Join Our Staff
Working at Camp Pinnacle is one of the most rewarding, challenging, and enjoyable ways to spend your summer. You will make a difference in the lives of children while building life skills in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina.
Camp Pinnacle is a coed, residential summer camp located in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Hendersonville. Our goal is to create a fun and safe outdoor experience for children ages 7–17 from about 35 states and 16 countries. We offer two-week sessions with the option for campers to combine sessions for a longer, richer experience. Maximum session size at Camp Pinnacle is 260 campers. There are 8–10 campers of similar age and grade with two counselors per cabin, and we maintain an overall 1:3 staff-to-camper ratio. Please click here for information about our programming and activities.
All applicants undergo an intensive interview process, including three director interviews. Our goal is not only to find out if you are the best fit for camp, but also to ensure that Camp Pinnacle is the best fit for you. We will also collect three references and complete a background check.
All of our counselors must be at least 18 years old, completed our Leadership Program, been a part of a gap year, or completed a year of college. We are looking for applicants who are passionate about working with children, have a love and appreciation for the outdoors, and are able to thrive in an inclusive community with little time off and limited personal time.
What Camp Pinnacle expects of our staff
Being an outstanding role model is the unifying theme among our diverse, talented, and caring counselor team. We expect our staff to put campers first at all times while cheerfully and willingly exemplifying our camp policies and procedures. We hire staff who encourage campers to be their “best selves” while teaching them responsibility, independence, and resilience.
We hold our staff to a high standard when it comes to professionalism. We want you to leave camp with a clear understanding of what it means to be a member of a professional and dynamic team. We expect staff to be punctual and appropriate with their communication and dress.
The possession or use of non-prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products (including any kind of e-cigarette) on camp property or during off-camp activities is strictly prohibited. In keeping with North Carolina state law, the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors (under 21) is prohibited. Staff are never to return to camp under the influence of alcohol or drugs at any time.
Camp Pinnacle is a tech-free environment. We are committed to forming human connections rather than electronic ones. Cell phones, personal laptops, and other electronics must be kept in the staff lounge, and are only available for use after “lights-out” or during scheduled time off. Electronics are never allowed in cabin areas of camp—this includes staff who do not live in cabins with campers.
What staff can expect from Camp Pinnacle
From the interview process to staff orientation, all the way to end-of-session feedback, the skills you learn while working at Camp Pinnacle are invaluable. Staff not only learn how to work with children in a professional capacity, but also increase their communication, time management, organization, and conflict resolution skills. Studies show that the nature of the Camp Pinnacle experience makes minds inherently more receptive to learning. We closely follow and align our program with the research by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (p21.org), leaders in education and innovation (at companies like Apple, Google, and Dell) who believe in focusing on non-cognitive and social skills such as communication, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, leadership, social achievement, self-management, resilience, and optimism. In addition, you will receive a strong reference from Camp Pinnacle outlining your responsibilities, strengths, and personal growth, which translates well on any future job application.
We provide three meals a day, seven days a week for our staff, and we are able to accommodate most food allergies and vegetarian diets. Our food is home-cooked with fresh, locally sourced ingredients by our beloved chef Richard. We pride ourselves on having healthy, nutritious, and delicious food for our campers and staff. We regret we are unable to accomodate strict vegan or kosher diets.
All staff are provided with a clean, comfortable, and rustic cabin to sleep while they are employed. Don’t worry about having to pay rent this summer!
We provide full laundry service once a week. Clothes are washed in hypoallergenic detergent, dried, folded, and returned to you, at no extra cost to our staff.
Each staff member’s salary is based on age, education, previous experience, and the skills and certifications you bring to camp. First-time counselors coming through an international staffing agency can expect the wage their agency has agreed on.
We know how important it is to recharge and take care of yourself. We work hard to give staff as much time off as our programming will allow. Staff will be able to sign up for a lunch off each session to leave camp and grab a bite to eat in town, or grab some food from the dining hall and relax in the staff lounge courtyard. Staff members also have a 16-hour day off each week in addition to a 24-hour day off between each session, both of which always fall on a weekend.
Most staff leave with one or more fully paid certifications from a nationally recognized organization. We are fully committed to stacking our team with the most qualified and trained staff possible. Camp Pinnacle can provide a heavily subsidized rate (over 50 percent) for a variety of certifications. If you are hoping to obtain a specific certification, please notify our staffing director to discuss possible options.
During the summer you will have access to outdoor recreation prodeals. This includes outdoor gear and clothing at great prices.