Spend a Summer at Wonderland Camp!
Give someone the time of their lives and… Change yours.Wonderland Camp seeks high-quality, dedicated staff for the summer. You’ll live and work at camp 24/6 with other great staff and our amazing campers. Come experience for yourself how the bond between a staff member and a camper can last a lifetime! You’ll discover just how strong you are and how rewarding serving others can be. It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love!
Please scroll down to see the list of summer jobs available. Apply today!
Some of the benefits of working at Wonderland Camp include:
- Living on the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks
- Free room and board
- Earning college credit if you make arrangements with your professors
- Learning skills like teamwork, communication, and organization will prepare you for your future career.
- Helping make a difference in the lives of others.
- Creating life-long memories and friendships with other staff members.
Qualifications
- You must be at least 15 years old to apply for a paid position at Wonderland Camp and 18 years old for cabin and program roles.
- You must provide two references we can call who will vouch for your good character and work ethic.
- You must be able to pass a background check and pass a medical physical administered by your personal doctor.
- You must be able to attend paid staff training in person at camp from May 12-16; Ropes course staff training is required and starts on May 11.
- All staff except nurses, kitchen staff, and certain other support team members will sleep in the cabins with other counselors and our campers. All will help take care of the personal care needs of our campers, including helping them use the toilet and take showers.
- You will have a phone or face-to-face interview with the Camp Director or Assistant Camp Director that you will arrange when you complete the online application.
- Priority is given to staff who are available for all 11 weeks of camp. If you will need time off, you will need to inform us during the interview.
Summer Jobs at Wonderland Camp
There are many jobs to do at camp in the summer. Almost all of them interact directly with our amazing campers. Be sure to read A Day in the Life of a Wonderland Camp Staff Member as you consider which job might be perfect for you. See our FAQs about working at camp, too. We realize not everyone will be able to attend the paid training week because of school or work obligations. Please discuss your availability upon interviewing and any vacation dates you have planned. Staff arrive on Sunday at noon and are finished for the week on Friday typically by 2 pm. All staff must be able to walk long distances, lift 50 pounds or more, bend over, and stand for long periods of time.
Job Title: Cabin Leader
A Cabin Leader must be 18 years of age or older. Cabin Leaders are responsible for supervising staff in the cabins and reporting any issues or concerns to the Camp Director. They will ensure the care needs of campers are being met, that the cabin is getting to activities on time, and for the safety of the campers. They will schedule breaks, care rotations, cabin duties, and 1:1 schedule. They will assist staff with incident reports and charting on aspects of camper care. Each will create and implement activities during cabin leader led blocks and during downtime in the cabin to ensure campers have the time of their lives.
Job Title: Counselor
A Counselor must be 18 years of age or older. Counselors should be able to organize and conduct activities with campers. They help campers with all aspects of camp including activities, personal care (including but not limited to helping campers dress, shave, shower, brush teeth, use the bathroom, and change adult diapers such as Attends) and down time. Counselors should be able to follow directions from Cabin Leaders and Program Staff. All Counselors participate in all camp programs with their campers. A Counselor should be able to work with the Wonderland Camp staff as a team.
Please read A Day in the Life of a Wonderland Camp Staff Member page for a more in depth view of this position.
Job Title: Counselor Assistant
A Counselor Assistant must be 15 years of age or older. Counselor Assistants will help counselors with engaging campers in activities and giving campers the time of their lives. This person should be interested in learning about people with disabilities, energetic, fun, and able to take direction from cabin leaders and counselors. The Counselor Assistant is not required to provide personal care to campers. This is a daytime position and hours will be discussed during the interview process. Counselor Assistants will meet weekly with the staff cabin coordinator to learn leadership skills. Meals will be provided during working hours. The Counselor Assistant will receive an hour break during the day.
Job Title: Leader in Training
A Leader in Training (LIT) must be 16 or 17 years of age and someone who exhibits the desire to work with people of all ages with disabilities and is energetic and fun. The LIT will report to the cabin leader and work side by side with the counselors to care for, participate in activities, and have fun with our campers. The LIT will meet weekly with the staff cabin coordinator to learn leadership skills. They will sleep in the cabins and eat meals with their campers. They receive a 2-hour break daily and may leave the camp during this time, pending parental permission. They will switch cabins each week to experience working with campers of different ages. LITs must go home on the weekend.
Job Title: Cabin Medication Aide
Our Cabin Medication Aide (or CMA) works under the direction/supervision of our nurses to help check in, prepare, and administer camper medications within their cabin each week. This is a great opportunity for students in health-related fields of study to gain hands-on experience. This CMA must be at least 18 years old and be extremely organized, focused, and willing to learn. The certification for this position is online and takes approximately 4 hours. The class is paid for by Wonderland Camp. There will be specific training for this position led by the Director of Health and Wellness. This position sleeps in the cabins and eats with their campers. When not doing medical-specific duties they will be helping campers with activities, personal care, and participating with their cabin. They receive a 2-hour break daily and may leave the camp during this time. They will switch cabins each week to experience working with campers of different ages. This is a challenging position at camp that takes dedication, organization, and a lot of hard work!
Job Title: Dietary/Nutrition Intern
This individual should be a student studying to be a dietitian, nutritionist, or for a position in a food-service-related field. The intern will work with our kitchen manager to create weekly menus for our campers and staff and especially those with special dietary needs including but not limited to gluten-free, dairy-free, diabetic diets, pureed, and mechanical soft diets. They will work with our kitchen teams and learn all aspects of the kitchen (meal planning, food prep, sanitation, serving, etc.) The intern will assist with camper check-in to discuss special dietary needs/allergies with families and caregivers to ensure compliance. When not working in the kitchen they will help with campers within their cabin. They should expect to be cooking, serving food, doing dishes, prepping special diet meals, and all other aspects of working in a commercial kitchen as well as being in cabins interacting with campers. (These are paid internships). They receive a 2-hour break daily and may leave the camp during this time. They will switch cabins each week to experience working with campers of different ages.
Job Title: Medical Professional
(RN, Licensed Practical Nurse, EMT, Paramedic)
Our camp clinic is staffed 24/6. Medical staff can live onsite or work hourly and will help oversee medication preparation and dispensing alongside the certified medication aide. The medical staff will respond to camper and staff health needs as well as emergencies. They report to the Director of Health and Wellness. The medical staff must have a current license to work in the state of Missouri. This position is required to maintain appropriate records and documentation as learned during training. The candidate ideally has experience with people with disabilities, is friendly, calm in stressful situations, and has the ability to respond quickly. This position begins in May and ends in August with the possibility of additional weekends throughout the year.
Job Title: Kitchen Staff
Kitchen Staff must be at least 18 years of age and will work in our industrial kitchen in our large dining hall under the supervision of our kitchen manager. Duties include preparing and serving three meals a day plus snacks, washing dishes, clean our kitchen, dining hall, and the dining hall restrooms. The kitchen staff work week averages 36 hours a week and begins on Sunday afternoon and ends Friday at noon. There is either a morning shift from 6:00 am – 1:30 pm or an afternoon shift from 1 pm to 7 pm. Previous kitchen experience is a plus but not required. Kitchen staff does not stay in the cabins, but housing may be available to those who are interested. Please ask during your interview. This position begins in May and ends in August with the possibility of additional weekends throughout the year.
Job Title: Weekend Laundry Staff
Laundry staff must be at least 18 years of age and able to lift 50 pounds, bend over, stand for long periods of time, and walk long distances. This position is part-time Friday – Sunday, averaging 24 hours a week. The laundry staff is responsible for washing all linen used by campers and staff throughout the week and restocking the cabins. There are multiple washers and dryers that can be used simultaneously to increase efficiency. This is an hourly position that begins in May and ends in August with the possibility of additional weekends throughout the year.
Job Title: Challenge Course Staff
Challenge Course staff are at least 18 years of age and report to the Program Director and Program Coordinator. This position requires participating and passing paid challenge course training which begins two days earlier than staff training. Challenge Course staff must be physically fit and have good body balance and coordination. They must take this position and safety extremely seriously. Wonderland Camp has a 40-foot adaptable rock-climbing wall, a Tree Top Bridge which is a wire that the participant walks across while holding onto two additional wires, a giant swing, and a tree climb. All the elements are adaptable, and the challenge course staff will be trained to assist campers with the equipment required to have a safe, fun adventure. Encouragement and teaching are skills needed for this position. This position sleeps in the cabins and eats with their campers. When not working in their program areas, the challenge course staff will be responsible for helping campers with activities, personal care, and participating with their cabin and reporting to their cabin leader. They receive a 2-hour break daily and may leave the camp during this time. They will switch cabins each week to experience working with campers of different ages.
FAQs About Working at Wonderland Camp
What kind of people do you look for to be staff?
The answer is, all kinds! Because we do not serve only one type of camper, we do not look for one specific type of person to work here. Special needs experience or camp experience is great, but really, we want people who are ready to spend their summer serving others and giving our campers the time of their life! We can teach just about anyone the ins and outs of camp, but we can’t teach people to care. This is a hard job: we serve children and adults; we help with personal care, and we work crazy long hours, but we feel you get back tenfold what you put in. If that all sounds good to you, we would love to have you apply!
Do I have to attend the staff training week?
Yes! Our goal is to have everyone at staff training! It’s not only important to learn all the things we do but also to come together as a team! Plus, you get paid! For excellent returning staff who can’t make it to training, we will consider doing a condensed training upon arrival, but such decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. If you’re hired mid-summer, you will receive a condensed training session when you arrive covering the most important aspects of camp. You may be asked to read some preparation material before you arrive, as well.
What do we do in staff training?
We go over everything from how to help campers with personal care or work through a challenging behavior, to things like communication games and team-building activities. We try to make training fun, active, and educational. The schedule reflects a typical week at camp and will include things like how to help campers at archery or what to do in case of a medical emergency. We hire about 115 summer staff and so the other goal is to get to know your team!
Do staff get any time off during the summer?
Of course! During the days, you get at least an hour off. Also, you’ll get another hour or two a week off during rest hour right after lunch as you’ll rotate with your cabinmates for who has cabin duties during the rest hour and who gets that hour off. If you’re on duty, you can rest on your bunk while your campers take a break, too. Finally, you’ll have an hour at night between about 10:00 and midnight which you’ll schedule with your cabinmates. We wrap up each week by 3:00 p.m. on Fridays, so you’ll have Friday evening, all of Saturday, and Sunday morning off. On Sunday, you’re due back at noon as we gear up for another glorious week at camp!
During time off are we allowed to stay on site?
Yes, staff are welcome to head off-site or stay on during the weekends off. Food is provided during the weekends. (We have a sign-up during the week so we know how much food to prepare).
Do I need to work the entire summer?
Our summer is one week of training and 11 full weeks of camp. We give priority to staff who can work the entire summer, however, it is not unusual that staff needs one week off for a wedding or family vacation. Sometimes staff also need to leave a week early to go back to school. If you are thinking about just coming for one or two weeks we would love to have you apply as a volunteer!
What is the difference between the ‘Cabin Leader’ position and the ‘Cabin Counselor’ position?
Please read A Day in the Life of a Wonderland Camp Staff Member regardless of which position you are applying for! We hire one Cabin Leader per cabin (11 total) and about 55 Counselors. The Cabin Leader lives and works in the cabin just like a counselor but they have the added responsibility of supervising/supporting the counselors and program staff in their cabin. They make cabin hour-off, rest hour, and night schedules, and they communicate with other staff about any needs in their cabin.
Do we work in the same cabin each week?
Nope. We move around at the end of the week so you can have a chance to work with a wide range of campers. You could have 10-year-old boys one week and the next be with 70-year-young ladies! Our female staff do work with both genders; however, our male staff work only with male campers. This also gives you a chance to work with a lot of different staff!
A lot of the job descriptions talk about camper personal care. What is that?
Some of our campers do require personal care. This is different for everyone based on their needs and abilities but may include help in the bathroom or shower, brushing teeth, eating, shaving, and getting dressed. We go over this extensively in staff training and it is never something a staff does alone. Personal care can, at times, be a big part of caring for our campers.
Can I bring a car to camp?
Sure, we have a staff parking lot. About 50% of our staff bring cars, so it’s not unusual to have one or not have one!
Are there certain things I should not bring to camp?
Yes, you will receive a suggested packing list with all the fun staff paperwork after we hire you. Some things we do not allow onsite include alcohol (no matter your age) or illegal substances, fireworks, and personal outdoor rec equipment like rifles, hunting bows, knives, ATVs, etc.
Can staff smoke onsite?
No, we do not allow summer staff to smoke on camp property. Some of our adult campers do smoke in a designated area.
Will my cell phone work at camp?
Sometimes! Cell service at camp is tough at times, there are a couple of spots that work great that we would encourage you to use during your hours off. AT&T seems to work the best; that’s what our year-round staff uses. Some people have success with Sprint (but Verizon tends to struggle). You can use your cell phone during your time off, but not when you’re with our campers.
Can my pet come to camp?
Sadly, no. We know it is hard to leave your puppy (or goldfish) at home but we must ask you to do so.
Can I do my internship or field placement at camp?
Yes! Many of our staff are completing these. Each college is different on requirements and what needs to go into these programs so we accept these on an individual basis. In the past, we have had students doing an internship/field placement in areas of PT, OT, Rec therapy, Non-profit management, hospitality, AND MORE!
I am an out of state college student in Missouri. Can I gain residency working at camp?
Yes! This is common for some of our staff; however, we are not experts in this area and recommend talking with your school on this subject. Because we provide room and board you will have a Missouri address over the summer as well as paychecks from camp which all go into gaining residency and in-state tuition.