Since summer has come to a close, you may think that seasonal work at summer camps can no longer be found. While it is true that most camps don’t operate year-round, there are still employees needed during the off-season. These jobs are more competitive, since there are fewer of them, but the following positions are typically open during the winter:

• Grounds-Keeping: Summer camps need to be winterized, especially in areas that have cold, snowy winters. Many camps hire people to live on-site, with your daily tasks including caring for the landscape and buildings while they aren’t in use. Having someone living there also prevents break-ins and vandalism.
• Animal Care: If the summer camp owns animals, like horses, these creatures need care year-round, not just during the summer when people attend camp. Some camps hire people to care for the animals at the camp while others send their animals to foster homes during the winter, paying someone (or multiple people) a fee to house and care for each animal while camp is not in session.
• Director Positions: The camp director position is often a year-round job, as you’ll start planning next year’s program as soon as this year ends. Your workload will be lighter in the winter, but you’ll still have a job to do during colder months.

Keep in mind that not every camp is exclusively a summer camp. Some camps, especially those running sessions for adults and those found in the southern United States, have programs available throughout the year. You can get a job as a counselor, cook, camp nurse, custodian, lifeguard, or other type of camp worker throughout the year in some areas.

School’s out for summer! But learning never stops, does it? Even if you are off to the beach for a little R&R, you can stay current on all the latest trends in career development by tossing one of these page turners into your bag. Read all five of them by August for extra credit!

1. The Ultimate Camp Counselor Manual: (How To Survive and Succeed Magnificently at Summer Camp) by Mark Richman

Be the star pupil of your counselor orientation this summer by doing your homework. Learn that you need to know about being a great summer counselor from this fact-filled book that covers everything from discipline to motivation and more.

2. Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer: How to Win Top Writing Assignments
by Jenna Glatzer

Always dreamed of seeing your name in print? Check out Jenna Glatzer’s step-by-step how-to book for earning top dollar by writing for magazines.

3. Survival Kit for Overseas Living, Fourth Edition: For Americans Planning to Live and Work Abroad by L. Robert Kohls

Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? Living and working abroad is an incredible, life-changing experience, but it does take some planning. Robert Kohls’ common sense guide is a great place to start this exciting chapter of your life.

4. Walt Disney’s Imagineering Legends and the Genesis of the Disney Theme Park by Jeff Kurtti

Nothing says “summer” like a trip to the theme park… and it doesn’t get more themed than the original Disney World. Five decades ago, Walt Disney utterly transformed outdoor entertainment from seedy traveling carnivals to the get-away destinations now known as theme parks. If you’ve always dreamed of landing a job at a Walt Disney resort, spend a few hours boning up on history of these groundbreaking parks.

5. I’m on LinkedIn, Now What??? A Guide to Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn by Jason Alba

No matter what kind of job you are in the market for, you have to know how to network. And in today’s world, that means social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and even Twitter. Learn more about making the most of your online presence with Jason Alba’s definitive guide to LinkedIn.

What’s on your must-read list for this summer? Spam us with the book titles and share the wealth of knowledge!

With summer right around the corner, I wanted to share some cool facts & figures about working at summer camps.

• Did you know that camp enrollment — both sleep-away and day camps — has increased approximately 10% a year over the last decade? More campers mean more jobs for camp counselors!
• Did you know that 2 out of 3 camp directors are women?
• Did you know that 44% of camp directors are under the age of 35. Less than 10% are over the age of 53?
• Did you know that 3 out of 4 camp directors work full-time, year-round? The other 25% are full-time for the summer, but only part-time during the rest of the year?
• Did you know that 4 out 10 camps today have been around since before 1960?
• Did you know that half of all camp staff return to work at the same summer camp at least two years in a row and typically receive a 4% pay raise?
• Did you know that the average salary of a camp director is $40,000 per year, plus benefits?
• Did you know that head counselors earn an average of $310/week, while camp counselors make $230/week?
• Did you know that camp nurses earn an average salary of $430/week, while maintenance workers earn $300/week?

Are you planning to work at a summer camp this summer?

Ah, summer camp. From roasting smores and braiding friendship bracelets to kayaking, swimming and hiking, summer camp is a wonderful place to have the time of your life while making lifelong friends.

And I’m not talking about attending summer camp as a camp; you can still enjoy this special summer experience — in fact, you might even enjoy it more! — as an adult by being a summer camp staffer.

The position and rate of pay at a summer camp job is generally determined your by your age and experience, but even those of you without any camping background should be able to land at least an entry level position with many sleep-away or day camps. And while it may seem way too early to be thinking about what you are going to do this summer — especially for those of you on the East Coast, who are digging out from under a meeeeellion feet of snow! — the reality is that February and March are prime hiring season for summer camps.

Today I want to make your summer camp job search a little bit easier by posting three great summer camp job openings from the JobMonkey Job Center. If you’re a JobMonkey blog newbie, this is known is Hot Jobs, and I do this every week! Each Hot Jobs post has a different employment focus, but they all bring you hot job openings that you don’t want to miss. So without further adieu:

1. Outdoor Adventure Staff – 2010 Season, Camp Ridgecrest, Ridgecrest, NC

Camp Ridgecrest is seeking to hire a camp director and two assistants for its boys’ camp Outdoor Adventure Program, as well as an OAP director for the girls’ camp. Job responsibilities include instruction and facilitation of mountain biking, rock climbing, and low ropes course initiatives. Past experience is a must, as are proper safety certifications. To apply for this position, apply directly through the company’s website at Camp Ridgecrest Employment Opportunities .

2. COUNSELORS – 2010 Season , Camp War Eagle, Rogers, AZ

Camp War Eagle is a Christian summer camp seeking counselors for the 2010 season. The ideal candidate must love kids, be willing to have fun, be eager to work long, hard days, have a skill related to an activity taught at Camp War Eagle, and be positive Christian role models. Counselors are directly responsible for 10-12 campers per cabin (with one  or two other co-counselors), plus coaching a team competition and supervising camp-wide free time activities and special events. Counselors work 24-7, with one day off per two-week session.

3. iD Gaming Academy Instructors, iD Tech Camps, Various Locations

Now here’s a different kind of summer camp: A tech camp, where campers learn to program C++ and other not-so-traditional summer camp activities. Academy Instructor are iD Gaming’s version of counselors, and in additional to their specific duties, instructors are responsible for fostering a fun and safe environment while helping kids learn new technology and to think creatively. Instructors must prepare lessons to teach a class of 8-10 students each day, in addition to general camp duties such as lunchtime supervision and socializing with campers and parents. The ideal candidate will have completed at least two years of college, be CPR-certified, and have a background working with teenagers; camp experience is preferred. Technical skills are essential as well, dependent on the area of instruction. At the Game Academy, instructors must demonstrate skill in Autodesk Maya, or C++. Game title experience is also highly desirable.

Good luck with your job search today. If you want to learn more about working at summer camps, please visit JobMonkey’s summer camp employment section.

Welcome to Hot Jobs! Each Wednesday, I put the spotlight on three of the hottest new job listings from the JobMonkey Job Center.

Here’s a great little video explaining how to make the most out of JobMonkey’s job searching resources.  The Job Center is updated daily, so if you haven’t visited our database of free job listings today, you should!

Today I am featuring animal jobs and summer jobs… including summer jobs with animals! I hope you find something you are looking for here!

1. Zoo Camp Instructor, Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange, NJ
The Essex County Turtle Back Zoo is looking to hire Summer Camp Instructors to lead Monday through Friday zoo camps for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Instructors will be responsible for leading educational lessons about animals and natural sciences in a fun, engaging and age-appropriate manner. Qualified candidates will be certified teachers or students in the process of getting their degree in the fields of education, biology, zoology, or natural sciences. Candidates with formal or information teaching experience will receive preference. There will be a one-week training programming for Instructors before the start of camp. Dates of employment are June 15 through August 14, 2009.

2. Educator Jobs, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens, Orlando, FL
Busch Gardens is looking to hire an animal educator who will give fact-based animal presentations in addition to staffing park attractions and conducting guided tours. Other responsibilities include interacting with guests to provide animal and park information and monitoring guest and animal safety. Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor’s degree or be actively pursuing their degree from an accredited college or university. Candidates must have excellent communication skills and be able to stand and walk for extended periods of time. Preference will be given to hiring local candidates.

3. Educational Interpretive Keeper, Cheyenne Mt. Zoo, Colorado Springs, CO
The Cheyenne Mt. Zoo in Colorado is seeking to hire an Educational Interpretive Keeper, responsible for the care, husbandry and training of the Zoo’s Education Department’s collection of animal ambassadors. The person in this position will conduct daily interpretive programs and demonstrations with the animals for Zoo visitors. This is a new position for the Zoo and the candidate will work with a relative new collection in a new facility. The ideal candidate will, at a minimum, hold a degree from a two-year college and have past experience working with animals and members of the public. The keeper must be able to positively engage guests and encourage them to participate in caring for Zoo animals. The position is full-time, with an hourly salary plus benefits. The typical work week will be Friday through Tuesday, with great flexibility to account for occasional evenings. The salary will be in the low $20,000s.

Fellow blogger, Mara, has posted quite a bit lately about summer jobs. It’s certainly getting to be crunch time with employers working feverishly to fill their remaining open positions.

If you want a unique and rewarding job between June and September then look into working at a summer camp. Many camps are recruiting for summer camp counselors, lifeguards, nurses, maintenance workers, and activity directors and instructors.

We have just launched a new summer camp job board where you can find these types of jobs. The board is continually updated. Be sure use the Keyword search to locate specific types of positions – such as Lifeguard. You can also search by Location.

The truth of the matter is that summer camps in the U.S. struggle to find enough Americans to fill open jobs. So even non-U.S. citizens can get these jobs. My son recently went to a camp here in the Seattle area and his assigned counselor was from New Zealand — just working for the summer. Pretty cool, huh? Free room and board, working with kids, and a paycheck too.

Summer jobs for high school students and young adults are getting a boost from Stimulus Bill funding.

A series of recent articles from papers around the country are reporting tens of thousands of dollars (and in some cases millions of dollars) pouring into local community employment programs.

In El Paso, Texas, for example, three thousand 14 to 24 year olds from low-income families can earn $6.55 to $7.25 an hour for working or getting classroom job training this summer. Similar programs are happening in Portage County, Ohio and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

And in Kent County, Michigan, Jubilee Jobs Inc. has funding to employ 150 14-24 year olds for six to 10 weeks over the summer. Employers can submit applications to Jubilee Jobs, which will pay the workers full salaries for up to 15-30 hours per week. Workers will also receive a paid two-week training period before their job starts.

Of course, you don’t need stimulus funding to find a job this summer — but given the increased competition for summer jobs, it certainly can’t hurt. If you want to learn more about how to land a job this summer, check out JobMonkey’s section on summer employment. You may also want to give some of these past posts about summer jobs a read:

>> How to Find a Summer Job
>> Seven Tips for Landing a Summer Job
>> Are Summer Jobs Drying Up?

Salon.com ran a great piece this week with advice for teenagers looking for a summer job.

The article acknowledges that Yes, it is tougher than ever before to find a summer job if you are a high school or college student. You are suddenly competing with recent college grads and the growing ranks of unemployed workers, whose experience will likely trump your enthusiasm. That doesn’t mean, however, that you throw in the towel and resign yourself to watching soap operas all summer-long.

The bottom line: You need to get creative and think like an entrepreneur. If you want an internship with a certain company, but they don’t have a formal program, pitch the idea to them. If you can’t find a job as a web designer because the market is so flooded, start your own freelance business. And finally, be sure to take full advantage of your campus career center (which we’ve mentioned several times here at the JobMonkey as well.)

For more on finding seasonal work, read through the JobMonkey Overview of Summer Jobs.  And if you haven’t already read it, you might also want to check out my post from a few weeks ago with 7 Tips for Landing a Summer Job.

Are you a high school or college student looking for a summer job? You might be feeling overwhelmed right about now with all the news that summer jobs are hard to come by in ’09.

It’s true that tough economies equal fewer jobs and more competition for them.

But that doesn’t mean you are doomed to a summer of pathetically watching soap operas. You can still land a great summer gig if you follow these seven golden rules of job searching:

1. Work on your resume.
Even if you lack on-the-job experience, you can demonstrate leadership and community activism through school activities and volunteer projects. Even your academic record (assuming it’s a good one) can speak to your commitment and drive. If resume writing is proving to be a real challenge, get help from your campus career planning center or your high school guidance counselor.

2. Check your work.
How many times have you heard your teachers say that? Guess what? It’s as true for your mathematics exam as it is for your job search. Make sure that your resume is free from errors. If you have to fill out an application for a job, check it twice to be sure that you answered all the questions.

3. Be positive and professional.
Even if you are interviewing for a casual job, you shouldn’t be dressed like you’re about to head out to the beach afterward. Show your enthusiasm with your warm smile and positive answers.

4. Look wide… and far.
Don’t limit yourself to one narrow field. If you want to work at a summer camp, great. Look at day camps and sleep away camps. Consider getting your lifeguard certification to make yourself even more marketable.

5. Be entrepreneurial.
If you don’t find your dream job (or any job for that matter), think outside the box. Stop looking for a boss and start being your own boss. Ask yourself: What skills do I have that I could sell on the open market (no, not those kind of skills!)

Can you put your stellar academic record to work tutoring students for the SATs or ACTs? Can you clean houses? Can you help families organize their upcoming garage sales?

6. Don’t give up.
No doubt about it, it’s tough out there. You might send out ten resumes but only get one response. You might visit a dozen restaurants in your town, only to hear “We’re not hiring” every.single.time. But if you give up, you definitely won’t get a job.

7. Talk to everyone you know. In other words, network. Tell your friends, your parents, your parents’ friends and your friends’ parents. Talk to your teachers. Chat with your neighbors. Let everyone you know know that you are looking for a job. Ask them for advice. Ask them to refer you to people who can help you. Ask them to tell you when they hear about a summer job. The wider you cast your net, the more likely you are to reel something in.

What’s your strategy for managing your summer job search? Leave your suggestions in the comments section.

CNN Money is reporting that graduate students are finding that summer jobs and internships, once a main stream to full-time employment, have all but dried up.

According to the article, on-campus recruiting is down more than 10% this winter. Whereas summer job and internship offers are typically made in the fall, employers are now holding back due to economic concerns.

“[Employers] don’t know what’s happening six months from now,” said Pamela Bierman Mittman, the assistant dean of career services at New York University’s Stern School of Business, “this year they seem to be less confident about the actual hiring targets this far ahead. They’re not making long-term commitments yet.”

With greater competition, college students need to get really proactive about their summer job search. To learn more about summer employment opportunities for college students (and others, too!), check out JobMonkey’s section on summer jobs.