Dreaming of a summer job? Farm & Wilderness might be perfect for you. Here are seven reasons why Farm & Wilderness summer camps is a terrific place to work:
- No Typical Dress Code
You can wear your shorts to the office all summer. Stay in sandals all day, or even go barefoot, if you choose. Want to walk around in a feather boa or a clown outfit? No problem! Just grab something from one of our costume boxes and wear it. Or not. A more typical work wardrobe of pants and shirts is also allowed
- Great Work Environment
F&W’s scenery beats even the best office décor. No matter which of our camps you work at, you will be surrounded by the Green Mountains (very appropriately named—think a panoply of verdant shades). If pristine lakes are your thing, our camps are situated on two beautiful bodies of water and you might have a chance to visit others during the summer. Living in cabins open to the wilderness, you will wake to birdsong and fall asleep feeling the wind. Step outside and you may be treated to a shooting star or two streaking across the night sky.
- Free Workouts
There is no need to pay for a gym membership if you spend a summer at camp. You can wake up and go for an early morning jog on challenging mountain roads or participate in an afternoon counselor swim to a far point in the lake. You will also get plenty of exercise as you go about your workday. Since our camps are all situated in the mountains, just moving about strengthens your legs and your lungs. It has been estimated that at Timberlake, the distance between the cabins and lodge—a stroll you may take multiple times a day–is equivalent to climbing the stairs of a 17-story building. You may be asked to help carry trunks when your campers arrive, mix batter for muffins for 200 people, or move cans of grain and stacks of hay for the animals, all far more fun to do with similar results to spending time in a weight room. For an aerobic workout, nothing beats hiking to a high peak with a heavy pack, or chasing a determined 12-year-old as they race across the lawn. In any case, you’ll probably return home stronger and in better shape.
- Yummy Food
If all that activity makes you hungry, the amazing food at our camps will keep you well fed. Don’t think cafeteria or institutional-type fare; you’ll be savoring homemade bread, spanakopita, or falafel. You might even be treated to ground pork from pigs that we raised, fresh milk from our cows, or delicious vegetables that were picked that day. And if you keep a vegetarian, vegan or dairy-free diet, there is always a choice available. Best yet, you can help make it, or just appreciate that it is being made for you.
- Creative Fun
At camp, you don’t need to be plugged in to exist; in fact, we ask you not to be. For entertainment, we make our own fun. No need to watch professional sports when you get to play a cut-throat tetherball match, a slack-‘em duel, or an all-camp favorite game like Wild People. If you miss music, write up a song-card and teach the campers to perform it. Create artwork like giant puppets, ceramic wind chimes or tie-dyed and batiked clothing. Skits at camp provide the drama and laughter- no T.V. or computer required! When you hang out and chat with new friends face-to-face, you won’t even care that you haven’t checked Instagram in a while.
- On-the-Job Training
Free of charge, you will leave with marketable certifications in First Aid and CPR, and perhaps lifeguarding or rock-climbing, too. You’ll also be learning and practicing the real skills of communication, problem-solving, and collaboration; skills that you can take with you and use throughout your life.
- Meaningful Connections
Best yet, the work you will be doing will be meaningful and fun. You may help a young person feel comfortable on their first night away from home or feel pride when you see a camper master a skill you have patiently taught; or realize how much you’ve influenced a young person when you watch them figure out a problem on their own. You will be a leader in a true sense, from corralling a group of 8 campers towards their beds in your cabin, to planning and running an activity for 10 or 50 or even 100 people.
Working at Farm and Wilderness requires you to use your body, mind and heart, and the job benefits are vast. It may turn out to be one of the best jobs of you ever have had! Please click here to learn more. Hopefully, we will see you this summer!
Summer Jobs