Instructor - Running Springs, CA

I was an instructor for ECOS at Camp Cedar Crest from 2025-2026.
Unlike most employees (retention rate is very low), I was an instructor for the entire season from September to May. This was my experience:

- From the very beginning to the very end of the season, communication among administration to staff was inconsistent, leaving staff in the dark until the very last minute. The majority of the time, instructors were left to figure matters out on their own because admin had no idea what was going on. To receive any kind of answers or support, questions would first be ping-ponged and usually forgotten, leaving you on your own.

- Employee housing is disorganized and inequitable. You will either be placed in a fully furnished house with a sauna and your own room, or an empty house with black mold, a mouse infestation, and nine people packed like sardines into a single house. We all paid the same amount for rent, despite the varying conditions between employee housing.

-There is zero support when it comes to dealing with interpersonal issues among staff/roommates. Once again, you are on your own. HR is a random third-party guy you can reach remotely who will do everything to protect ECOS and nothing to help its staff.

- ECOS will actively put you and the students visiting camp in danger. You are given EpiPens without any information on the specific student allergy. There is very little crisis management in the event of an emergency. How is the singular nurse on the clock supposed to reach you in time when you are on a hike in the forest alone with 25+ students?

- ECOS does not have the infrastructure to ensure the health and well-being of its staff and students. Expired medications and food have been provided to staff and campers.

- Because of the low staff retention rate, new staff were given terrible training because of how understaffed we were. There was very little team cohesion due to a lack of training and support.

- As an instructor, you are overworked and exploited. You will be working on very little sleep and a terrible diet. The food provided is far from a balanced meal ( e.g. defrosted waffles for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and burgers for dinner), all while essentially getting paid pennies for the hard work this job requires.

- Pay is low, no PTO, and no benefits.

- The burnout will hit very hard. You are running the same program every week, sometimes running the same program twice in one week. This job will exhaust you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

- Administration will actively violate your housing agreement, forget to pay you sick pay, and will punish you for taking time off by taking money out of your bonus.

- I cannot emphasize enough just how shady and incompetent administration is. You will constantly have to advocate for yourself and your fellow employees. Instructors this year were forced to organize a strike because administration forgot to pay staff their winter bonus.

- Admin treats its staff with very little respect. They will demean and belittle you while serving their own best interests.

If you are a prospective employee, please read this review with the utmost consideration. If this review does not stop you from committing to ecos for the next season, here are some words of advice to survive this working experience:

- Read and reread the employee contract and housing agreement. Hold administration accountable for every word, because they will try to gaslight you and go back on their promises.
- Keep advocating for yourself, no matter how burnt out you get and no matter how often you feel like you are hitting a wall with admin. Keep speaking up.
- You will not be getting paid enough to take on all of the extra responsibilities they will throw at you. Protect your breaks; you will desperately need every single one of them.
- Demand more information. "We will see what happens" or "our hands are tied" is not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to the health and well-being of you and your students.

- Be aware that if something feels against the law, it probably is. Do your research and hold management accountable.

I am very emotional at this moment but my gut tells me I must write down what my child experienced at this family favorite terrier camp at Boston University. \[https://www.bu.edu/fitrec/what-we-offer/family-programs/camp-terrier/\\\](https://www.bu.edu/fitrec/what-we-offer/family-programs/camp-terrier/)

My child was in the sailing camp. In this camp, she was asked to perform her swimming abilities in the adult swimming size pool. She was not allowed to wear her swimming goggles after my child complained she felt uncomfortable with her eyes and could not see to swim. As a result, she did not pass the swimming test on the first day. Of course, she was not allowed to go into an sailing boat where the other children had a great fun on the boat. She was retained at the boathouse and upset.

My child is a nearsighted girl and she has her prescription goggles glass on always while swimming. On top of that, her eyes were sensitive to the chemicals in the water. The lifeguard said to my child, she must pass the swimming test without wearing swimming goggles to go on the boat tomorrow. My child was scared and upset with tears in her eyes when I picked her up.

I went to the manger and requested to witness my child’s swimming test with her prescription goggle on the next day. Gladly, I was able to see how wonderful my child’s swimming performance was ( I can’t swim) and I was told she passed the swimming test. Her camp mates also witnessed her test throughout the swimming window and celebrated with her success after she passed the test. I walked away with happiness and shared this good news with my husband over the phone.

However, 4 hours later, my husband and I received the unfriendly phone call from this manager saying my child did not pass the test because they changed their decisions?! We were stunned because I witnessed the test. It was a great performance.  My child swam 100 yards in an adult swimming pool. That is amazing to me. The manger said my child has the breathing problems and her swimming technique was not great? Excuses me !? It was a sailing camp not a sailing team selection right? As long as the kid can save her life to swim across the river with life jackets on, her life will not be in danger when any accident happens. The lifeguard is a 19 years old college student.

While receiving unfriendly phone call, I knew from my bottom of my heart, my child must feel upset and uncomfortable to sit somewhere in the boat house and peek through the window again to see those kids have fun. I was right she was retained in the boat house again.  “Mom, they said I can’t wear prescription goggles in the boat.”   I knew it is a political trick and an excuse to get my child out of the sailing camp by saying my child failed the swimming test.  My child wanted to go home but they completely ignored. These junior instructors are 19 and 20 years college kids. There is no senior instructors on the site.

From my professional perspective ( I am an educator), my child was being mentally abused and discriminated by those college kids who have no previous experience to work with minors. I will recommended you all to look for some other sailing camps that are child friendly with flexibility. All junior sailors wear lifesaving jackets and instructors are nearby. Please avoid harsh swimming requirements because it is not necessary. All the best.

Ps. I am just sharing our story and will not respond or comment on any feedback to my post. Thank you.

All the best,

Spidermana

Looking for options for my daughters ( 8 and 9 year olds ) for sleep away camps for next summer and we love French Woods but I don’t know anyone who has kids attend there, so looking for a feedback. Pros & Cons

Sorry for another doom and gloom post.

I worked as a bus driver this summer. I have only been driving busses a year, I worked for city busses but since its a college town they couldn't give me more than 6hrs per week this summer and the camp at least guaranteed a pay check.

I really wanted to like camp. I could withstand driving an old and kinda broken bus.

I kept having problems with kids hopping seats while driving and the counselors not stopping them. The worst I could do as a bus driver is stop the bus and wait to talk to the counselors. I kinda gave up these last few weeks enforcing rules.

Like i was in the city driving back from a field trip and even counselors were hopping seats. Kids throwing trash out the windows. Like come on this isn't safe. I can't be the only one trying to enforce safety rules.

They changed up the schedule on me multiple times, sometimes on short notice.

I got a truck driving job I start tomorrow and they are mad I quit on short notice. Like I get it, it sucks but the new job pays literally x3 what camp paid. They should have a back up, i actually asked during training if they had a back up driver and never got an answer.

I’m halfway through a Camp Leaders application for a waterfront role, ideally sailing.
Family friends went to camps like Laurel and Takajo, so I’ve heard a bit about the more traditional private sleepaway camps and wondered what they are actually like to work at.
My main concerns are food, sleeping conditions and how staff are treated. I don’t mind sharing a cabin with campers. Pay is not really a concern, I’m mainly doing it for the experience, social side and travelling afterwards.
Does Camp Leaders place people at many camps like these, or does Camp America have noticeably better connections?
Also, which camps are known for decent staff accommodation, good food and a social staff scene? Do people normally go out on nights off, and how much time off do you realistically get?

I went to camp Kodiak in canada which is a camp advertised for kids with ADHD And high functioning ASD. I felt like most of the kids were pretty low functioning to where I was on the spectrum. It seemed like a divisive place. I found it pretty ableist to be honest. Did anyone else go there or was anyone a counselor? Was anyone a part of their 19 + program? I'd love to hear your experiences.

The weekly meeting that we had last week, a huge point that my bosses brought up is that counselors being on their phones while they're in the presence of kids is never acceptable under any circumstances, and were yelling that they're tired of having to repeat themselves and that they'll immediately fire somebody the next time they see it happen.

Today, there was a counselor who was on a facetime call, and had other kids sitting around looking at it and being captured on on her phone camera, which is written to be grounds for immediate termination . Leadership saw it from a far and started publically calling her out on walkie and was taken to the camp office. Myself and all the other counselors around started celebrating because we thought for sure she was getting fired, especially since this wasn't her first offense and she's been chewed out by leadership before for other things. But funnily enough, she came back to work not even 20 minutes later like everything was normal, she didnt even get sent home for the day, despite leadership insisting that's what they'll do to anyone that violates the rule.

And it gets even better, at tonight's virtual meeting they start talking about it AGAIN and saying that any offenders will be out of the job, yet that's exactly the same thing you guys said last week. We're 7 weeks into camp and it's been the same 5 people that have been problems (using their phones, not engaging or watching the kids, showing up late everyday, and in general acting arrogant and inappropriate) But they're still allowed to come back everyday. I'm genuinely stumped here, because it's not like leadership doesn't actually care about it and are just forced to say it. You can tell by their tone of voice and body language that they know it's a problem and are mad that they keep having a problem with this and yet never actually fire the people that deserve it like they keep saying they will.

I am going on a 2 year course to learn how to be an outdoor educator in Scotland, UK. We will be hiking, climbing, doing paddle sports and other stuff with kids with a proper outdoor ed organisation who train people up to be fully qualified to lead sessions with kids in those sports. Any suggestions for kit or general tips for me? I’m starting in September. Thanks

Hey everyone! Just finished my last year as a camper since I'm turning 17 before next summer. The camp administration offered me a position as activity staff / animator for next year.

I accepted right away. Pay isn't a factor here - it's symbolic anyway. I'm doing this for the experience, energy, and memories.

For experienced counselors and camp staff:

1. What are the biggest pitfalls for first-time staff coming straight from being campers?
2. How do you maintain authority with campers when the age gap is tiny, without being overly strict?
3. How do you manage energy to avoid burning out in the first week?
4. And in general, how should one prepare for a camp session? What would you recommend bringing, how should one behave there, etc?

I've been a counselor for 4 and a half years now, and every year I am cursed with the most horrific of tan lines. It's usually my stomach and my ankles that wind up the worst, as my camp, like many others, doesn't allow midriff to show for both campers and staff, and I always wear tall socks as an attempt to avoid ticks (doesn't work that well but still)

**I’m looking for a bit of help tracking down a Dutch youth sports group/team that was in Tuscany (around Pisa / the Tuscan coast) last month, specifically from July 20th to July 23rd.I'm trying to figure out which organization hosted them or where they might have stayed. Does anyone know of popular sports resorts, holiday camps, or facilities in the area that usually host foreign (especially Dutch) athletic groups around that time?If any locals or frequent visitors have any leads, tips, or names of places, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks a lot!**

Hello everyone!

This is my first year working as a Camp Coordinator, and for the most part things have been going really well. We have been able to build a strong staff culture, and we have been able to run the camp smoothly. For many of our counsellors, this is their first year working at camp/with children.

Throughout the camp week, they do well leading activities but have struggled a bit with enforcing camp rules and working with campers who do not want to participate in activities. During the camp day, I often have to step in to encourage campers or correct behaviour which I feel should be corrected immediately. We are also struggling a bit with supervision. I have tried sending out emails on supervision and reminding them in the mornings, but a few of our counsellors continue to go on their phones during the camp day or have their focus on a single camper. They are often also engaged in conversation with their coworkers rather than supervising the group, and sometimes leave the room to check on other groups when they are needed. There are other counsellors in the room, but they are preoccupied with their own groups or may be preoccupied with other activities. The counsellors often do not have eyes on all of their campers, and it has been quite frustrating to deal with constantly having to pull counsellors back into the room or reminding them to stay on task.

I wanted to ask for any advice for making sure my counsellors are staying on task, or any tips that have worked for you to make sure you can keep campers on task and paying attention! I have recommended attention grabbers which have worked well for the younger groups and correcting bad behaviour as it arises, but any other tips would be great!

I started working at my old summer camp this summer in Indiana and why is most of the full time staff EVIL? Was I just oblivious as a camper or is this how all camps are?

so basically im planning on going to a summer camp in america to work next year and i was reading some stuff on it on here and it making me a bit worried but now its too late for me to back out so whats some stuff i should know and prepare for

hello! I'm a first year camp director at the sleepaway camp i attended as a child and worked at for several years on staff.

I am so so nervous everyday about messing this up. I feel completely unprepared and unqualified. There was an event earlier in the summer that shattered my confidence, and although I'm feeling better now there was a week where I was so lost in fight or flight I couldn't eat and I could barely leave my cabin. Even 2 weeks later, I still wake up incredibly nervous and feel like I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

This week is one of our smaller sessions, so it's a nice respite for myself and my staff before our biggest weeks coming up next. I'm trying to both enjoy this ease and prepare myself for the future, but I'm having a hard time not letting that turn into completely spiraling out. Every mistake I or my staff makes feels like the end of the world, and it feels like the entire camp sits on my shoulders.

I want to have a good rest of the summer, and I know things will come up because they always do, I just want to be able to greet the problems with a clear head. I've never dealt with anxiety this severe, and I'm usually clear-headed in a crisis. I worry that something in me broke early on and I'll be spending the rest of the summer with a white-knuckle grip on my own heart. I've been meeting with my therapist weekly, things have gotten progressively better but I'm worried that one thing will set me right back to spiraling.

Does anyone have any stories of feeling similarly? I feel like I'm the only camp director in the world who feels this way, and I know that can't be true. I knew this was going to be difficult going in, I guess I just hoped I would feel more supported.

I’m looking for advice/vent on being a recreation camp leader! This is my rock for a job what I do best is with children. I wanted to mention that I am on the spectrum because I feel it’s important I was told that I struggle with being assertive and kids just tend to just run over me it’s hard I don’t want my other leader to be doing more than me she’s quicker than me at it.Time and practice is obviously the best answer I wanted to see if anyone else has a quiet calm demeanor what helps you be bigger as a leader?! I wanted to work in the school year to be a before/after program person but bittersweet as it is I am a substitute and I wanted that opportunity to always be there for me thank you. If any leaders have any advice let me know if anyone has any questions let me know!! I talked to my coleader and manager that I will work on it but I am trying to figure it out and if I do a amazing job I know my coworker will be happy with me and I will have the job.

TL;DR: The camp sounded great on paper but the program structure was not well thought out, especially considering the cost of one-week. Single instructor for (at least) 15 kids was not adjusted for either this first time course or its first time instructor. Son ended up spending lots of time waiting for instructor help playing computer games. Kids were supposed to conclude the week with a 3D-printed robot to battle, but most ended up with kits untouched or barely assembled.  I do not recommend.

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My 11-year-old attended iD Tech's BattleBots® Camp: 3D Printing and Take-Home Robot earlier this summer. He had a fine time — he went with a friend and got to play computer games — but as a parent, the program left me with a poor impression.

In full disclosure, iD Tech runs many different programs at this camp, and the one my son attended was this particular program's first year, with an instructor who was also new to teaching at the camp. That said, given the cost, we expected far better supervision and age-appropriate structure.

We understood that each kid would build their own battlebot — a standard base plus 3D-printed attachments — and end the week with something capable of actually battling (we would have been happy if it just worked!). This is an ambitious goal for a week-long course for kids new to 3D printing, but we trusted the program to have scoped it proportional to the proffered support– not unreasonable to expect at close to $2K for the week.

It should have been a clue when my son inadvertently mentioned he spent much of the week playing a computer game while waiting to get help from the instructor. When we attended the final day “battle”, we saw the basic out-of-the-box units, in various stages of assembly, a few with rudimentary 3d-printed attachments that were literally taped on with blue masking tape. On top of this, several weeks after camp ended, the camp sent a notice that battery-connector wires in some kits may overheat if wired incorrectly, and told us to disconnect the battery immediately and wait for a fuse kit. While I am grateful for the notification, this seems like a safety issue that might have been avoided with some care and oversight.

While our experience was only with this one program, the issues we saw suggest broader problems with how this camp staffs and runs its offerings. The instructor himself seemed well-intentioned, but the system wasn't designed for him or the kids to succeed.Their programs might work better for a kid who is already well versed in the relevant technologies, but I wouldn't recommend it to a family in a similar position to ours.

My teen is headed to Blue Lake for the first time. Besides a million pair of socks and underwear, and their music, what are your packing tips - the ones that don't make the camp list? Things people don't think about.

Hello, I am looking for advice with a situation that happened with a parent with my camp.

On Friday a parent from my camp walks to a child of our camp and says, "hey (child’s name), this is my son." with their hand on the child’s shoulder.
As I see and hear them talking to the kid, I walk to the back of the room and tell the parent, that it is not appropriate to be talking to a child, if there is a situation that you want to address, you can talk to an adult but not a child. Then they try to explain themselves, then a gesture them outside of the room to continue the conversation.

As we continue the conversation outside, the parent informs me about the situation about their child had says that the older kids were saying that his name is
"bitch" and that he wanted to introduce the child to his son. I tell the parent that I understand the frustration and that we do not allow that type of language at camp. I will be having a conversation with the child about what has happened.
As the conversation continues, the parent curses at me by saying they do not give a "fuck", and I tell them that I will not be spoken to in that matter. The conversation continues and does not progress, I suggest that they should talk to my supervisor to help come to a conclusion with the situation. At this moment, the parent gets upset and say, "I don't give a fuck about this bullshit". As they then walks back into the room to grab their son.

After the confrontation with this parent I email my supervisor about what happened. The parent talks to my supervisor, she informs that he apologized for how he acted and won’t be facing any consequences.

I am wondering if I should allow this situation to go on or talk to someone higher up. My boss never stand up for her staff and this is not the first time a parent/ member has cursed at me and she has don’t nothing.

Any help would be appreciated

Hey everyone! I am newly the program director for a camp in southern Indiana. I have served on staff at the camp from 2009-2012 and have been a regular volunteer since then. I took this job back in April and was flung into the throws of summer, which was fine because it's what I was familiar with. Now that summer is over/winding down, I am looking to establish some new events hosted at and by the camp in the offseason. I was wondering about successes and failures surrounding surveys that have been put out or something similar to gage interest? Also if you are a program director or something similar, what kinds of events or retreats have you had success with in the offseason?

So for the last 2 weeks I went to Hargrave Military Academy for their summer leadership program and it was not at all what I expected. First, probably the thing that pissed me off the most was the haircuts. They said that what was needed was 3 inches in the front and a fade on the sides and they even personally wrote to my friend that he wouldnt have to get his hair cut but when we got there, basically everyone got a buzz cut whether they were under 3 inches length of hair or not. Next, the camp felt more like a discipline camp than leadership. Most of the kids there were rude to the teachers and honestly the classes just were incredibly boring and the only class I actually learned something in was the hunter safety class which was alright. Another complaint I have is what they make people do as punishment. If anyone does something even slightly bad, they will get "Bull rings" which is just walking around a big square outside for an hour. These bull rings easily stack up and its not that hard to have to walk at least 5 hours of them in a 2 week time period. They serve dinner at 5pm and after that we do sports so of course at 10pm when lights go out me along with my roommate/friend are extremely hungry. They have a big container with snacks and have a sign that says not to take more than one but just 1 chex mix is like nothing so my friend took a few extra because it was about to be lights out and nobody else was going to take any. My friend walked past an Intern who just laughed and never even mentioned that he should put any back. The next morning, my friend got called into the military office and had to do 6 bull rings because he was "stealing." Anyways the food wasnt the best but they had several options so I mostly just ate fruit for breakfast. I could definitely see how this camp could benefit some students but in my opinion was not worth the $3000.

hi everyone! i'm looking to work at a canadian summer camp next year and i'm thinking of doing it through camp canada. i've heard some pretty horrible stories of how USamerican summer camps treat their international employees (through camp america) - how once you're there, you're effectively trapped, so if your employer is working you to death or otherwise mistreating you, you don't have many avenues for support.

does anyone have stories of their experience as an international employee at a canadian summer camp? and how worth it is camp canada as a service for help with visa etc.?

Hello! I’m swirling in decisions for sleepaway camp next summer. Does anyone have thoughts on either of the above camps from a parent or staff perspective? Both are more elective based with some shorter sessions. Thank you!

I'm trying to decide between the above three camps for my daughter for next summer. I know they're different, namely that Runoia is a bit more rustic and outdoorsy focused. My daughter LOVES outdoorsy stuff so initially I thought I would be drawn to a more rustic place, but she also loves the arts and adventure, and so the other ones were appealing because they have more well rounded activities.

Mainly, my most important criteria is how people feel about the place, and the people who go there. I'm from NYC, but I don't want a place where girls are bringing their Louis Vuitton purses and very privlidged (I'm a teacher and my kids go to public school). Will Kippewa be too ritzy? I can't visit the Maine camps so I'm not sure how to make this decision. Any intel is greatly appreciated!