Where is Eagle Hill located and what's close by? What makes Eagle Hill special? How does Eagle Hill make newcomers feel welcome? How is the camp staff organized? What different types of counselors are there at camp? Where do most Counselors come from? Where do most campers come from? How do I get to camp? What's a typical schedule like? What is a typical day like for a staff member living with kids? How is a staff member assigned an age group to live and work with? Where do Counselors live and what are the cabins like? What if I am a staff person beyond college years, looking to play a larger role at camp? Where will I live and what will my responsibilities be like? How much time off will I have? What type of medical care and insurance is available to staff? What should I bring to camp? Is there any religious aspect to Eagle Hill? Can you accommodate any special diets? What other things are available to help give staff a good camp experience? How would you sum up the experience for a staff member at Eagle Hill? What's important to Eagle Hill when hiring staff?     Where is Eagle Hill located and what's close by? We are located 90 miles north of New York City off the Taconic State Parkway near the towns of Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Red Hook, and Hudson, NY. Eagle Hill is situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, not far from the New York / Massachusetts border, one hour southeast of Albany, New York. The area has many attractions, such as the beach, mountains and trails, shopping, antiques, and an opportunity for many fun excursions. back to top What makes Eagle Hill special? Eagle Hill is a special place for many reasons. Each summer we strive to achieve a family atmosphere where everyone leaves with great memories and lifelong friendships. Our camp population is not too large. We have around 250 campers with 100 staff members, allowing us to know everyone and to make sure that each child and every staff member feels welcomed and cared for as a part of our camp community. We have high quality facilities and a range of programs that are updated annually and enable us to offer something for everyone in a safe and well maintained environment. back to top How does Eagle Hill make newcomers feel welcome? Before the summer begins we provide our staff with the opportunity to meet and chat through an online group. This helps people get to know one another before they arrive at camp. Our staff orientation is built around introducing people to one another and placing staff in positions with groups where they will be comfortable. We provide many opportunities for staff members to get together both in camp as well as out of camp, during time off, making it very possible for any new staff member coming to Eagle Hill for the first time to feel well connected to our camp. back to top How is the camp staff organized? Eagle Hill is operated by a Camp Director who is assisted by an Operations Manager, a Head Counselor for each side of camp, and a Program Director. Group Leaders supervise the counselors and campers in different age groups of camp. Counselors, both general and specialty, live and work with groups of approximately eight campers. In addition there are activity heads that run specific program areas of camp. A full support staff takes care of areas of camp relating to food preparation and service as well as camp maintenance. back to top What different types of counselors are there at camp? We have two types of counselors at Eagle Hill. The first is a Specialty Counselor. This counselor teaches at our activity areas. We have specialty counselors who have expertise in their field, teaching activities such as basketball, soccer, softball/baseball, hockey, tennis, swimming, boating, archery, dance, gymnastics, ceramics, photography, and guitar, just to name a few. Some of these counselors are education majors looking for some teaching experience, while others are just hobbyists who want to share their knowledge and talents. We also employ some teachers who work at specialty areas of camp. Our other type of counselor is a General Counselor. This counselor spends the majority of their day moving around the camp with their group and participating in the activities with the campers. This person typically likes to have fun just like our campers. We provide the opportunity for our general counselors to teach a few activities during the week at given times. In the past, our general counselors have taught lacrosse, golf, magic, drumming, ultimate Frisbee, and other fun activities. back to top Where do most Counselors come from? Literally, Counselors come from all over. While some of our Counselors are former campers and come from the tri-state area surrounding New York City, others come from all over the world and from across the U.S. back to top Where do most campers come from? The majority of our campers come from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other New England states. Some campers come to us from other parts of the United States, and other countries. Over the past few years we have had campers from Spain, Korea, Mexico, Japan, Italy, and Israel. back to top How do I get to camp? Getting to camp is fairly easy. We give you several choices. Many staff members drive their own cars or carpool with someone living nearby or on the way to camp. Some staff members fly into airports near camp, either one of the New York City airports or into Albany, New York. Other Counselors take a train to the camp area. However you decide to get to camp, we will help with your travel plans to make it easy for you. We do offer van service to camp from the airport in Albany. At the end of the summer, we can help you to get home or to your next destination. back to top What's a typical schedule like? Sample Schedule back to top What is a typical day like for a staff member living with kids? We view our staff members as important parts of a camp group. Our staff eats their meals with their groups and helps clean the cabins with our campers after breakfast. During a six period activity day, the General Counselors move to the activities with the campers while the Specialty Counselors teach at their specialty areas. Rest hour after lunch offers time for relaxation and getting to know our campers while just hanging out in the bunk areas. There's time before dinner and after dinner for showers. Each night, we enjoy evening activities, where both types of Counselors are with their group, helping their own group to complete a great camp day together. Refreshments at our Canteen often times rounds out the day prior to campers being escorted back by Counselors in preparation for bed. Each night, there is a rotation of Counselors asked to be on "O.D." (on duty). These Counselors keep an eye on the campers in camp while other staff members enjoy an evening off from such responsibilities. Our curfew for all Counselors is at 12:30 AM. back to top How is a staff member assigned an age group to live and work with? Our staff members generally are given the opportunity to voice their preference as to what age group they would like to live and work with. While you aren't guaranteed a specific age, we do try our hardest to meet all requests. During orientation, we organize our staff into divisions based upon our impression on how successful the individual staff member will be at working with a particular camper age group. Counselors are then arranged into pairs to work with specific groups. Counselors may be asked to work with an age group that is not their first choice. Be assured that our upper staff will help you to work with any group of campers you should be assigned to. back to top Where do Counselors live and what are the cabins like? Most of our Counselors, both General and Specialty Counselors, live in cabins with the kids. In some instances, certain staff members running divisions or activity areas at camp live in private rooms. Staff living in cabins with kids, usually live with one or two other staff members and seven to eight campers. Our cabins are modern and spacious and consist of full size wooden single beds and provide ample storage for clothing. The cabins are equipped with full indoor bathrooms consisting of three private toilet areas, four sinks, and three private showers. Each cabin has been built with a porch, its own hot water heater, attic fan, and smoke detector. back to top What if I am a staff person beyond college years, looking to play a larger role at camp? Where will I live and what will my responsibilities be like? Our staff includes those who supervise a large number of campers and small groups of counselors as well as people with particular talents and skills that run the vast activity areas at camp. In addition, we hire a small group of staff members to oversee the administrative areas such as the Office, the Dining Room and the Canteen. Medical professionals staff our Infirmary. People who are in graduate programs, teachers or parents with a summer free, typically fill these positions. We have available a large number of private rooms where these staff members live for the summer. Staff living in private rooms participate in all meals, play varied roles throughout the course of a typical camp day, and all take part in any full camp special event or evening activity taking place at camp. Those staff members that directly supervise Counselors and campers, as well as those staff members involved in specific activity areas, play a role in supervising campers at night. This is done on a rotating basis, allowing all staff members free time after 9:30 pm during many camp nights. back to top How much time off will I have? Each Counselor is given one day off per week for five weeks of camp. There are no days off during the first and last weeks. Days off run from 7:45 AM to 12:30 AM. Staff members also get several nights off per week. These nights generally begin at around 9:30 PM, depending on the age group you are living and working with and the particular camp activities taking place during a given night. Staff curfew is 12:30 AM. In addition, each Counselor has some time off during the day, which may be used for pure relaxation, or if you'd like, more involvement with our campers. If special time off is needed for some reason, we do try to accommodate such requests. back to top What type of medical care and insurance is available to staff? A few medical professionals man our centrally located Infirmary building each day. Our medical staff will be glad to help you with any medical concerns or needs at any point during the summer. Where circumstances suggest that the help of an outside medical practice is needed, our medical staff would be happy to refer you to one of many local practices in the area surrounding camp. Medical insurance is not provided as a part of your staff compensation package and must therefore be purchased privately prior to your arrival at camp. back to top What should I bring to camp? Most Counselors bring a variety of things with them to camp. Staff should bring things to camp that are inexpensive in nature. Keep in mind that items at camp do occasionally get dirty or may become misplaced. Staff may bring sports equipment to camp. Many Counselors enjoy bringing some small items from home to make the cabins a little more "homey." We also encourage our Counselors to bring items such as acoustic guitars or other musical instruments if they wish to perform in talent shows or share their skills with campers. We have provided a detailed packing list in the forms section for your convenience. back to top Is there any religious aspect to Eagle Hill? No, there is no part of our camper recruitment promotions, staff hiring practices, or camp program that has any connection to or affiliation with any religious practices or groups. back to top Can you accommodate any special diets? Please be aware that Eagle Hill, like most camps, serves a general range of foods that appeal to the tastes and preferences of children. Where possible we try to accommodate a special diet. There is, however, always a vegetarian option at every meal along with an extensive salad bar for lunch and dinner. back to top What other things are available to help give staff a good camp experience? In the middle of camp we have a staff lounge with Internet service, satellite TV, and a soda machine, a great place for hanging out or catching up with some friends. On days off or nights off, we have van service that often times takes staff out of camp to a variety of places in the general vicinity of our camp facility. For those joining us from other parts of the country, it's a great way to see the local area and even get down to New York City for a day or two. In addition, each week you may have, at your option, your laundry done on the grounds of camp. back to top How would you sum up the experience for a staff member at Eagle Hill? A summer at Camp Eagle Hill will be a very rewarding experience. Along the way, camp life will be both physically and emotionally demanding. Taking responsibility for children's lives can't help but be very demanding. An Eagle Hill staff member will work hard, put in long hours, expend lots of energy, and devote endless dedication to the ideal of giving each camper an unforgettable summer. In return, we hope that at the end of a camp day, all staff, despite a need for some much-deserved rest, can say that they had a great day with our camp kids and other staff members. We expect and hope that friendships made with our campers and other staff members, as well as values and lessons learned during your summer with us, will be very meaningful in your life. That's the staff experience at Camp Eagle Hill. back to top What's important to Eagle Hill when hiring staff? Camp is people. It is all about what the individual staff member contributes to our camp and how the staff as a whole works together to make a great summer for each child at camp. With this in mind, we hope to hire people who will care about children, who care about the impact they have on children, and who are prepared to care about the job they have been asked to do and the role they have been asked to play. We are looking for people, who are warm, friendly, upbeat, have a positive attitude, and are committed to the concept of "camp life". While we are all about having a great time at camp, we do want to make sure our campers and counselors are happy, safe, and secure in our camp environment. We look for people to work at camp who are first and foremost, concerned about the welfare of children and are willing to work hard in order to make each child's summer an enjoyable experience. Campers come first at Eagle Hill and to this end, we expect our staff to abide by our guidelines for the good of our campers, camp itself, and for your own well being. We expect that staff will comply with ideals concerning the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs of any kind. We are serious about what we do as a camp and we are looking for staff that will take their responsibility for working with our campers equally as seriously. We are interested in our counselors having a great summer with our campers and with each other, but never at the expense of our campers, any camp member's safety, or the camp's reputation. Remember, we all come to camp for different reasons, but we all have the same goal, to provide our campers with an unforgettable summer. Along the way, we hope and expect that you will have an unforgettable summer as well. back to top