We Are Hiring: Trip Leaders and Cabin Counselors

Current Job Openings

General Counselor

Camp Thunderbird

$2,500.00 - $3,500.00 / season

• Activity and Cabin Staff To Teach - Cabin Counselor: Counselor positions are available to applicants who have completed at least one year of college or equivalent and have a skill to share or teach. Counselors will be responsible for a cabin group of eight to ten campers (with the help of two co-counselors). Counselor responsibilities also include teaching or assisting in one or more of our activity program areas four hours a day, five days a week. This is about more than teaching, it's about inspiring our campers to learn to love the activity and striving to progress their skillset. These staff also work and live with campers. Instruct in Land Sports, Canoeing, Windsurfing, Ski Boat driver/Instructor, Sailing, Swimming, Lifeguard, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Fishing, Horseback English and Western, Music, Climbing, Tennis, and Riflery, to name a few!
  

Leadership Team

Program Director

Camp Thunderbird

$300.00 - $5,000.00 / season

This is not your average job.

If you're a teacher, PE coach, or activity specialist who's tired of the same four walls, this is your sign to spend your summer somewhere that energizes you.

Camp Thunderbird for Boys is hiring a Program Director for the summer.

Nestled on a beautiful lake in Bemidji, MN, Thunderbird is where kids 8-16 discover what they're capable of. As Program Director, you're the engine behind that magic.

What you'll actually do: You don't need to be an expert in every activity, that's what our staff are for. What we need is someone who can inspire activity leads, build scheduling that keeps energy high, and help staff turn their expertise into something kids genuinely get excited about. Four activity periods a day. Competitions with other camps. Campers trying things they never thought they would. That's your world.

You're a builder. Every summer, you'll shape this program from the ground up, the freedom is yours.

Why Thunderbird?

• Your own private cabin with a bathroom and WiFi (no campers, just you)

• Trade your desk for a lakeside residence all summer long

• Real leadership experience with lasting impact

• Training provided at camp in Bemidji, MN

This isn't a job you'll forget. It's a summer that changes you.

For more information visit our website: https://www.camptbird.com/staff/apply/

Leadership Team

Unit Leader/Head Counselor

Camp Thunderbird

$3,000.00 - $5,000.00 / season

Some people spend their summer behind a screen. Others spend it leading 30-40 kids through the best summer of their lives.

Camp Thunderbird for Boys is hiring a Unit Leader for our 5th and 6th grade village.

You'll manage a team of 10-15 staff and 30 kids, helping run evening programs, and act as the steady hand when things get hard. When a counselor is overwhelmed, you show up. When a camper needs more than their staff can give, you step in. When the village needs energy, you bring it.

What you'll actually do:

• Lead and organize evening programs for the whole village

• Support staff through tough camper situations, the ones that take experience and instincts

• Lift up team members who are struggling

• Support staff write weekly reports (the least fun part of your job)

• Be the heartbeat of your community

These people become your family. That's not a tagline, it's what happens every single summer at Thunderbird.

Why Thunderbird?

• Your own private cabin

• Escape to a stunning lakeside setting in Bemidji, MN

• Training provided on-site

• A role you can grow and make your own, summer after summer

If you're ready to lead, actually lead, we want to hear from you.

For more information visit our website: https://www.camptbird.com/staff/apply/


Trip Leader

Camp Thunderbird

Looking to build out your resume for guiding trips in the backcountry, with awesome campers who are super excited to adventure?  

Work as a team with other Trip Leaders to manage a group of 6-8 campers on multi-day trips in northern Minnesota and Canada.  Trips will be comprised of one or more of the following activities: canoeing, biking, backpacking, rafting, high ropes and/or climbing. 

• WFR certification or willingness to obtain (We certify WFR in late May)

• Desire to work and live with campers and act as a caregiver and trip leader.

• Fun, caring, and motivated with a desire to work and play in the outdoors.

• Available from June 6th to August 10th (may be negotiable for certain Wilderness Programs).

• Excellent organizational and communication skills, creative problem-solving skills and resiliency.

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Expedition Trip Leader

Camp Thunderbird

$3,000.00 - $5,000.00 / season

The greatest job in the world... 

Get paid to guide a five week trip with three other Trip Leaders and 10 to 18 teenagers to the coolest places in North America.

Yes, we really pay you to do this. And yes, we will even pay for your WFR (Wilderness First Responder certification.)

If you love exploring and love giving kids the opportunity to explore, this is the job for you. Our campers gradually build their skills in camp to prepare for Thunderbird expeditions. We believe in equipping our campers and staff with a strong foundation of skills and an understanding of how to carry themselves through adventure and adversity.

You will explore and backpack through areas such as Olympic National Park (the Hoh Rain Forest and the Olympic Coast), Denali National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Seattle, Portland, the San Juan Islands, Wind River National Forest, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park, Banff, Canada, Mount Robson Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, and Bozeman, Montana. 

• Co-lead in the backcountry (with one other Trip Leader) a group of 6-10 campers on various backpacking, canoeing or biking trips that range from 3 to 8 days in length.

• Manage the larger group in the front-country, including transporting campers in 15-passenger vans, purchasing and providing meals, planning trip logistics, prepping backcountry trips, communicating with Camp Directors.

• All other aspects of trip management to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all campers.

• Previous wilderness experience as a leader or a participant including: meal and route planning and group skills.

• WFR certification or willingness to obtain (We certify WFR in late May)

Note: Due to insurance restrictions, Expedition Trip Leaders are usually 21+ years of age and must have a mostly clean driving record and the ability to drive a fifteen passenger van. Under 21 year olds are welcome to apply for our Trip Leader positions.

General Counselor

Rock Climbing Staff (Boys)

Camp Thunderbird

$2,500.00 - $4,000.00 / season

We are looking for someone with a deep love for climbing and an equally strong passion for sharing that love with the next generation. Alongside one other staff member, you will be responsible for setting routes on our 40 foot climbing wall on a biweekly basis and leading climbing activities for our boys camp campers ages 8 to 14.

Each day, you will spend three to four hours on the wall helping campers develop technique on the routes you have set, safely build grip strength through hang board training, and most importantly have fun while climbing. You will help foster confidence, problem solving skills, and a genuine love for the sport in a supportive and high energy environment.

This role is part of being a general counselor at camp. Climbing is just one part of the experience. You will also spend your days participating in a wide range of activities,  building strong relationships with your campers, and being an hilarious and awesome member of the camp community.