You must turn 18 before 1 June* of the summer in which you are going to work in order to register with Camp Summers USA. This is non-negotiable: you will only get the visa if you are 18 by that date. If you are still 17 but turn 18 before 1 June, go for it! You can apply today!!
*Approximate date. If you come of age on a date close to 1 June, get in touch with us.
To find a job as a Camp Counsellor or a Specialist/Instructor in a sport, you do not need to be a student; anyone can apply.
Some certificates will be a great help in certain areas (lifeguards, for example), but they are not essential. We value experience combined with a willingness to work and a positive attitude more. Those three characteristics together will get you a job in the United States.
When you are filling in your skills, do it as well as you can. The more skills you choose, the closer you will be to being the perfect candidate for the job.
You will need to show your desire to work with children, to integrate into a new culture and to have the summer of your life!!
Most camps last 7–9 weeks, from mid-June to mid-August.
We can only accept applications with a latest start date of 15 June 2025. If you cannot start before that date, call us and we can look at your options.
The sooner you can start, the easier it will be to be chosen. Some camps last 9 weeks or more and may even start in May. Remember, if your contract lasts longer than 9 weeks, you will be paid extra for every extra day!!
You can register with Camp Summers USA today. Start filling in your application now!
The sooner you submit your Camp Summers application, the better your chances of being hired. Remember that prices go up depending on the registration period. As a reminder:
June, July and August: Summer VIP (329 euros)
September: Early Bird (349 euros)
1 October to 31 December: Standard period (369 euros)
2 January to 28 February: Late period (399 euros)
1 March to 1 May: Emergency period (449 euros)
Prices do not apply to RETURNERS. See returners.
Interviews can be held at our head office in Madrid. If you cannot come to the office or you live outside Madrid, do not worry: we can do your interview by phone, Skype, FaceTime…
The interview will help us prepare your report, which will be sent to the Directors of the different camps in the United States. In it we will talk about various topics such as your availability dates, your skills and your level of English. You do not need to come or do the interview dressed up; we want to see you as you are and find out what you can bring to the camps this summer.
Personal references must be completed by someone who has known you for more than 6 months. Examples include bosses, teachers or coordinators, but never family or friends. It is not a traditional reference letter, just a template they will need to fill in.
Your video is a very important part of the application. You need to show your personality, your enthusiasm, how much you want the job and your skills. For example, if you want a place as a basketball instructor, you should introduce yourself, talk about yourself and show your skills. If you do all this at a basketball club or on a basketball court, you will stand out more, and it will be easier for them to get to know you and see what you are capable of. The video should be approximately 2 minutes long.
If you need more information about how to make your video, ask us and we will send you some examples.
That is fine, we will put your application on hold so you can continue next year. However, if you have completed your application and your profile has been sent to the United States and you no longer want to take part, this will mean you are cancelling the programme and what you have paid will not be refunded. In this case it will only be refunded for very justified reasons described in the “Program Agreement”.
There are 3 fees to pay for the programme, and you will make the payments as you progress with your application:
You will need a Medical Certificate (filled in and signed by your doctor). We will send you the form to fill in, or you can download it from our website.
You will need a Criminal Record Certificate. You can get it from any Justice office in your city. It costs around 20 dollars.
You will need to go to the US Embassy in Madrid once you have been hired. Thanks to the whole process you have completed and the documents you will get through Camp Summers (SEVIS FEE and DS2019), you will be able to complete the procedures needed to get your visa. We will help you through the Visa process so that you do everything correctly.
Remember that your visa is called the J1 and it costs 185 dollars.
Once you have completed all the procedures and been hired, you can start thinking about your flights.
Camp Summers does not book your flights, but we can advise you on where to get them or the search engines we use.
Tickets usually cost between $450 and $900 (depending on when you book).
Camp Summers guarantees you a minimum salary of $2,400 (including taxes) for the full summer programme.
Getting a higher salary will depend entirely on the camp and what it wants to offer you based on your experience, skills, certificates… As a participant you will have the right to accept, reject or negotiate your salary; Camp Summers is only responsible for making sure you are offered at least the set minimum.
Once your profile is sent to the United States, the recruitment team will review it and send it to camps that need staff with your skills.
When a camp is interested in you, your application will go “On review”, and the camp may contact you to do your job interview. If you pass that interview you will be hired and your profile will appear as “Placed”.
Remember to check your email every day (including your SPAM folder): you could be hired directly, because your profile is exactly what the directors were looking for and they do not need an interview first! How lucky!
There is no exact science to it, but the sooner your application is complete and sent to the United States, the sooner you will be hired.
You can be hired at any camp anywhere in the United States. Most camps are on the East Coast of the United States of America.
Remember, it does not matter where you are hired; what matters is that you enjoy and make the most of this great experience. We promise you will remember it forever.
This is something we cannot guarantee, as it is the camps that hire you, so the final decision is theirs. Although it is not something we decide or can guarantee, we usually manage it. We try to get you interviews with the same camp and we also give you tips on how to make it happen. If this applies to you, ask us and we will help.
It is 100% your decision. If you liked it in the interview, do not let it slip away. We say this from experience. You may not receive another offer, you may receive a worse one, or by the end of the programme you may not have received any more, in which case, having received one offer and turned it down, your money cannot be refunded.
Remember that Camp Summers will always get you at least one interview with a camp and one job opportunity. If we do not manage it, we will refund your second payment and keep the first one for the following year. But if we get you the job and you are the one who turns it down, you would lose the option of a refund.
In most cases it will be the Camp Director who contacts you.
You may be hired directly or receive a confirmation email. So remember to check your email every day.
Camp Summers USA has a hiring rate of around 95% every year. Even so, remember that if we cannot get you a contract, your second payment will be refunded and the first will be kept for the following year!!
The US Embassy is in Madrid. The time it takes to get your VISA, once you have visited the embassy, is usually between 5 and 10 days. Remember that the Embassy is an independent body and Camp Summers has no control over its timescales and/or decisions.
You can cancel your appointment up to the day before. If you forget and do not turn up to your appointment, you will need to reschedule it, but we cannot guarantee that it will be rescheduled. That will be up to the US Embassy staff.
You must take full responsibility for your appointment, as it is the most delicate part of the process. Follow the information we give you before the appointment step by step: a problem with the Embassy can be irreversible.
Yes, the sponsor provides you with medical insurance that covers your stay in the country.
The insurance will cover you for up to 120 days; if you want to extend it you will need to pay extra.
Depending on what you are hired for, you may be a general counsellor or a specialist counsellor, such as an instructor for a sport or any other activity. The camp that hires you will decide which position it wants to offer you based on your profile.
Depending on what you are hired for, you may be a general counsellor or a specialist counsellor, such as an instructor for a sport or any other activity. The camp that hires you will decide which position it wants to offer you based on your profile.
Depending on the Camp, you may or may not be able to use your phone and you may or may not be able to use Wi-Fi, but you will always have access to camp phones or a computer at camp for your needs. Camps usually do not want or allow counsellors to walk around with their phones, because the children do not have access to them either. You will be able to use your phone during free periods or at times set by the Camp. As we always say, using your phone less over the summer does us all a lot of good.
Your first point of contact should be the Camp Director, who has many years of experience and the means to sort out anything that happens.
Your second point of contact will be your Sponsor, as they are in charge of and responsible for your programme once you go through Customs.
Your third point of contact would be Camp Summers. We will always be there to help however we can, but we will always refer you to the Sponsor (who is responsible for your situation while you are at Camp and in the country).
Your visa will last as long as your contract, but it will entitle you to a 30-day grace period afterwards to travel WITHIN THE COUNTRY (from the last day of your contract).
You must turn 18 before 1 June* of the summer in which you are going to work in order to register with Camp Summers USA. This is non-negotiable: you will only get the visa if you are 18 by that date. If you are still 17 but turn 18 before 1 June, go for it! You can apply today!!
*Approximate date. If you come of age on a date close to 1 June, get in touch with us.
To find a job as a Camp Counsellor or a Specialist/Instructor in a sport, you do not need to be a student; anyone can apply.
Some certificates will be a great help in certain areas (lifeguards, for example), but they are not essential. We value experience combined with a willingness to work and a positive attitude more. Those three characteristics together will get you a job in the United States.
When you are filling in your skills, do it as well as you can. The more skills you choose, the closer you will be to being the perfect candidate for the job.
You will need to show your desire to work with children, to integrate into a new culture and to have the summer of your life!!
Most camps last 7–9 weeks, from mid-June to mid-August.
We can only accept applications with a latest start date of 15 June 2025. If you cannot start before that date, call us and we can look at your options.
The sooner you can start, the easier it will be to be chosen. Some camps last 9 weeks or more and may even start in May. Remember, if your contract lasts longer than 9 weeks, you will be paid extra for every extra day!!
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