Timber Lake West - The Best Summer Camp To Work At
Are you considering working as a summer camp counselor but unsure which camp you want to work at?
Perhaps you have already worked at a summer camp before but the experience wasn’t quite what you had hoped for?
If you really want to work as a summer camp counselor and consider yourself enthusiastic with a desire to work alongside kids this summer, then you have come to the right place.
In this article we will outline our experience of the best summer camp to work at and outline the steps you should take to see what all the fuss is about.
Timber Lake West has been our collective home since the summers of 2015 and 2016 respectively, and we’d love for you to be a part of the family going forward.
Read on to discover why we believe Timber Lake West is the best summer camp to work at in the US.
So, let’s dive into: Timber Lake West - The best summer camp to work at
Disclaimer - this blog post contains affiliate links where we can earn a commission, if you make a purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).
Timber Lake West counselors laughing and enjoying themselves at work
Timber Lake West - The Basics
What is Timber Lake West?
Timber Lake West is a traditional co-ed, four-week, sleep-away summer camp. The summer is split into 2 four-week sessions where all the program and fun of a 7-week camp is squeezed into a four-week experience. Timber Lake West welcomes campers between the ages of 7-16.
Where is Timber Lake West?
Timber Lake West is found just outside of Roscoe, in the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York. It is about 2-hours Northwest of New York City and around 3 hour from Philadelphia.
How many staff work at Timber Lake West?
In total, when you include all in-bunk counselors, support staff and the leadership team, Timber Lake West employs 180+ staff members every summer.
What jobs can I do at Timber Lake West?
Timber Lake West has pretty much any role you can think of being as a summer camp counselor. Here’s a few examples of the positions you could work - Ropes Course; Lifeguards; Arts & Crafts; Archery; Mountain Biking; Music; Gymnastics; Drama; Go-Karts; Skate-boarding; Athletics (Soccer; baseball; basketball etc.); Zumba; Fitness; Water-skiing; Support Staff; Nurses; Leadership Staff; Doctors; Office Staff; Kitchen Crew; Maintenance; Nannys; General counselors; Group Leaders
Officers during the opening ceremonies of Color War
What are the benefits of working at Timber Lake West?
You get to work with 180+ staff members from all around the world. Timber Lake West hires staff from the US, Canada, Mexico, South America, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and all around Europe.
Timber Lake West runs two 4-week sessions, where the majority of the campers leave after the 1st session, and a brand new group of campers come for the 2nd session. Meaning you get to interact with double the amount of campers than a regular sleepaway camp.
You get the chance to earn up to a $600 bonus (on top of your camp wage) based on your performance throughout the summer.
You typically get 4 nights off a week, as well as a guaranteed 6 days off throughout the summer. You can spend your days off in State Parks, hiking in the mountains, visiting gorges and college towns, pay a visit to Woodstock (only an hour away) or even venture to NYC.
You can easily find a group of like-minded people to go travelling after camp together - counselors at Timber Lake West often organise trips to Florida, Las Vegas, California, Utah and all over the US once camp has finished.
This may sound cheesy, but the most important benefit of working at Timber Lake West is that you get to become part of the family - something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Camp Counselors jumping for joy at Timber Lake West
Quick tip: if you’re international, you will need to get a visa to work at Timber Lake West. In our Summer Camp Agency Comparison, we outline the process and which companies you should apply with.
What makes Timber Lake West the best summer camp to work at?
Quite frankly this question is easy to answer - the reason Timber Lake West is such a special summer camp to work at is because of the people.
Whether that’s the campers that we get to look after and mentor throughout the summer, or the group of amazing counselors we have the pleasure of working alongside every year.
Timber Lake West has created a feeling of community and togetherness that means as soon as you are there, you feel an instant connection to everybody.
It’s the reason we have continued to go back to work at Timber Lake West year after year (after year, after year…). Yes the Go-Karts are fancy, and the grounds are spectacular, and the lake is beautiful, but in reality it is the people we have met while working at Timber Lake West that are our motivation for returning every June.
From the team of directors, all the way down to our youngest Freshman campers (Age 7-9), Timber Lake West has a sense of unity that is difficult to describe until you experience it for yourself.
Working as a counselor at Timber Lake West means spending around 10 weeks (2-week orientation; 4-week 1st Session; 4-week 2nd Session) in the ‘camp bubble’ and it really does draw you in. Leaving at the end of the summer becomes one of the hardest goodbyes.
How can I work at Timber Lake West?
So, now you’ve heard all about the best summer camp to work at, do you want to join the team? There are a couple of ways you can go about this!
Option a) You’re ready to fill out your application already
If you’re already completely sold on the idea of working at Timber Lake West and you simply want to apply, then go ahead. Head to the ‘Join our Staff’ page on the Timber Lake West website and get your application started. Send us a quick message on the Website/Instagram once you’ve filled out your application.
If you’re thinking about applying directly to Timber Lake West, then these tips for nailing your summer camp interview are going to help you out massively!
Remember though: don’t forget to mention us (Ticket 4 Two Please/Ben and Orla) on your application when it asks for how you heard about Timber Lake West. The directors will take an instant shine to your application if they see that!
Our counselors wearing their colourful Tye-dye staff shirts
Option b) You want to ask us a few more questions about Timber Lake West
Perhaps this article has made you intrigued about working at Timber Lake West and now you want to find out a little bit more information. You can obviously head straight to the Timber Lake West website here if you like, but we would be more than happy to answer any questions you have about working at Timber Lake West.
Feel free to ask us anything about working at camp - from questions about the kids, to time-off, how the pay works, visas etc. Anything you need, we are here for you.
Get your questions about Timber Lake West answered:
Need even more inspiration? Here’s our top 13 reasons why you should work at a summer camp
We have been incredibly fortunate to visit lots of amazing places during our travels, many of which we have written about on this blog, but nowhere continues to bring us back as regularly as our summer home.
Timber Lake West has become our second home and after 13 combined summers working there, we can happily say that it is one of our favourite places on the planet. That’s why Timber Lake West is truly the best summer camp to work at in the whole of the USA.
