So this post I want to explain the whole application process.

It can feel really daunting but I found it wasn't really that bad. 

Stage 1: Application Form 📄

First things first, there are 2 types of roles you can apply for: camp counsellor and support staff. Most people do apply for the counsellor role (which involves you either teaching or assisting) and support staff, you could be in the kitchen, cleaning, in the offices etc. Not directly with the kids.

1) SO, first of all decide which role you would like at camp.

Once you pick which role you would like to do, you get an application form attached to your footprints.

I chose to be a camp counsellor so I will be speaking about that process! 

2) About You

You first of off all have to fill in the basic details about yourself like your name, your medical background, any hobbies etc.

Also, you have to state your work experience, whether it was paid of volunteer work!

3) Why You Would Be Suited To Camp

Next, you have to talk about what you will gain most by doing camp and your personality, if you prefer working in a group or individually and all that kind of stuff, its all quite easy.

Just sell yourself! As humans we have literally evolved to criticise ourselves, so as a human, you need to get past this and just go for it haha!

You will also have to speak about your experience with children and you are advised to not mention that one time when you babysat your friends, sisters, aunties, 3 month old daughter. As it is only the middle of June, there is such a long time to go until applications close (ALMOST A YEAR) so maybe over summer, try and get some relevant work experience with children.

4) Type of Camps

At first, this next part took me aback, I did not realise exactly how many types of camps were out there! Of course when you think about summer camp, the typical "camp rock" style camp pops into your head haha!

But oh no, wrong was I.

There are, Day Camps, Traditional Camps, Girl Scout Camps, Special Needs, Speciality Camps, Underprivileged and Religious Camps. I hope I didn't miss any?!

For the camps like Special Needs or Girl Scouts, you do have to then proceed to explain why you would like to work in this camp type, as you could be working with physically/visually/hearing impaired, and even people with eating disorders.So I imagine it is a big challenge working in this type of camp, and obviously it takes the right type of person to work in these camps. You also have to state any experience you have working with special needs, and also state whether you would feel comfortable working with each type, and if not, why.

Do not be afraid to say that you do not feel comfortable working with certain kinds of Special Needs, as the worst thing ever would for you to be placed at a camp for 9 whole weeks where you do not totally feel comfortable. That is the key with Americamp, you HAVE to be completely honest. It is YOUR application at the end of the day, you are not pressured to agree to anything you are not comfortable with.

But, do try and tick as many camps as you can within this stage, as only clicking - for instance 3 - will limit your chances! 

5) Your Skills

Then it is on to naming your skills and your top 3 skills. Okay, so there are literally about 100 skills you can put down, literally from arts and crafts, to water-sports, to performing arts & horse riding. You can do literally anything at camp which is amazing! It is what makes it so open for everyone to do!

You can pick as many skills as you like! You have to state whether you're a beginner, at intermediate level or advanced level for the skill. I literally put down everything I had done from GCSE textiles to A-Level Performing Arts, whether it was basic level or advanced!

After you have completed your loooong list of skills, it is time to pick 3 specific top skills.

THINK CAREFULLY! On my previous application, I did not do my research before, I put Trapeze as my top skill as I thought getting extra training would be doable after my week intensive as sixth form. I WAS SO WRONG! When I was contacted by a camp, i couldn't attend their pre camp training and when I researched into the extra training and it worked out too expensive and very time consuming between sixth form and work.

SO my advice is to 100% put your top skills as things you are really 110% okay with teaching or assisting, and also mention and qualifications you have in these areas.

There is also a chance to put any certificates you have gained - for instance life guarding!

6) A Bit About Your Family Life

This part is really quite nice as it is your chance to explain about your life growing up, about your family and if you have travelled! The character count in this section was sooo not long enough for me. I have been so fortunate enough to have already travelled to many places around the world - thanks to my holidayaholic parents haha! Try make this part interesting and let your personality shine through.

aaaaaaand that's it! That is alllll you have to do for the application form! Then you send off the £45 and next... the interview!

Stage 1 part 2: THE INTERVIEW

I'd be lying to you if I said that I wasn't nervous and scared for my interview. You can have a skype interview, however, one of my good friends whom I had known for 7 years had just returned from camp and was doing interviews! So luckily, I was able to have my interview with her.

Even though I knew Katy really well, this was still in effect like a job interview!

I didn't at all feel like I was being interrogated at all, she just asked me a few scenarios about how I would deal with certain situations, for example, a homesick child. You just have to really use your initiative, I have had so much experience in working with children, so I found that I could apply some of the scenarios with situations I have dealt with.

She then proceeded to ask me a question that threw me off... I had to pick 3 words how my friends would describe me, 3 words how my parents would describe me and also 3 words on how I would describe myself! She also asked me the kind of expected questions like "Why would you be suited to camp?".

After this, we spoke about my skills and about what I was hoping to do in the future and also how to tweak my application to make sure it was as solid as it can be! Make sure you take a little notepad and pen to write down feedback, and if you have a skype interview, have a notepad handy, there is so much information to process, I literally couldn't breathe.

Finally all the formal part of the interview was over, and obviously me knowing Katy well, all i wanted to do was bombard her with questions and ask her about her summer in the states! She happily spoke through her trip and post camp travels.

I went away from the interview literally praying for summer to hurry up!

A few days after I received the news that I had passed my interview! Now it was time for the application video... OH MY GOD.

Stage 2: Application Video and References

Okay, getting references for Americamp is really easy! You can either print out the application form or send them to your referees email - which I did as it is so convenient as they can just attach them straight to your application. You only have to get 3 references, I asked my teachers and guide leader to complete one each.

Then it was time for the video!

As it was October, I specifically remember rushing home from the gym to film my video before it got dark - gotta have the perfect lighting haven't you girls!

I had looked at various other application videos on YouTube from 2015 and honestly, they looked like mini films! I by no means had the skill to even know where to start in making a creative video. I literally panicked so much. When it comes to doing fancy things with technology, I feel similar to how my Gran would feel if i gave her an iPad.

Windows movie maker it was! Lets revert back to the cool 12 year old kid I was in 2k8.

Even that proved very difficult hahah, safe to say, I was and still am so embarrassed about my lack of technological skills.

I did not know what to do for my video at all, it was getting cold, and of course living in the UK consists of cloud and rain 24/7, so i couldn't film my video outside.

So, inside it was, with my laptop webcam in my bedroom. To say I do performing arts, the nerves were ridiculous. I even had to film the video in separate chunks so I could at least try and eliminate some of the stuttering.

My video pretty much consisted of my speaking about what I was currently studying and my future career plans.

Next, CHILDREN! You will work with children for 9-11 weeks. If you have any experience with children, speak about it! Then i proceeded to speak about my skills.

After, I proceeded to take screenshots of me performing and added them, with "You Can't Stop The Beat" and "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" blaring in the background... amateur, i know.

As I said, technology isn't my thing. I didn't have a slight prayer on earth of uploading a video of me performing! Maybe this year I will try and improve my video making and editing skills - maybe be a tad more creative.

All in all, my video was a stuttering, fake voiced, technological failure! I even struggled uploading it to my footprints account. So if you learn anything from this about the video, do everything the opposite of what I did:

1) Be confident and be you! I was panicking far too much and it ended up a complete disaster! Literally, the next video I am deffo taking Kalms for at least 3 days before hahah.

2) Have better editing skills than me, especially if you're using video editing as a top skill, it's your chance to show camp directors how talented you really are! I mean my video must have been fine, Americamp didn't ask me to change it at all, it's just deflating seeing everyone elses fab videos.

3) EYE CONTACT, have eye contact with the camera lens, looking away or at a piece of paper with your scripted novel on next to your camera does show nerves, and you want to really show you are confident!

4) Be creative with your video, as I was just sat down in my boring bedroom, it felt really dull! If the weathers nice, go outside! Or for example, if your top skill is horse riding, go to your local stables! Even if you are going on holiday over summer, take some time out to film some stuff there and take advantage of the nice weather. I have even seen some videos where the applicants went around asking their friends and family to describe them which I feel was really cool!

I would advise anyone to YouTube Americamp application videos for any ideas!

The video should only be 1-2 minutes long, however, I have seen plenty which are over.

After this is complete, it's time to pay the £60 and your application is sent off to the U S of A WAHOOOOOO!

Stage 2, part 2: The Wait...

Now your application is in the US on camp directors desks, it's time for the worst part. THE WAIT!

All you have to do now is wait...  (Probs get a cuppa n some biscuits at this point because it is the worst part)

You wait for either a camp to contact you - you WILL end up constantly refreshing emails. IT. IS. RIDICULOUS.

Or... if you do not get contacted by a camp, it's time to wait for the camp fairs! There was a camp fair in the November in Manchester which i was invited to, however, there were only 4 camps there and the dates the camps started did not fit with the dates I could go :((

The next camp fairs were in January, I signed up to go to the camp fair in Leeds! There was a camp fair in London, and I also think there was one in Glasgow too - don't hold me to that. However, by the time the camp fair came in mid January, I had already deferred my application until 2017.

I did however, get sent a list of the camps still that were attending. There
were so many camps on this huge confusing grid! My advice to tackle this table would be to
eliminate the camps which are out of your dates to reduce the list.

Then look specifically if they are taking on your skill and research all the remaining camps.
Then pick 3 or 4 camps and read in depth about them, so you have done your research and gained knowledge about the camp before the fair!

Unfortunately, I haven't had the experience of a camp fair yet, but from watching vlogs and reading other blogs, theyre exciting! But don't be too disheartened if you don't get #plACed as there is still plenty of time for camps to get in contact with you!

There is an option to be a general camp counsellor, but I have heard that at the camp fairs this year, the camps weren't really looking for general counsellors, only specialists. So my tip would be to kind of go to the fair with your top skills in mind.

It's really strange thinking I am going through this entire process again, however, this year I can definitely learn from my mistakes and hopefully, with this blog, I can advise potential Americamp applicatns to not make the same mistakes I made last year!

Thanks guys! Not sure what my next post will be about! If you guys have any questions, i'd be happy to answer any questions or @americamp are always happy to help ♥♥♥

Jade x

Twitter: jadexleanne
Instagram: jadeoutram_

www.americamp.co.uk