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Camp Thunderbird

Being on staff at Thunderbird is an experience of camaraderie, community and friendship.

If you're ready to work hard and have the summer of your life, then Thunderbird may be for you.

Campers and staff come from across the country and world. Whether you are with us for one season or twenty, the friends that you make at Thunderbird are friends for life! Our brother/sister camps operate independently from one another, but allow the opportunity for a coed social experience during time off.

Our Jobs

Counselors to instruct in: waterskiing, canoeing, horseback, climbing walls/trips, tennis, blacksmithing, gymnastics and horseback riding.

Activity Specialists: Assistant H20 Director, Arts and Crafts, Wilderness Director.

Wilderness Leaders

Multi-week Adventure Programs:

•5 Week Pacific Northwest (1 male, 1 female)

•5 Week Western States and Canada (1 male, 1 female)

•4 Week Bike,Sea-Kayak,Climb and Canoe Program (1 Male,1 Female)

Counselors to lead:

•Backpack, Canoe, Bike Trip Staff for multi-day trips

Our Ideal Candidate

Think you have what it takes to be a camp counselor at Thunderbird? Our staff members are high-energy, fun, nurturing and compassionate. They care about kids and love to have fun and be silly. A camp job is challenging (think 14 hour days 6 days a week), but our staff are ready to work hard to meet those challenges. They're also great role models; counselors are often like superheroes in their campers' eyes. Most of all, our staff are focused on ensuring that their campers have an amazing and memorable camp experience.

Room and Board

All staff live in comfortable, spacious cabins. Cabin Counselors and Trip Leaders live in cabins with 6-10 campers, but enjoy a separate living space. All of our cabins have electricity. At Boys Camp, each village has a central washhouse. At Girls Camp, in addition to the village shower-house, each cabin has its own bathroom. Staff without cabin responsibilities live in communal buildings in either individual or shared rooms, bathrooms and showers.

Perks

We believe that our staff work hard and therefore should have the time to relax. All staff receive each week: one 7am-7am day off, one 5pm-7am evening off and one 10pm-12am evening out. In addition, there are opportunities to participate in many of the activities that we offer to campers. And, if you are coming to summer camp and want to dress up, act silly, make meaningful connections with your peers and our campers and fully experience a camp community, we offer all of that as well!

Getting Here and Getting Around

We offer a shuttle to and from the Minneapolis airport on designated travel days. Or, you are welcome to drive to Bemidji, it is four hours north of Minneapolis. In addition, we provide a travel stipend that is separate from your salary and is tax free.

For Fun

At Thunderbird, we believe that staff work hard and need to play hard to stay fresh and engaged. We offer other times of the day when staff can take a break and check in with friends and family, go for a run or sit and read a book. In addition, we offer cross-fit classes, yoga, dodge-ball games, game nights, water fights and other super fun ways to hang out with your peers.

How to Apply

Apply Now

A bit more about our dates:

June 2-June 9: Pre-season work available. We also offer Lifeguard, Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder during this time.

June 9-August 10: Camp Season for all

August 10-August 16: Post-season work available. Join us for a week of family camp. Thunderbird runs like a resort and you work a short day and have a chance to participate in camp activities.