- You must be at least 18 years old by June 1st of the Summer you participate. For example, if you participate in Summer 2026, you would have to be 18 by June 1st 2026. This is a Department of State regulation
- Be available to head out to America before June 21st 2026
- Be available to stay out in America for a minimum of 9 weeks
- Produce a clean police background check via our instructions
- Complete a medical form to ensure that you are fit and healthy
- Enjoy working and being around children
- Be outgoing, adventurous, patient, full of energy
- Excited about travelling to a new country with different cultures
- For Support Staff applicants only, you must be enrolled as a full-time student in a college or university program. To be a Camp Counsellor, you do not need to be a full-time student. 95% of our placements are typically Camp Counsellors
You must be at least 18 years old by June 1st 2026 to participant on the program.
To apply as a Camp Counsellor, you do not have to be in full-time education. For the role of Support Staff only, you must be enrolled as a full-time student in a college or university program. 95% of our placements are typically Camp Counsellors
- You must be available for a minimum of 8 weeks between June and August. Most camps run from early-June to mid-August. The earlier you are available, the better! We ask that you are available no later than June 21st and until at least August 12th.
- Being flexible with your availability means that your application can be sent to more camps, giving you a higher chance of being placed!
The earlier you apply, the better as we will have more camps looking for positions to fill. The deadline for applying is usually February or March time, but is subject to change.
Camps look to fill their positions based on specific criteria including your personality, availability dates, job preferences, skills and experience.
We cannot guarantee that a camp will hire friends and this is because a camp director may only be looking to fill one spot or has already hired someone with similar skills as your friend. Camps also like having individuals who are independent and may not like friends going to the same camp as you may be less likely to branch out to enjoy new experiences.
If you attend in in-person hiring event, camps will decide themselves whether or not they are willing to hire friends and this is not something that Camp New York can be responsible for.
If you aren’t offered a camp placement for the summer you apply for, we will defer your application to the following season at no extra cost.
If you have been asked to update or edit your application during the hiring period it is your responsibility to do do and if you have not done so, then we cannot be liable for no summer camp placement.
Please note, if you decline a placement offer, your application is not guaranteed to be deferred to the year after if you do not obtain another placement offer – we cannot be liable for you being unplaced.
Please note that we cannot offer refunds for products or services already paid for, including background checks or other third-party costs.
We require two references to be completed. Your references can be completed by anyone who has known you in a professional capacity. You can have teachers, parents of the children you babysat for, employers, coaches, or university lecturers to fill out the form.
We cannot accept any reference form completed by a friend or family member.
Camp New York do not require you to obtain a medical form, but some camps might request one. If they do then we can help give you the necessary guidance.
This is a complex process made simple with the easy to follow guidelines that we provide you with when you have everything you need to begin your visa application. You need to attend a visa appointment at the US Embassy in London or US Consulate in Belfast to obtain your J-1 visa.
For anyone applying outside of the UK, you will need to travel to the US Embassy in your home country to get your visa.
You will either be met by your camp or provided with instructions on how to travel to camp after you arrive. The relevant information will be sent to you by your camp prior to your departure including contact details.
Since 2018, you are required to pay taxes on your earnings. Around February time, your employer (not IENA or Camp New York) will send you a W2 wage and tax statement.
You are then legally required to file a tax return, however in many cases, participants obtain refunds from the IRS. You can submit the tax return yourself or use our partners at Sprintax.
In the January or February after you return from camp, you will receive a W-2 form in the post from your employer that is needed for your tax return.
You can complete the tax return yourself, or use our recommended partner, Sprintax, who will be able to assist you.
Please remember that neither Camp New York nor IENA are tax professionals and cannot give you advice on tax related matters.