Assess candidates through realistic residential situations, such as homesickness, cabin conflict and late-night support. Check skills, references and required screening. Look for judgment, teamwork and respect for personal care as well as activity experience.
Ask candidates about ordinary hard moments: a child crying at midnight, a wet bed, a conflict in a cabin, a report of harm, or a worker who has not had a break.
Look for calm judgment and willingness to ask for help. Charisma and outdoor skill are not enough. A worker who jokes about humiliating campers is not showing a useful camp skill.
Complete required checks, references, identity and qualification verification, and role-specific training. Apply the process to returning staff, volunteers, and contractors as relevant; familiarity is not the same as clearance.
Write conduct rules for cabins, bathrooms, changing, private contact, photos, gifts, touch, alcohol, drugs, and relationships. Make the reporting route clear and independent enough to handle a concern about a senior leader.
Train staff to respect privacy without creating secret care. A quiet conversation may be needed, but its location and boundaries should follow policy.
Support workers too. Give them a way to report fatigue, harassment, unsafe instructions, or inadequate staffing without fear of punishment. A camp culture that hides staff strain can become unsafe for everyone.
Your task: Include care scenarios in hiring and practise them during training.
