J-1 Camp Counselor in the USA
Program Overview
The Camp Counselor Program enables post-secondary students, youth workers, teachers, and applicants with specialized skills to share their culture and ideas with the people of the United States in camp settings throughout the country. Participants in the program receive pay and benefits, such as meals and accommodation, commensurate with those of their American counterparts at the camps. The programs vary in length depending on the season of the camp, with a maximum program duration of 4 months. After the program is complete, participants have 30 days to travel and explore the United States before they need to depart the country.
America offers a broad range of camps with different focuses such as sports, outdoor activities, cultural and religious emphases, gender specific, arts and crafts or any combination thereof! There is undoubtedly the perfect camp for you depending on your skills and interests. The only common denominator is that you must be enthusiastic about working with children and interested in exploring America!
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Jump to the full breakdown of dates, costs, eligibility, and more.
Program Highlights
What's Included
Quick Details
- Summer Camp
- Camp Counselor & Trip Leader
- Education
- Camp Jobs
- Catholic
- Christian
- Language Immersion
- Albanian
- Algerian
- Andorran
- Angolan
- Antarctica
- Antiguan & Barbudan
- Argentinian
- Armenian
- Aruban
- Asian
- Australian
- Austrian
- Azerbaijani
- Bahamian
- Bahraini
- Bangladeshi
- Barbadian
- Basotho
- Belarusian
- Belgian
- Belizean
- Beninese
- Bermudian
- Bhutanese
- Bissau-Guinean
- Bolivian
- Bonaire
- Bosnian
- Brazilian
- British
- British Virgin Islander
- Bruneian
- Bulgarian
- Burkinabe
- Burundian
- Cambodian
- Canadian
- Cape Verdean
- Caymanian
- Channel Islander
- Chinese
- Colombian
- Comoran
- Congolese
- Cook Islander
- Costa Rican
- Creole
- Croatian
- Curacao
- Cypriot
- Czech
- Danish
- Djibouti
- Dominican
- Dutch
- Ecuadorian
- English
- Estonian
- European
- Fijian
- Filipino
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Gibraltarian
- Greek
- Greenlandic
- Grenadian
- Guadeloupian
- Guatemalan
- Guyanese
- Hawaiian
- Honduran
- Hungarian
- I-Kiribati
- Icelandic
- Indian
- Indonesian
- Iranian
- Irish
- Israeli
- Italian
- Ivorian
- Jamaican
- Japanese
- Kazakhstani
- Kittitian, Nevisian
- Kiwi
- Korean
- Kuwaiti
- Kyrgyzstani
- Lao or Laotian
- Latvian
- Lebanese
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourg
- Macedonian
- Malagasy
- Malaysian
- Maldivian
- Malian
- Maltese
- Manx
- Marshallese
- Martiniquais
- Mauritanian
- Mauritian
- Mexican
- Micronesian
- Moldovan
- Monegasque
- Mongolian
- Montenegrin
- Montserratian
- Moroccan
- Mozambican
- multi
- Myanmar
- Nauruan
- Nepalese
- New Caledonian
- Ni-Vanuatu
- Nicaraguan
- Niuean
- Norwegian
- Omani
- Pakistani
- Palauan
- Panamanian
- Paraguayan
- Peruvian
- Polish
- Polynesian
- Portuguese
- Puerto Rican
- Reunionese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Saban
- Sahrawian, Sahraouian
- Saint Helenian
- Saint Lucian
- Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
- Salvadoran
- Sammarinese
- Samoan
- Sao Tomean
- Scottish
- Senegalese
- Serbian
- Serbian; Montenegrin
- Seychelles
- Singaporean
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Solomon Islander
- South African
- Spanish
- Sri Lankan
- St. Barts
- Statian
- Swazi
- Swedish
- Swiss
- Tahiti
- Taiwanese
- Tajikistani
- Thai
- The Vatican
- Tibet
- Timorese
- Togolese
- Tongan
- Trinidadian, Tobagonian
- Tunisian
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Turks and Caicos
- Tuvaluan
- Ukrainian
- Uruguayan
- Uzbekistani
- Venezuelan
- Vietnamese
- Virgin Islander
- Welsh
- Jordanian
Updated Apr 7, 2026
Program Details
Learn all the nitty gritty details you need to know
Locations
- United States
Available Terms / Availability
- Years Offered
- Year Round
Eligible Nationalities
- Albanian
- Algerian
- Andorran
- Angolan
- Antarctica
- Antiguan & Barbudan
- Argentinian
- Armenian
- Aruban
- Asian
- Australian
- Austrian
- Azerbaijani
- Bahamian
- Bahraini
- Bangladeshi
- Barbadian
- Basotho
- Belarusian
- Belgian
- Belizean
- Beninese
- Bermudian
- Bhutanese
- Bissau-Guinean
- Bolivian
- Bonaire
- Bosnian
- Brazilian
- British
- British Virgin Islander
- Bruneian
- Bulgarian
- Burkinabe
- Burundian
- Cambodian
- Canadian
- Cape Verdean
- Caymanian
- Channel Islander
- Chinese
- Colombian
- Comoran
- Congolese
- Cook Islander
- Costa Rican
- Creole
- Croatian
- Curacao
- Cypriot
- Czech
- Danish
- Djibouti
- Dominican
- Dutch
- Ecuadorian
- English
- Estonian
- European
- Fijian
- Filipino
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Gibraltarian
- Greek
- Greenlandic
- Grenadian
- Guadeloupian
- Guatemalan
- Guyanese
- Hawaiian
- Honduran
- Hungarian
- I-Kiribati
- Icelandic
- Indian
- Indonesian
- Iranian
- Irish
- Israeli
- Italian
- Ivorian
- Jamaican
- Japanese
- Kazakhstani
- Kittitian, Nevisian
- Kiwi
- Korean
- Kuwaiti
- Kyrgyzstani
- Lao or Laotian
- Latvian
- Lebanese
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourg
- Macedonian
- Malagasy
- Malaysian
- Maldivian
- Malian
- Maltese
- Manx
- Marshallese
- Martiniquais
- Mauritanian
- Mauritian
- Mexican
- Micronesian
- Moldovan
- Monegasque
- Mongolian
- Montenegrin
- Montserratian
- Moroccan
- Mozambican
- multi
- Myanmar
- Nauruan
- Nepalese
- New Caledonian
- Ni-Vanuatu
- Nicaraguan
- Niuean
- Norwegian
- Omani
- Pakistani
- Palauan
- Panamanian
- Paraguayan
- Peruvian
- Polish
- Polynesian
- Portuguese
- Puerto Rican
- Reunionese
- Romanian
- Russian
- Saban
- Sahrawian, Sahraouian
- Saint Helenian
- Saint Lucian
- Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
- Salvadoran
- Sammarinese
- Samoan
- Sao Tomean
- Scottish
- Senegalese
- Serbian
- Serbian; Montenegrin
- Seychelles
- Singaporean
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Solomon Islander
- South African
- Spanish
- Sri Lankan
- St. Barts
- Statian
- Swazi
- Swedish
- Swiss
- Tahiti
- Taiwanese
- Tajikistani
- Thai
- The Vatican
- Tibet
- Timorese
- Togolese
- Tongan
- Trinidadian, Tobagonian
- Tunisian
- Turkish
- Turkmen
- Turks and Caicos
- Tuvaluan
- Ukrainian
- Uruguayan
- Uzbekistani
- Venezuelan
- Vietnamese
- Virgin Islander
- Welsh
- Jordanian
Education Levels & Language
- Language
- English
- Education
- University Freshman (1st Year)
- University Sophomore (2nd Year)
- University Junior (3rd Year)
- University Senior (4th Year)
- University 5th Year or More
- Some college credit, no degree
- Associate degree
- Bachelor’s degree
- Master’s degree
- Trade/technical/vocational training
- High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (for example: GED)
Accommodation Options
- Other
Application Procedures
- Phone/Video Interview
- Letters of Reference
- Resume
- Online Application
- Other
Age Requirement
18-30
Duration
- During College
- Post High School
- After College
- Career Break / Mid-Career
Starts At
Salary & Compensation
Participants receive pay and benefits commensurate with those offered to their American counterparts at the camps.
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FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to all the most common questions about Odyssey International Camp.
What makes this worth it?
The J-1 Camp Counselor Program is more than a summer gig. It’s an adventure that will change your life and equip you with skills, memories, and friendships that last a lifetime. You will return home with a broader worldview, enhanced professional credentials, and stories of starry nights and campfire sing-alongs. Most importantly, you will have made a difference in the lives of others while discovering new strengths within yourself.
Why do I need a J-1 sponsor?
The BridgeUSA J-1 Exchange Programs are highly structured, highly monitored non-immigrant visa programs which allows students and young professionals to visit America to further the goals of mutual understanding between cultures via person-to-person diplomacy.
The United States government designates sponsor organizations (such as Odyssey) to screen, select and monitor J-1 exchanging visitors during their stay in the United States.
What are my responsibilities as a camp counselor?
You will be responsible for ensuring the campers under your care are safe and having a great experience at camp.
Daily activities will vary widely depending on the focus of your camp, but some common activities are swimming, team sports, arts and crafts, archery, horseback riding, campfire sing-alongs, group projects, camping and hiking.
What kinds of camps can I choose from?
There are two main types of camps, day camps and overnight camps. From there, Odyssey works with a variety of camp specialties including faith based camps such as Christian and Jewish camps, rustic, traditional, scout, special needs, medical, co-ed, single gendered, and more! As part of the registration process, you will learn about different types of camps and can add camp type preferences to your application.
What should I expect at camp?
Your accommodation and food will be provided by your camp free of charge. Keep in mind that this is a “camp,” so you should expect open-air cabins, sleeping bags, and simple but healthy food choices.
Bathrooms will likely be shared, with some camps having more rustic bathrooms than others (such as latrines).
Privacy at camp will be limited.
You will be the leader of your group of campers and responsible for ensuring they have a great experience.
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