I've been exploring camp counselor jobs (in the US) and had an interview just yesterday with a campground for adults with special needs. At multiple points during the interview I kept wondering if I was on camera or this whole position was a goof, let me tell you how it all just kept getting worse.
Disclaimer: as I will learn by the end of this interview, apparently non-profits employing camp staff don’t have to pay minimum wage in NY. What goes on in my head is italicized.
Camp whoever signs on to the video interview. “Can you tell me about yourself and your experience in teaching?” sigh… sure let me repeat my whole application
Then she starts talking about the particulars of the job. “You start at 7am and end at 10pm, with an hour-long break during the day, and one day off per week” yikes but sure, i worked that last year between two jobs “and every once in a while you have to do overnight duty, where you keep going from 10pm to 7am the next day” oh ok, so I go “I assume my day off would be after whenever I work these overnight shifts?” She goes “Not necessarily, since the overnight shift does not mean you wouldn’t sleep.” “Oh so the campers would be able to alert me if they needed me through the night?” I'm thinking of those strings by the toilet you sometimes see in handicap restrooms, or thinking maybe I have a pager, etc. but I realize not all special needs campers could even do that or realize they need me in the first place. Then she goes “no you would have to be vigilant and make sure that you can respond if something happens around you.” There is no way she is saying I could sleep but not really sleep because I would have to sense all movement around me? She goes on “and when the morning comes we can decide for you, based on how much you slept, if you would need to take a nap before returning to your day shift” and I throw a hypothetical her way “so if I was up all night I could take like a 6-hour nap, right?” and her face flinched when I said six. “Well, you would be surprised how invigorating a 1-hour nap can be” I— so she is saying I could work 24-36 hour shifts with about two hour-long breaks and that should be fine…
So we keep going. At this point in my head the meter for how much money I would still do this for keeps climbing with every word she said. I am at about $6,000 for the summer.
At this point she had been talking to me for over 45 minutes. She asked questions like “can you lift at least 50 lbs?” which confused me because I doubt any of their campers are under that weight. “Yes.” “Would you be comfortable being assigned aggressive campers who may kick, scratch, bite, or hit you, or spit on you?” “No, but I can assist the people who do.” Then she keeps asking me the same questions in various guises. When she asked how I handle stressful situations I simply told her I could not add any more to what I already spoke about when she asked me how I handle challenges or how I work in a team. “But like, if you felt frustrated, what would you do?” I don’t know but in a few minutes I am sure you will see for yourself lol
She finally gets to the compensation after almost an hour. im crying inside. “For 63 days or 9 weeks, which is the minimum commitment with us, the pay we offer is $2,000 before taxes” i am thinking i should either a) smash my phone b) smash the router c) tear out all electric wires from my apartment d) or from the whole building. …WHAT…
Then I decided to ask her a question that in my experience no HR person in their right mind would answer if they were being shady. I would be a foreign hire, and whatever visa they want to give me has a federal (DHS) stipulation that employers have to offer the same wage as they do to domestic camp staff, and I'm thinking who in America would work a job like this, unless they are paid better? “So, is that the same wage you pay your American camp counselors?” She froze and started babbling about how, being a non-profit, it's different for them, at one point even mentioned W-2s for some inexplicable reason (???), brings in how they are accredited, various deposit methods, etc.
So no, got it.
At the end I asked her why I should work with them as opposed to other camps. She said there is no experience like working with them (yea I bet lmfao) and that there are counselors who return to them year after year. O_o w h a t. Apparently they even had staff try to work at other camps but they threw away their contracts and returned to this camp! at this point this has to be fiction, right? And in case you read this far and were wondering, they DO have staff appreciation! Ice cream nights (after your 14/24/36-hr shift) or fried food nights or whatever. And! They give out little plaques with superlatives at the end of the summer to recognize you for your work! please say the plaque is made of solid gold
At 1h15min of the interview I told her I will not be going on. She said “I understand, not everyone is at a point in their lives where they can make this investment, financial or otherwise.” investment??? ma'am this is a job… although I was starting to doubt that by then
Please don't take this story the wrong way—I know many people work below minimum wage and fill these kinds of positions. I also understand the importance of working with special needs campers old and young, and I look up to the people who can handle all that comes with their care.
But the parents/relatives have to decide if they feel their kids/relatives are properly cared for by sleep deprived and underpaid staff.
$2.64/hr, before taxes. Please for the love of God do not take positions like this. Respect your own time and work more.
TLDR: Long ass interview for a job that sometimes requires 36-hour shifts with 1 hour of sleep. They wanted to pay me $2.64/hr, which was not what they pay other staff. At least they organize ice cream nights, though.