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ESF Camps

ESF is more than a job, it is a privilege to be a a part of something greater - a rare opportunity to be an integral part of a high-performing, dedicated team. There is a certain DNA for someone to be successful and happy at ESF - it is having a "do what it takes" attitude and approach to work. Everyone you work with is "all-in" and incredibly committed to creating the best possible memories and camp experiences for children. Everyone will stop what they are doing to help you when you need it, even if they have a full plate of their own. I drink the Kool-Aid, I admit it... after 6 years full-time (and 10 summers total) I still tear up at every ESF video and testimonial, seeing the joy we bring to campers. ESF moves fast... it is a dynamic environment that is always seeking to stay ahead of what is relevant for our campers. Being a smaller company year-round, any and every team member has the chance to significantly influence key programming and other major decisions that are brought to life the next summer. You can actually stand back at the end of the summer and say, "I played a part in making that happen." The "F" in ESF stands for FUN - and we work hard to make that a part of our company culture. We actually have a FUN SQUAD at work comprised of team members who volunteer their time to infuse fun, camp-like activities into our weekly workspace during the year. ESF also is heavily invested in professional development and offers leading experts to come speak with our year-round and summer team. For year-round employees, ESF offers very generous benefits and time-off.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The ability to gain experience working with children and learning under knowledgeable professionals who are eager to help you. This is a great place to hone your teaching skills. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I am not I would necessarily call it stressful, but anytime you are working with children there is stress involved. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I feel it is very rewarding working at ESF, especially Dream Camp Trinity. It is positive and upbeat on a daily basis. I have made lifelong friends and connections with others that I have worked with. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Well it is a day camp, your day starts roughly at 8am and goes to 3pm. The ability to work OT on either side of those times is financially rewarding. 
Your day consists of traveling around beautiful campuses with campers playing sports and working on skills from leadership to crafts to science.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Five stars.. if you enjoy being unappreciated, talked down to, disrespected, and VASTLY underpaid. Best part was leaving at the end of the day.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Horrible management, no structure or help, "higher ups" are above the rules that other staff will be terminated for, very cliquey and "exclusive", people that are asked to return and promoted are the laziest people who are not good with kids. Could go on..

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Cliquey, degrading, "frat house", discriminatory, catty and childish, high school mean girls, abusive

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stress, stress, and more stress while feeling incredibly unappreciated and not at all valued. No support or help in any way. Vastly understaffed. Could barely even leave to quickly use the bathroom. If you had to miss a day due to being sick, you were given a lot of grief because they would be "understaffed", which was a chronic and permanent issue.

I've had a fantastic experience working at ESF Camps. One of the standout aspects is the people – the team here is amazing, and it's always a pleasure to come to work. As a smaller company, ESF Camps offers benefits that larger organizations sometimes overlook, such as a tight-knit community feel and a personalized work experience.

The work-life balance is excellent, allowing me to maintain a healthy equilibrium between my professional and personal life. The environment is not only productive but also fun, which makes every day enjoyable.

What I really appreciate is the company's commitment to growth and improvement. ESF Camps regularly conducts surveys from both staff and clients to ensure they're making the right changes and staying ahead of the curve. It's clear they value feedback and are always striving to be better.

Overall, ESF Camps is a great place to work if you're looking for a positive, balanced, and engaging work environment!

ESF is a great place with solid values and a fantastic goal. During the summer strives to develop not only its campers but its staff (typically education/pysch/phys ed, but not limited to that) as well. The "f" in ESF stands for Fun, and that definitely occurs every day - through the summer and throughout the year for the full time folks. Ask any parent what they think of ESF and you will get nothing less than a gleaming review due to it's attention to safety, customer service, and of course a great experience for the campers. Sometimes can get a little stressful but at the end of the day, the end goal makes the stress and long days/nights worth it. You won't retire at ESF ($) but if you're looking to make a difference in a child's life and looking to better yourself, this is the place to be.

This job was not a good experience for me. As an educator, I found the days to be very disorganized and chaotic. The counselors are extremely overworked, and tired and they get no break at all from the kids during the day, not even lunch. They have to sit and eat with the kids, which can be stressful in itself. The kids have no discipline, and there’s no consequences or accountability for poor behavior in the classroom. I would highly suggest hiring individuals with education backgrounds and people that have experience working with and instructing kids, because this job brought serious burn out to my summer.

ESF Dream Camp in Hartford is a warm and welcoming environment for kids and staff. I worked here all through college and enjoyed every minute. The activities are all planned by a teacher, so as a counselor you get to participate and have fun with the kids. This is a typical camp where there aren't any scheduled breaks, but if you need one you can ask and there's a leadership team member that is there to support you. The pay is minimum wage to start, but every year you work there, you get a raise. If you want an easy job in an office or retail for more than minimum wage then go for it. If you want a rewarding summer experience with kids, then Dream Camp is the place for you. 

If you are looking for a summer job, this is not the place. There are plenty of other camps that have nicer management, better hours and better pay. HQ does not care about you, only their image. It doesn't matter how long you have worked for them either, they will quickly turn their back to you for any small reason they can find. They care about their image and money. They treat everyone like dirt and act like you need them more than they need you. It's really the other way around. Not many people work here for longer than 1 summer for a reason. I know plenty of camps or other jobs that are so much better for a persons well being. There is no loyalty or trust with this company.

The esf camp location at Haverford is not an ideal place if you’re looking for a good summer job as a high schooler/college student. Working in sports lab was tiring since we got no breaks during the day which meant we worked for 7 straight hours. Also the pay is $9 an hour. Email reply from the directors is slow as they took hours to reply to my emails and sometimes didn’t at all. The only time I got a quick response was when they denied my request for a raise despite being severely understaffed. One good aspect about the camp is the work environment between the counselors as most of them usually get along.

What is the best part of working at the company?
the kids i worked with and the relationships it helped me make 



What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
the amount of time the woud have me working from 6 to 6 just because i felt like i had to work those hours and and i felt as though i needed to always be ther 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
the work environment was great and i enjoyed working there however, i just out grew it 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
morning OT car line working with every kid all day then afternoon OT it seems shorter than it actually is

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Basketball coach 3 salaries reported	$21.33 per hour
Baseball coach 4 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour
Teacher 2 salaries reported	$18.88 per hour
Camp director 3 salaries reported	$24.85 per hour
Swim instructor 1 salary reported	$15.50 per hour

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