Ten Reasons Why You Should Work at Ferncliff This Summer

10 reasons why you should work at ferncliff this summer (1)

As a former summer staffer and current employee of Ferncliff, it’s possible that my opinion may be a little biased. However, I (Hannah here) whole-heartedly believe that there’s no better way to spend a summer than serving others in the great outdoors. I am a testament to the growth one can experience while working at Ferncliff, and would encourage anyone looking for an incredible summer experience to seriously consider applying. Here are ten reasons why you should work at Ferncliff this summer:

Community – It’s no secret that the camp community is a tightly woven one. There aren’t many jobs in which your professional and social relationships completely overlap, not to mention you also all live together. For me personally, the community I experienced as a summer staffer became the gold standard for communities I would experience away from camp, both in college and beyond.
Weekend brunching
You are quite literally paid to play – From capture the chicken to the shady chute, we offer quite a fun spectrum of outdoor recreational activities. Sure these activities are designed for campers, but part of the fun of being a counselor is the ability to participate in the fun alongside campers in addition to just facilitating it.
Potato sack racing – a typical day at the office!
Making a positive impact on campers is inevitable – According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of Counselor is: “One who has supervisory duties at a summer camp.” I strongly disagree with this definition. Sure a camp counselor is someone who leads, facilitates, and teaches, but a camp counselor is also someone who gets down on a child’s level and listens to them, engages with them, and positively models life to them. A camp counselor is more than a supervisor; a camp counselor is a mentor, a friend, and an encourager. For a camper, just getting to know a cool, young adult who is fun and open about their faith can be incredibly influential, whether the counselor realizes it or not.Just look at those happy campers…
You will make lifelong friends – Working and living with the same group of people for an entire summer will foster friendships unlike any other. You lead activities with one another, you share meals together, you worship together, you grow together. At the beginning of the summer, the staff is a group of strangers; at the end of the summer, the staff is a family.Forever friends
This job looks good on your résumé – Working at camp develops many qualities and skills that are desirable professionally. I’m not just talking about becoming a friendship bracelet aficionado or a master of building one match fires, I’m talking about qualities like punctuality, good communication, responsibility, creativity, and how to be a team player, all of which are fostered in the camp setting. Click here to read “10 Reasons Why Businesses Should Hire Former Camp Counselors” by the American Camp Association.
Time spent “unplugged” in the great outdoors – In the midst of busy schedules, sometimes it’s challenging to unplug, step outside, and be still. The camp setting is unique in the way it fosters this practice on an almost daily basis. It’s incredible what you may learn when you trade Facebook for the sound of crickets, or Instagram for fellowship around a campfire.
Ferncliff Lake through the mist
Strengthen your faith – More often than not, counselors will complete a summer at Ferncliff and say, “Wow, I really grew closer to God this summer.” For those familiar with the ‘thin and thick places analogy,’ Ferncliff is certainly a thin place, a place where God feels a little closer. Additionally, living in intentional Christian community with other young adults can be a spiritually fruitful experience. Although all of our summer staff are Christians, everyone’s faith is in different places, allowing everyone to learn and grow from each other.
Outdoor worship under the stars
The world will seem a little smaller – Our summer staff is composed of enthusiastic young adults from all over the world! We legitimately conduct a global search for summer staff. Beyond just getting to work with people who have cool accents, international staff bring cultural diversity and new perspectives that you may not have been exposed to otherwise. For me personally, my love of traveling is all because of relationships I made with international counselors at Ferncliff, which meant I had to go visit them!

Visiting Tori (’12, ’14) in New Zealand

Visting Angellina (’12) in England
A time for discernment – It’s a pre-conceived notion that college is the time to figure out who you are as a person and what you want to do with your life. While this may be true for some people, I think camp is a better setting for discernment – both spiritually and professionally. Taking a step back from “the real world” to unplug and serve others always seems to be beneficial to our summer staff, myself included.
Ramsey Chapel
A healthy challenge by choice – Camp is a wonderful platform to push your comfort zone. Maybe speaking to a group is intimidating, or the idea of taking a fish off a hook is terrifying. Because the camp setting is a safe space for everyone, including staff, it is an inviting atmosphere to try things you might not have tried otherwise. Pushing your comfort zone and growing as a person often occur in tandem with one another, and is one of the many reasons why staff have the potential to grow during a summer on staff at Ferncliff.