YMCA

Director

January 2017 - August 2019 • Madisonville, KY

What I liked

Friendly staff

What I wish was different

Maintenance support

Advice

Great experience

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Camp Counselor

May 2019 • Goochland, VA

What I liked

I loved the group of kids I worked with

What I wish was different

More organization

Advice

Be patient. Things won’t always go the way you want them to

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Camp Counselor

May - August 2019 • Goffstown, NH

What I liked

I loved being a group leader in Discovery camp and working more one on one with kids who could not be in the larger camps

What I wish was different

I wish we did more arts and crafts time

Advice

Working with kids is hard and forces you to learn to have flexible leadership skills

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Camp Unit Leader

May - August 2019 • Dallas, TX

What I liked

I enjoy working with kids and watching them grow and learn new things about themselves and other people around them. I also loved getting to work with a team that cared about the camp as much as I do.

What I wish was different

The only thing I wish could be different is the hiring process so we make sure we are only taking employees with a strong work ethic and interest in the job.

Advice

Huge piece of advice is that kindness and being polite will get you so far and working with kids really helps you work on being polite and kind in situations where it might be more difficult.

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manager of a pool

May 2014 • Waupun, WI

What I liked

The flexibility of the job, being outside, and working with kids my age.

What I wish was different

I was in charge so I made it fit me perfectly.

Advice

If you love being outside and working with local families this is the place for you.

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YMCA Camp Counseler

July - August 2019 • Long Island City, NY

What I liked

I enjoyed working with the children and staff members at the camp. Working with others in my first semi-official employment really opened my eyes to how important teamwork and efficiency is, especially when there are other people waiting for your completion. Although the younger generation appears to be more of a handful every passing generation, it was somewhat of a blessing and experience working with them. I personally enjoy working with kids.

What I wish was different

There were inconsistency, especially from up the ranks. I've noticed most of the time the summer staff members would have to put everything on hold because the next planned event of the day has been changed last minute.

Advice

Make the best of the situation you are in.

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Camp Counselor

June - August 2019 • Saugus, MA

What I liked

Working with kids because it doesn’t feel like work

What I wish was different

I wish I got to mix around with other groups of campers more

Advice

patience is key but still have fun

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Preschool Teacher

May 2019 • Lowell, MA

What I liked

I enjoy lesson planning as well as my co workers

What I wish was different

more hours

Advice

Great experience. you’ll make many memories

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Volunteer

June 2016 - July 2017 • Apopka, FL

What I liked

Engaging with the children

What I wish was different

Hiring age

Advice

Safety is first. Put the needs of the children above the needs of yourself

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Life Guard

January 2016 - August 2018 • Chesapeake, VA

What I liked

I liked being able to help people and be head of all of the life guards.

What I wish was different

I wish it would have been more organized.

Advice

Help others always.

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Health Coach

May 2018 • St. Louis, MO

What I liked

Flexible hours, good learning experience.

What I wish was different

More pay, more structure.

Advice

Explore all of your job options, do not immediately accept the first position you recieve and offer for.

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Personal Trainer

April - August 2018 • Mankato, MN

What I liked

I didn’t like it.

What I wish was different

I wish it had been more interesting

Advice

Don’t take this position unless you’re truly interested in being a personal trainer.

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Camp Counselor

June - August 2018 • Wilton, CT

What I liked

Great connections and experience working with the kids

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

Get sleep! It's exhausting work.

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childwatch

November 2017 • Austin, TX

What I liked

Employer is super flexible with my school schedule.

What I wish was different

Advice

This job is for people that love kids of all ages.

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Swim Instructor

June - August 2018 • Spring, TX

What I liked

I enjoyed teaching children proper aquatic technique in addition to life saving skills around water.

What I wish was different

Better communion between managers and employees.

Advice

Children love metaphors and analogies because I helps them associate concepts together.

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Art teacher

June - August 2018 • Marquette, MI

What I liked

I loved being able to come up with the crafts each week and teach them to the kids. The kids seemed to really enjoy the crafts and it was fun to gain a relationship with them each time I was there.

What I wish was different

Honestly my experience was very good overall, I stayed very organized, planned ahead, talked to the kids. But being able to handle everyone needing your for help and being able to keep the class interesting and keep their attention. Sometimes if they got out of hand it was hard to handle in the beginning but over the months I learned how to handle the situations of chaos.

Advice

That even if you have something planned to a t, it might not always go the way you planned and that’s okay. Just keep going and enjoy the moment with the kids and try to reach out to them as much as you can.

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youth sports coach

May 2018 • Boulder, CO

What I liked

Hours and Being able to coach

What I wish was different

My pay

Advice

Do it if you have a considerable amount of patients, really like kids and having a good time while at work

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Summer Camp Counselor

June - August 2018 • Manitowoc, WI

What I liked

Being in charge of 30+ children every day was a little taxing, but it meant that I was a major part of 30 different lives. Sharing the day together, whether it was playing at a park or swimming, was life-giving to me. I often found myself playing a game of pretend with the kids, telling scary stories, and cracking up some weird jokes. I loved every moment where I could interact with the kids in a fun yet meaningful way.

What I wish was different

I wished that the groups we were assigned to were smaller so that we could focus on mentorship rather than simply watching over the kids. I loved those moments where I could share a story or teach a valuable life lesson to the kids, but doing so often meant leaving the larger group.

Advice

Do not be afraid. Both the children I was in charge of and my co-counselor sensed the fear and insecurity I had--after all, this was my first time doing something like being a summer camp counselor. This fear of mine led to instances where the kids wouldn't listen to me and do reckless activities. But the moment I understood that this fear was holding me back, I began doing the opposite and really engaged with the kids. This made summer much more enjoyable and decreased a lot of stress from my co-counselor.

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Day Camp Counselor

May - August 2018 • Ocean Springs, MS

What I liked

I loved getting to interact with children, have a large control over what I taught them, and take them to various activities. It was the same children everyday so I got to form relationships with them. This was the summer before they went to kindergarten so I got to help prepare them for that and watch them grow a lot throughout one summer.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had more help in the classroom, there were 20-25 everyday and sometimes I was the only one in the classroom. I also wish that I had more time to prepare. I had to come up with ideas for activities, create lesson plans, and prepare the materials either while I was trying to watch all of the kids or do it on my (unpaid) lunch hour or at home.

Advice

Building relationships with the kids is so worth it all, use Pinterest for ideas, and don't be afraid to just let them run around for 30 minutes while you get crafts ready.

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