Camp Green Acres

I worked 5 days a week from 8:30-4. Day would start off on the camp buss with all of the yelling and singing campers. Then you report to you station. Originally I applied to work with the 10-12 age group but the station I was placed in was the 5-6 year olds, they were called the buffalos. My campers of course were very cute but extremely high maintenance. I constantly had them jumping on me, grabbing or ripping at my clothes, crying, fighting, and even the occasional kid soiling themselves and we as counsellors can to clean them up. 
As a counsellor your on your feet walking all day in the heat from one activity station to the next, usually giving piggybacks. Lunch was not provided to employees by the camp so if you didn't wake up early enough you went without eating or you would have to pay for a cheese and butter sandwich. At the end of the day you go back on the noisy bus and drop off your campers.
The main thing I learned was to never be taken advantage of by an employer again.
The management was horrible, at the end of the day the camp directors were happy as long as the parents of the kids were and they were maximizing profit. I felt that the people who ran the camp could care less about their counsellors. They also paid peanuts for probably one of the most demanding jobs Ive ever worked at. 
Hardest part of the job was just the headache you'd always have at the end of the day. 
My co-workers were awesome, in a camp atmosphere its always essay to make friends with people you're working with, especially when you're working as many hours as we did. 
Also company outings were a lot of fun away from all the campers. The only downside was the Camp never paid for the outings, employees always had to pay for company functions out of their pockets and it was usually around $20-40 per event. 
Lastly the best benefit about working at the camp was the few amazing campers that you get to bond with throughout the summer.

First off, I got payed six dollars an hour (minimum is $14) to work here when you're working constantly and for the full 9 hours. Since you're staying there for a full day, I really recommend bringing in lunch, otherwise you're going to spend your whole salary at the lunch shack (overpriced, and I think the camp should provide employees with food bc we're practically working for such a low pay). They really emphasize how you're going to have fun here, which did not happen for me. It's very cliquey to work here with a bunch of Highschool students who care about clout-chasing. Maybe if you went to camp beforehand, it'd be easy to make friends. However, if you're new and just joining in, expect it to be like a highshool scene where you'd be left out because some of these employees (mainly highschool students) went to the camp when they were younger or have worked there every summer so they're familiar with each other and only stick with each other. The only thing I liked about my job was getting close with the kids I was responsible for. AND LASTLY!! They make you stay for multiple unpaid hours such as a camp overnight event where you have to stay at the camp for a full 24 hours without being paid. While i worked there for one month (had to cut my contract short because this was the worst job ever) I had to work multiple unpaid hours because they have events where you have to stay in the camp and talk to parents, arrange activities, etc (totalling 40 hours of free work)

I worked at Green Acres full time last summer, which was roughly 9am-4pm Monday to friday. Starting off with the positives, free and convenient transportation was provided to and from camp. You get the chance to meet a lot of people. However, most workers have gone to summer camp their whole lives and have crazy summer camp spirit, which I couldn't relate to. There are camp socials, but you have to pay for them yourself and since the pay was so low I didn't want to spend more money on socials.
For the cons, pay was extremely low from about $3-$8/hour depending on your age which didn't make sense and is very demotivating when days are long and tiring. You're outdoors almost all of the day and only 1 of the activity buildings that I knew of had AC. I found that management was nice overall but in the end they care mostly of the kids and their parents opposed to the staff. My head was extremely unhelpful and did not know how to run the activities that he was trying to teach us. 
Overall I did not enjoy my experience there and would definitely never work there again. I worked another job on Saturdays and Sundays and I would make more there in 2 days than I did at camp all week. However, it's not horrible as your first job and if you've been to summer camp your whole life and enjoy working with kids you will probably fit in and have a good time. :)

yeah it's fun and nice to be with friends, but the pay is horrendous, the days are extremely long, and the work is tiring with little assistance. 

none of the head staff helps when you have a concern, they basically just say "sorry, but that's just how it is, figure it out". and when there is an emergency, they do not help at all and simply tell you it's your problem, even if the emergency was family related or medical related and is outside of your control. even some of the head staff say that the rules are unjust. 

they are strict about arbitrary rules and even though most people are there to meet others and stay because of their new friends, you are not allowed to interact with them outside of a 30 minute lunch. 

it's geared towards the parents, not the kids, and even when the kids complain about something, if the camp sees it has value to the parents, they will force the kids to do it. their on site health center is extremely poor, not able to treat anything more than a sunburn or a scrape.

i could go on about how terrible this camp is, but I will finally warn you not to work there, ever, unless you have no other options. work somewhere else for minimum wage!! don't settle for this garbage. 

I worked with Camp Green Acres one summer as a High Ropes Instructor. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the work experience and the people that I worked with and interacted with each day. The camp's staff were all extremely friendly and helpful. Working with kids can require patience and feel challenging; despite the stress of the job it was always rewarding.

My only real complaint about this job was the pay. When I was hired they informed me that I was entering a contract and would be receiving a set balance that was less than minimum wage. The camp is also only open during 2 months of the summer, so it is a brief work experience. 

Despite those negatives I greatly enjoyed working at Camp Green Acres, and did not at all mind my pay. It was a very fun summer and an extremely rewarding experience.

I worked at their riding program. It was so tiring and the horses were abused and neglected. The Head-Staff treat you terribly. The hardest part of this job was finding the motivation to keep working after being paid $2.85/hour. You do make some great friends because you're all mutually suffering. The bad thing was it's mostly teenagers working there so there's a lot of unnecessary drama. They hire anybody and everybody because they need 500 staff members so there are a lot of people not doing their job properly that won't get fired because they need them to keep working. I don't recommend working here but if you do, my advice is to start with a four week contract because they will always be happy to extend it later. However, if you want to quit you lose half your pay.

I learned a lot about working with children and how to effectively manage them. It was a lot of fun to do fun activities with them while also being a spirited and passionate role model for children. 

The workplace culture was always enjoyable and was something I looked forward to, because everyone was always extremely caring and compassionate while constantly being open for questions and aid.

The hardest part of the job was that it can get extremely stressful at some points in the day, but having good teamwork and cooperative skills are vital.

The most enjoyable part of the job is the satisfaction and pure joy that you get to know that you are truly making a positive impact on the lives of your campers.

I was put with the youngest unit. They were very sweet but extremely needy. Often times they are way too entitled, if a child looses something then it's automatically the counsellor's fault -even if the counsellor is not with the child. In fact, they fired me over that which is a bit absurd. 
There are no lunch breaks, you are expected to eat with the children. If you have really young kids, then good luck with that. 
The other counsellors there are very cliquey. Feels like a big middle school drama scene. 
The directors there are nice, the camp unit head could have handled things better. 
If I could redo that summer, I would NOT work for camp green acres. They completely ruined my view of working with children.

With a first year salary of $3.30  hour, the 30+ degree conditions were not worth it! it was clear staff wasn't valued as there was a never ending supply. I worked in the cedar creek division with the horses, OSPCA can for a visit 3 times in the 6 weeks that I worked there. The management was impatient and not willing to listen to complaints. The only upside to working there was some of the fantastic children I had the honor of teaching and the great co-staff whom I am still friends with today.  
Not to mention that there is no break, even if you take the "free" transportation to work, you are still expected to be on the job and take care of campers.

Since I was a specialist at GA, I can attest that it is a fantastic chance for someone who is fresh to the workforce, usually a young teen. However, the salary is not very high; on an hourly basis, you would probably make $2 to $3. The quantity of friends you will make and the fantastic events GA plans for its personnel are two other reasons why working there is so much fun. The ability to tolerate spending the entire day in the sun would also be the most challenging aspect of working at GA. Dealing with children that are difficult and disobey clear directions is something else I found tough. I've had a mostly positive experience here in GA.

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