If you are warm, nurturing, and hardworking, aged 19 or older (or have completed at least your first year of college), and you love working with children, we encourage you to apply! Ideally, you should be available for a minimum of 9 weeks (from the second week of June to the second week of August). Some staff may arrive earlier or stay through the end of August to participate in additional training, pre- and post-camp work crews, and to teach at our Family Camps.

Camp counselors are “on duty” almost 24 hours a day, which can be tiring! We carefully create a duty schedule to ensure counselors have breaks each day, as well as 3-4 evenings off per week after campers go to bed (8:00 pm or later, depending on the age) until our 12:30 am curfew. Operations staff members have specific schedules that we'll discuss during hiring. Each staff member will receive one 12-24-hour day off each week. We're located 50 minutes from Portland and 40 minutes from Freeport, so past days off have included baseball games, tubing down the Saco River, visiting a trampoline park, picnicking, hiking, shopping, or simply relaxing!

Counselors are encouraged to bring phones and laptops to camp for time-off use. Our campers are technology free for the summer so phones are not permitted in the cabins or while working with the campers. We have Wi-Fi, but as we are in the woods of Maine – it is somewhat limited. Mail and package service is available during the summer.

At Arcadia, we all wear a blue uniform. T-shirt tops are provided to staff and you provide the bottoms. Ideally, fleeces, pants, shorts and swimsuits should be blue as well. However, you may wear clothing items that are neutral colors such as gray or black!

We offer a competitive camp salary which is dependent upon your experience and role at camp. You will be paid every two weeks, and we provide you with your housing, food and laundry service while you are employed at no cost. Certification reimbursements are paid at the start of camp, and travel reimbursement is paid at the end of a successfully completed contract. Staff may earn additional money by working on our pre- or post-camp crews.

Summer after summer we have a great mix of returning and new staff, from many different states and from countries all over the world. While we love and are proud of our returning staff, we are excited each summer by our new staff, who enrich our community with novel ideas and activities. New staff rapidly become assimilated.

Arcadia has been owned and operated by the same family since 1916. We have a strong and supportive environment and once you are at Camp, you are a part of our community. We have many traditions: singing, campfire, celebrations, opening and closing candlelight ceremonies and banquets among many others. We are a very busy camp, offering over 22 activities for our campers. All of our campers have the opportunity to go out on trips, and staff can also volunteer to go on some trips. While we work hard, we have lots of fun too. You will make lifelong friends and memories!

• Wake up- 7:30 am

• Breakfast

• Two activity periods

• General Swim

• Lunch

• Rest Hour

• Two activity periods

• General Swim

• Supper

• Evening Program

• Bed time –Between 8 and 10pm (varies by age of campers you live with)

Safety is of utmost importance at Arcadia. Therefore, most of our staff must have a minimum of First Aid and CPR. Waterfront counselors must be certified lifeguards and our Trips, Canoeing and Campcraft staff must have Wilderness First Aid. We encourage hired staff to get their certifications prior to coming to camp and we reimburse a portion of the cost. We can assist you in finding a course if needed.

Arcadia does provide opportunities for internship credit. Some examples are Small Business Administration, Horse Care, Education, Counseling and more. We have senior staff who are able to supervise many types of internships.

Working at a summer camp is a unique, fun and challenging job which will develop many life skills that will help you in other areas of life and in other positions. You will develop leadership skills, learn how to manage your time, learn how to interact with different types of people, learn how to problem solve and to work hard! Arcadia is a very special place and our staff form lifelong friendships (just as our campers do). Becoming an Arcadian staff member will be a decision that you will always value, cherish and never regret!

“DO IT! It's fun. You won't regret it, and everything is going to be fine. At the end, you're going to be happy that you took the opportunity" - Beca Rodriguez, Head of Tennis