security guard

laborer

kitchen team member

camp counselor

animateur de centre de loisirs

Camp Wahanowin

Working at camp was absolutely exhausting. There is absolutely no downtime and no time away from the campers, even on your days off. The only exception is the staff lounge, but it's normally deserted because everyone is busy with the campers. Not only that, but the summer staff members are completely incompetent, and basically feel like more campers. They rarely, if ever, do their work, but they are also prioritized because they are willing to work for 500$ for two months.  

Speaking of pay, if you are a core staff member, in your first year you make 3000$ for 4 months, with a 1000$ "bonus" at the end if you make it all 4 months. With the amount that the staff work, that's sweatshop conditions. You get room and board, but it's the oldest, most disgusting cabins and rusty beds, sometimes infested with animals. The kitchen is no better. Sometimes you would wake up in the morning and find animal droppings on or in the dishwasher. I am absolutely certain that it would not pass a health and safety examination under any circumstances. 

You also have to spend the money from your paycheque for a number of things, none of which are optional. Hidden fees are everywhere. There's a  'staff rec' fee, which was never explained and they refused to allow you to opt-out when asked and refused to explain what the fee was for. 

You also have to pay 14$/ week for laundry, which was especially problematic when they lost several people's entire bags' worth of clothing. 

To conclude: the conditions are horrible, the work is exhausting, the management is terrible, and the pay is nowhere near adequate. Do yourself a favour and work literally anywhere else.

I will give you a small scenario of what to expect when working for this company.

Working for wahanowin for 5 years taught me everything A to Z about this company. They take travelers and poor students and use them for 14 hour days and expect over the top customer service and always expected to be on call. BTW you being paid half of what you would be in any other camp in that area. 

you have options to work multiple lengths (2 months, 4 , 6 ) 

You could be working there for 10 years and the company still is only looking out for what can bring them money.. This includes you never getting time off more then one day every 9 days, Constant booking , meaning there will always be groups on site so you never get any time off more then one day at a time.

They don't tell you till a week in that laundry now is 14$ a bag and you cant share with other employees. 

be aware that your paycheck will always be wrong . Every year i got mine they screwed it up one way or another and then you are forced to have an awkward conversation with the site director for the 5th time about how they screwed up your amount you should have been paid. 
 
Accommodation : the cabins they put you in are made from the 70"s and are actually 1 star accommodations. your forced to also have WiFi in one location oh and your paying for that also 50 dollars from your paycheck

Wahanowin was a one-of-a-kind job to have: perfect for students in need of spring/summer jobs where living is taken care of, work is not too stressful, and friends are in abundance. With that being said, the culture at camp was a bit difficult at times. The head staff team could be either very supportive or not at all. 50% of the staff seemed to love their jobs and have good work ethic, while the other 50% just wanted to tan in the sun/have a "fun" summer. Overall it was an absolutely incredible experience and I grew as a person from it. Camp tends to hire international staff, so it's wonderful meeting a whole group of different people. The hardest part of the job was definitely the salary in relation to the work involved: you will be working hard all spring/summer with very little pay-but the pay really shouldn't be what you are looking to get out of the experience if you want to work at any summer camp in the first place. The amount of activities makes each day new and enjoyable, and if you have a good relationship with your kids then summer is absolutely fantastic.

A typical day includes running programs for kids from different school groups who visit on a weekly basis. You get to participate in a whole host of activities including canoeing, kayaking, swimming, ropes courses, as well as a bunch of different sports and games. The culture is amazing you have a lot of people who are incredibly friendly and helpful, that culture extends all the way up to the camp director who is incredibly accommodating and fair. When you're not running activities you might be helping with day to day management such as raking leaves or assembling the docks or even helping repair and replace different structures and cabins. Doing site management can be pretty labor or intensive or boring depending on the job and sometimes the kids are difficult as anyone with kids can tell you. But the pros far outweigh the cons it's a great place to work, it keeps you active and provides ample time to relax and have fun

Got some amazing and valuable work experience working with kids, being a lifeguard, and laborious work maintaining the grounds.
It's no joke living with kids at this summer camp, you're going to have to deal with their personalities and manage them no matter what. Barely got sleep at night and definitely a very stressful job especially with the younger ones, however as a lifeguard you get more downtime. 
During the summer, it's purely summer camp but working as a spring/fall staff includes more duties with cleaning cabins. There's lots of bird feces on the waterpark...
If you're not in the mood to play all day, it can become draining very quickly.
The staff are amazing and the outdoor environment was absolutely a blast. Lots of drama though.
Also the laundry service is very unreliable, be prepared to lose clothes in the laundry.

Days are pretty easy, Breakfast then running activity with kids for the morning. Have lunch, more activities. Supper, free time usually then an Evening Program, which can be anything from talent shows to carnivals with dunk tanks. It's a great atmosphere, the staff are all great, easy to get along with people. The hardest part about the job is when the kids or staff you connected with and had so much fun with have to leave. The best part, is those connections you make.

Overall Camp Wahanowin is a great overnight camp.  The camp culture has great spirit and the kids love the camp and come back year after year.  It is very inclusive environment. 
None of the overnight camps pay well as you get free room and board, and get to participate in all the outdoor  & indoor activities.

Working as a counsellor in training or full-time counsellor is more fun than it is work, as most staff had attended the overnight camp as campers before becoming staff. They return to camp to be with their friends, and the pay is very low, but they enjoy it because it is a fun loving environment to spend the summer in.

Camp Wahanowin, my first job abroad... What else can I say.... 
If you like to cook go to work at kitchen, is the best work environment you can ever imagine.
If you like working with kids go to work with children!
For those who say, they don't pay you enough... Kids will make it worth. 



This was a summer camp which i had attended for years before becoming a CIT. The hardest part of the job was to make sure that all the campers were having a good time and didn't get to home sick. The most enjoyable part of the job was watching campers have fun at activities every day.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Security guard 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour
Laborer 1 salary reported	$20.50 per hour
Kitchen team member 1 salary reported	$5,945 per month
Camp counselor 1 salary reported	$450 per week
Animateur de centre de loisirs 1 salary reported	$21.63 per hour

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