with Max [the director]. It’s a two interview process; the first to see if you would be a good fit and then the second to really mesh out what your job is and so that you are as prepared as possible, especially if you had never done an international camp before. 

With my experience and my age, Max said, ‘I think you’d be suited to be the drama instructor.’ I have a BA in theatre and I didn’t realize that I could do what I love overseas. So I combined my love of working with kids and my love of theater and I got to spend two months doing it. It’s honestly the best job I’ve ever had.

If you apply directly to Arowhon you would not go through Camp Canada. Camp Canada does take a portion of your salary. If you can apply directly through [Arowhon] then do so because you would keep all of your pay, apart from tax. 

Q: What experience or qualifications do you need to work at Arowhon?

A: They encourage experience working with kids but it really depends on what you are doing. As an instructor, you need experience in the field that you are going to instruct. For example, if you were a swim instructor then [you would need] swim qualifications. Camp is really good in that they will support you in getting those Canadian recognized qualifications. So, [for a first year instructor who] doesn’t have their ropes qualifications, [they get] to do that course at our camp and can walk away from camp with the experience and qualification, which is really cool. 

Q: What kind of support does Arowhon provide international staff members?

A: The team is really good at supporting international staff. Camp Arowhon specifically is really good at giving you a list of things to [pack]. We will have two zoom calls a month before camp and in those zoom calls returning staff will answer questions. Then, there will be an international group chat on WhatsApp so you can ask any questions. Also, not a lot of camps have an amazing administrative director like ours, who will support you in getting all of your visas.

Q: What is the visa process like to work in Canada? 

A: I got a work permit. [Camp will] help assist you in getting all of the [required] documents. Not a lot of camps have an amazing administrative director as we do, who will help you and support you in getting your visas. Jessie [our admin director] is on the phone at immigration if you need help and she has all the documents for you.

For Canada you get [the permit] when you get there, which is a little bit nerve wracking. When you land you see, maybe, three different people before you actually get to an immigration officer. You head in, give them all your documents, and they ask you a couple of questions. The process is relatively quick, it’s just that the line can be a bit long sometimes. Canada is an amazing place and lots of people want to work there. 

Q: What jobs can international staff do at Camp Arowhon? 

A: There are three different roles at camp. You can be an instructor, a counselor, or a canoe tripper.

Counselors are your main point of call for the kids. They stay in the cabin with the kids and are the family and support system for them. As a counselor you also have a specialty. You will work two periods a day on your chosen specialty, you’ll have a period off, and you’ll lifeguard for a period. At night you’ll be sure the kids are brushing teeth, going to bed, etc...

As an instructor, my responsibility is teaching five periods a day. There are four normal periods that I teach and I also instruct a period called General which is your non-structured hour of teaching. General is where I do karaoke sessions and I get to be a little bit fun with the kids. At night time instructors tend to have a bit more freedom. That’s where we are really encouraged to go jump into evening activity and help kids get to bed.

Then there are canoes trippers. They spend a minimal amount of time in camp. These are the ‘more connected to nature' people. They go on canoe trips with campers, both flat water or white water, anywhere from a [single] overnight or a 7-8 multi-day trip.

That’s sort of your main three jobs at camp. We had a few international maintenance staff this year. We do have a lot of international staff in the kitchen but it is a lot of returners. Our cleaning group is also returners. They are international staff and they love the job so they’ve all been coming back for years.

Q: What is the general breakdown of Arowhon’s summer camp staff?

A: I would say counselors tend to be a higher number of lifers. What I mean by that is, it’s kids that have grown up at camp that are now coming back to be staff. A lot of them are between ages 18-20. You tend to have a number of international counselors as well. A lot of them come from the UK, a few from Australia… this year in particular a lot from Australia.

Your instructors are your 21-25 year olds. It was a mixture [of nationalities] this year. We had Irish, Scottish, UK, and Australia. We had a couple German guys over the last couple years as well. Those are the main countries everyone tends to come from.

The last couple years has been really high returners. I would guess around 70%. For example, [there is] a group of about six of us who have all done the last three years together and a lot of us are going into our fourth year.

Q: How did you get to camp? What was the arrival day process like? 

A: I did a little solo travel before… then I flew into Toronto. Different people will arrive to camp at different times depending on things like, if you need to get your [specific] qualifications. Management will have been there for a couple of weeks [before pre-camp] and a lot of the senior staff will be as well. 

[When you arrive in Toronto] there are different busses that will take you to camp. You’ll get put into a WhatsApp group with all the people that are going to be on your bus so that you can start building a community. I ended up meeting up with all of the people in the group. We went to Walmart to buy all the things we needed. We were all first years and it was really nice [to have people who understood that] this was a little bit nerve wracking. [With them] it was a little bit less scary to get on that bus and drive 3.5 hours into the woods to get to camp.

When the bus arrives at camp you have a line of people standing there with big smiles. I got off the bus and I was like, ‘Where am I?’ Max [my director] came straight over and gave me a hug and said ‘Welcome to Arowhon.’ That was the first time I met him in person and that was really lovely. They got our bags and took them straight to our accommodation for us. We did a big tour of camp and it was beautiful. It was a very, very warm welcome, which was really nice. 

Q: What is pre-camp training like for Arowhon staff?

A: After I got to camp I met my roommate and we had the night to chill out. Then we started pre-camp [the following day]. It was pretty straight in, I think it was about a week and a [few days]. At pre-camp we learnt what the Arowhon way is and how they like to teach. Arowhon is really big on working toward achievements and goals. It’s a very skill based camp, which I really love. So we learnt all of that philosophy and how to work with kids in this environment. I felt really set up. 

Obviously Max and Mara [the camp directors] learnt everything they know from their parents who ran the camp before them, so they are both wealths of knowledge in different departments. Max leads the instructors and Mara leads the counselors. They both interchange who is running sessions. I think the thing I like the most is we don’t do many sessions inside. Max will take us out on canoes and we are out in the middle of the lake rafted up and he will hand out paper and pens and we are doing worksheets [and training] on the lake. We definitely do some training inside, it's just a mix of inside/outside rather than purely lecture style inside. 

Q: How long is Arowhon’s camp season? 

A: We start the summer in June and we are done by the end of August. But I actually now work at camp for about 5-6 months per year. 

In the spring [Arowhon hosts] school groups. We have a school group that comes for five days and we teach them in our outdoor center. Camp is used as a wedding venue in the fall, which was a great opportunity for me to get to stay at camp and in Canada longer. It is a little bit of a competitive thing with only twelve staff. We go from 170 staff to 12 people on site working. It is very much a privilege and something that is a reward for doing hard work during the summer. I’ve been doing that for three years. It’s really great for anyone who wants to do a longer contract because not many camps do a spring, summer, and fall. 

Q: What is an average day in the life like working at Camp Arowhon? 

A: [To start the day you] head to breakfast. Meals at camp are essentially your lifeline to everyone as camp is a non-technology space. If you need to see people or talk to people, meals are where you do it. We have breakfast and then as an instructor I go straight into our program meeting. At this meeting we [schedule campers for activities and] also talk about any special events.

Then we get ourselves and our activity ready. We have first period, then go onto second period, which are both an hour long. Then General [which is more of a fun and unstructured period and] is about 45 minutes. Then lunch. After lunch we have rest hour. This is when I personally will take some downtime for myself and go out on the dock and read a book. Or, it’s the time I really try and connect with the kids. At camp we do a program called inclusion. It’s for campers that need a bit of extra support. Obviously there a lot of kids and not as may staff, so during rest hour I like to help with that. I’ll go in a cabin and be there to support a specific camper and give the counselors a break. 

After rest hour we go into periods three and four. Then we have a staff hour, which is about an hour long. No campers are programed for that hour, it’s usually just when the kids go shower or have a bit of fun. The camp is very skill and growth focused so this is also when kids will ask to have one on one time with instructors [in different specialties] like horse riding or ropes. 

Then we have dinner. After dinner, as an instructor, I’m technically off for the night but that’s when its highly encouraged to go help out with kids. So after dinner we go straight into evening activity that’s about an hour long. Each section [aka: age group] will do their own evening activity. It might be trivia, guess the counselor, dodgeball, etc… Every Friday will be a camp wide campfire. Then we have a snack at 9:00pm and kids go to bed. 

As an instructor, sometimes I’ll do a bit of work or I’ll have some chill time. At 11:00pm we have staff morale. It’s a really great social time and it’s the only time of the day that everyone will be off at the same time. We have a staff moral committee and their job is to do events two to three times a week. That could be anything from a wrap battle or an 80’s night. Then I go to bed and thats pretty much my day.

Q: What do camp staff do on their days off? 

A: You get one day off per week. Time off is different depending on your role. Trippers and instructors do get a lot more freedom than counselors do, which is one of the reasons I like the particular role that I do.

It’s a 6:00-6:00. So from 6:00pm that night to 6:00pm the following night you have a full 24 hours off. You are allowed to leave site. If you were to get in a car or get in a taxi you can get to Huntsville in 45 minutes. There are heaps of hotels and quite a lot of people there. I did this once my first year. I got a hotel room, got a pizza, and let off some steam.

I am now a grandma and like to spend my days off in camp. I sleep, I read a book, reset my life and take it a bit slow because camp can get fast sometimes. I love my days off [when I stay] at camp because as long as you check in with a specialty you are more than welcome and encouraged to do activities at camp as long as it doesn’t impact a session. I tend to get out a paddle board and I go and sit in the middle of the lake. It's really relaxing on a hot day. 

Q: What is the food and accommodation like for staff at Camp Arowhon? 

A: The food is great and accommodation is great! Food is included the whole time and accommodation is as well, which is a big perk of working at a summer camp. 

I have been to a couple of other camps and I really love the food at Arowhon. Our chefs are absolutely amazing. We have the most amazing salad bars at lunch time where they deconstruct salads and you can go up with your plate and get what you want. 

For the first year I shared a room with one other person. It was quite a large room, with double beds, which is a great joy. As an instructor you could be in a cabin with 4-16 bedrooms and the rooms are a bit smaller but you get your own room. About 2% of the instructor team would share, the rest of them are all solo rooms, which is great and not a thing at a lot of other camps. Counselors stay in the cabins with the kids.

Q: What is the summer pay for a first year staff member at Camp Arowhon? 

A: Camp Canada is incredibly supportive when it comes to getting a job but they do take a portion of your salary. It’s a bit hard your first year because it was quite a big portion of peoples pay. So, I couldn’t tell you my actual pay my first year. If you apply directly to Arowhon you would not go through Camp Canada and you would keep all of your money, apart from tax. So if you can apply through the camp then do so. 

At Arowhon you do get a pay increase every year. That’s a big reason as to why I stayed at this camp as well. They love staff retention because they love that you have connections with the campers. They also have incentive bonuses so, at the end of camp, if you sign on for the following year you will get a bonus. 

Q: What are the biggest pros and cons of working at a summer camp in Canada?

A: It is the most emotionally exhausting but emotionally rewarding job I’ve ever had in my life. It takes a lot but gives a lot. If you want to buy into camp, camp will be the most amazing thing you will ever experience. 

Con wise, I think the time difference was really hard. I really struggled with talking to people back home with the hours that I worked. I always missed everybody. The connection with the outside world is quite hard. For pros… I found a job I got to truly be myself and have fun. It healed a lot of the inner child in me and I’m forever grateful for that. If you really buy into the camp magic it is the most amazing thing you will ever do and I would highly recommend this job to anyone.

Q: What should you pack when working at Arowhon for the summer? 

A: Bring things to make your space homely. I brought photos, crystals, and fairy lights and that made all of the difference. Create that special space that you have. Bring crocs! Everyone brings crocs, the croc sensation is real! I have silver glitter crocs and pink glitter crocs and they are amazing and I'll never go back to normal shoes. Camp Arowhon specifically is really good at giving you a list of things to bring before you arrive. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about working a summer in Canada at Camp Arowhon?

A: I would recommend just to be open for everything. It’s one of those jobs where you can come in and do the bare minimum and you will probably have a good time, you’ll get to do a summer in Canada, you’ll meet some people… but if you come in and buy into the silly weird traditions; the getting up on the benches and singing, going to campfire and dressing up like a princess, and going and getting your hair and makeup done by 7-8 year olds…. It might take a lot more energy and it might mean a lot more hours but the joy you get to have yourself and bring the kids is something I’m forever grateful for.

Q: Is there anything else you’d want someone to know about working at Camp Arowhon? 

A: That you’ll get hooked. Start as young as you can so you can have as many summers as you can. It’s a job I wish I started when I was younger. I started when I was 24 and I’m old for camp. I would have loved to have started when I was younger to really get as many summers a humanly possible because it is honestly one of the best jobs ever. 

Conclusion

If you are looking to work at a summer camp in Canada, then Camp Arowhon is a wonderful choice. They hire international staff each summer and you can find out more information, or apply, by going directly to their website. A big thank you to Izzie who shared her experience working as an instructor at Camp Arowhon the past three summers' and is excited for her fourth. If you have experiencing working at Camp Arowhon, please feel free to share your experience in the comments below.