Akelaland Camp Staff

Akelaland maintains a trained staff of approximately 60 volunteers and paid staff who spend at least part of the summer at Akelaland.  Serving as a staff member takes a great deal of training and commitment.  Most of our paid staff volunteer prior to serving as paid staff.  Age requirements for paid positions varies by position, but there are a limited number of paid positions for those at least 15 years old.

PA state law requires that anyone over 14 years of age who works with children acquires three background checks,including the FBI fingerprinting check.  For camp staff, this applies to both paid and volunteer staff, but the background checks are good for 5 years.

Paid staff are required to work at least four of the camper weeks during the summer and attend staff training week prior to week 1.  Paid staff work from Sunday morning at 11:00 am until up to 9:00 pm Friday nights.  Staff must go home during the day on Saturday.

What Staff Do

All staff work together to provide the highest quality experience for the Scouts who come to camp.  Every member of our camp staff has primary responsibilities related to their position.  Outside of those responsibilities, staff members are expected to be a responsible member of our camp community who contributes to the continued welfare of fellow staff members and campers.

Program staff work in one of our three program areas (Aquatics, Outdoor Skills and Shooting Sports) or Pioneer Camp.  Program staff primarily lead activities, assist with supervising Scouts, and help care for their program areas.

Support Staff are assigned to either the Dining Hall/kitchen, trading post, health office or quartermaster corps.  Dining Hall/Kitchen staff help prepare meals and clean up after meals.  Trading Post staff serve as cashiers and care for our trading post. Health Lodge staff provide secure access to medications and provide first aid. Quartermasters help with cleaning and maintenance tasks as well as care for camp equipment.

Working at camp is physically demanding and requires you to be a good example to both our Scouts and fellow staff. Very few places offer the kinds of experiences and the job satisfaction that working on a camp staff provides, and few other jobs impact the lives of boys as much as working at camp.

The Hiring Process

A limited number of paid staff positions are open every year.  Priority for paid positions is given to staff members with a previous positive evaluation as a paid staff member or volunteer.  Most positions are filled by the first day of spring.  To be considered for a paid position:

• Complete the email sign-up form on the main Camp Staff page.  This will ensure that you receive notification of upcoming interview dates.
• Complete the online staff application.
• Set up a staff interview.  Details will be given by email about our interviews in December If you apply after December, we will contact you if a position becomes available
• If you successfully complete the interview, then you are placed on the eligible to hire list.  Directors select their staff from this list, and you will receive a contract and offer of employment by email.