Work With Us
2024 Summer Employment
Do you have what it takes to work at Calleva?
We pride ourselves on the best staff, highest quality instruction, and awesome outdoor adventure memories that last a lifetime.
Take a few minutes today to familiarize yourself with our mission. Are you ready to work hard to help us achieve it?
Trust, communication, honesty, and integrity are keys to the success for our programs, and we hope you’ll consider joining the Calleva community.
Calleva Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Please look at our application for details regarding each individual position.
If you have any questions please contact lucy@calleva.org or nathan@calleva.org.
Full-Time Work
Calleva is a community of hard working, fun-loving, and professional leaders. We are examples that set the tone and direction to push our mission for all our seasonal and summer staff.
Our community is as important as the participants that come to Calleva, and we practice what we preach… teamwork, stewardship, and personal growth. Calleva Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Job Descriptions available upon request.
Interns/Volunteers
Interns make a 6-12 week work commitment and stipends are available in some cases. Internships are not camp-specific but further Calleva’s overall mission.
We like them focused on the individual intern’s area of expertise and education, and projects/workload can be customized or geared to intern’s educational or professional goals. These are couple of Internships we have already in place.
- Agricultural Intern
- Event Planning Internship
- Social Media Internship
- Outdoor Adventure Management Internship
Can you say “YES” to any of these questions?
• Do you like spending time with kids?
• Can you roast a marshmallow to perfection around a fire?
• Can you go the day without using your phone?
• Have you ever seen a penguin come to tea?
• Are you open to learning new outdoor skills?
• Are you looking for new adventures and friendships?
• Do you take pride in strange sandal tans?
• Are you okay with getting dirty?
• Do you love sleeping out under the stars?
• Are you willing to share your talents and strengths?
• Can you get into singing old sea shanties and goofy camp songs?
• Can you remember how great it felt, as a child, to have a young adult listen to what you had to say?
If you answered YES to any of these…
Find the perfect position for YOU on our team…
Instructor
Calleva camp instructors are strong leaders & passionate outdoor adventurers who have extensive experience in their field. They’re great communicators, creative teachers, and have proven leadership skills, a strong sense of responsibility & professionalism, PLUS enthusiasm for sharing outdoor adventures with campers. They’re 21 years or older & have a positive attitude, fun, flexibility and a strong work ethic. *We ask that staff commit to a minimum of 8 weeks of work (NOT including the first week of camp). Ideally at least 6 of these are consecutive weeks.
- Certified to facilitate & oversee a specific outdoor adventure activity
- Possess a valid driver’s license and pass an in-house driving test (for traveling adventure camp instructors)
Head Counselor
Calleva Head Counselors are strong leaders who are responsible for the overall cohesion of a group during the camp week. Head Counselors have great communication skills & are enthusiastic about teaching & sharing outdoor activities with campers. They have experience working with children, are fun-loving, adapt quickly to changing working conditions & have a strong work ethic. Head counselors work well with a team, receive feedback well & exhibit good judgment in decision-making. Essential traits of a counselor at Calleva are being reliable and able to build good relationships with children. They must be 18 or older by the start of camp for travelling programs (17 yrs for on site programs at Riley’s Lock, Calleva Farm & Virginia campuses).
*We ask that staff commit to a minimum of 8 weeks of work (NOT including the first week of camp). Ideally at least 6 of these are consecutive weeks.
Junior Counselor
Junior Counselors (JCs) are growing leaders at Calleva, responsible for inclusion of all campers into the camp group. JCs have great communication skills & are enthusiastic about sharing outdoor activities with campers. They are fun, adapt quickly to changing working conditions and have a strong work ethic. Calleva JCs work excellently in a team and are able to take direction & apply feedback. They’re reliable & able to build good relationships with children. JCs must be 16 years old by the start of camp (15 yrs for on-site programs at Riley’s Lock, The Calleva Farm and Virginia campus).
*We ask that staff commit to a minimum of 6 consecutive weeks of work (NOT including the first week of camp).
Frequently Asked …
Where is Calleva camp?
We’ve got 3 campuses. Although all of our camps start & end their day at one of the three above locations, many of our camps are traveling programs and use a variety of local parks as launch sites and overnight locations for our activities.
- Riley’s Lock (MD), on the banks of Seneca Creek
- Calleva Farm (MD), 260 acres in Dickerson
- Madeira School (VA), in a beautiful forest by the Potomac River
How do I apply?
CLICK HERE! After you apply online, someone from Calleva will reach out to schedule an interview with you.
What should I expect for my summer at Calleva?
You can expect to work hard. You can expect to be outside regardless of the weather, and you’ll head home exhausted each day. You can expect to form lifelong friendships & to gain skills that will serve you well, both immediately and into the future! You can expect to influence the lives of kids.
Can I work if I have limited experience?
Yes! We hire staff who value our mission & are eager to learn new skills. If you exemplify Calleva’s values & are willing to work hard, Calleva will provide all necessary training for you to be successful in your job here!
What are the dates & hours for a typical camp week?
The 2024 camp season runs June 10th – August 31st. Working days start at approximately 8:15am on Mondays (earlier for bus counselors!) and 8:30am on other days; staff work until about 4:30pm.
When working with Adventure Camp, a Thursday overnight is included in the working week, so you’ll be working in the field with campers all night!!
If you have availability before or after the summer season, Calleva often hires seasonal facilitators for our school programs.
Is there a staff orientation?
Our mandatory — and AWESOME — all-staff orientation is June 8-9. Expect to meet new people and please come ready to ask lots of questions! You’ll go through a typical “day of camp” & attend training sessions that help you understand Calleva policies AND equip you with a toolkit of games & songs to make camp days fun & engaging!
