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Camp America reviews

Hi,

Basically I've registered and started my application to work with Camp America (www.campamerica.co.uk) and have paid my first deposit and am awaiting my first interview.

After I did this I had a scout around the internet and was surprised to find quite a few negative reviews about it in comparison to Bunac, Camp Leaders and CCUSA. It's quite hard to tell whether these are genuine reviews or staff of the other courses badmouthing Camp America and recommend their own in the hope of getting more applicants, as some of the posters only have one or two posts to their name.

So - has anyone been with Camp America before and how did you find it? Is my paranoia unneeded? I am thinking about switching to another Camp (will I get my deposit back if I do?) if the company isn't as good as it makes out.

Cheers.

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I have been with them before - I loved it they were great at communication though this did slow a bit towards May with everyone getting visas/flights etc. But still provided so much resources and information- the forum was great this is what I liked about them. Also I liked that they did a recruitment fair which is where I got hired whereas I don't think Bunac does this. Your paranoia is unneeded I feel, Camp America you get paid less but I feel the reassurance and info they provided was worth it.
Reply 2
questionmark
I have been with them before - I loved it they were great at communication though this did slow a bit towards May with everyone getting visas/flights etc. But still provided so much resources and information- the forum was great this is what I liked about them. Also I liked that they did a recruitment fair which is where I got hired whereas I don't think Bunac does this. Your paranoia is unneeded I feel, Camp America you get paid less but I feel the reassurance and info they provided was worth it.

When in the year are recruitment fairs? And I heard if you go through their website application you can't chose what camp you get?
I went to camp with a different company and camp america seemed more organised (everyone was put up in a hotel for a night in new york together on arrival and they had a forum to meet people, whereas I was put in a cheap hostel at 2am with 1 other person and the booking was wrong!). But their fees are higher and wages are lower.

I'm glad I didn't go with them but the extra cost may be worth it for you.
Reply 4
Liberalist
Hi,

Basically I've registered and started my application to work with Camp America (www.campamerica.co.uk) and have paid my first deposit and am awaiting my first interview.

After I did this I had a scout around the internet and was surprised to find quite a few negative reviews about it in comparison to Bunac, Camp Leaders and CCUSA. It's quite hard to tell whether these are genuine reviews or staff of the other courses badmouthing Camp America and recommend their own in the hope of getting more applicants, as some of the posters only have one or two posts to their name.

So - has anyone been with Camp America before and how did you find it? Is my paranoia unneeded? I am thinking about switching to another Camp (will I get my deposit back if I do?) if the company isn't as good as it makes out.

Cheers.


Obviously, I am a BUNAC staff member so I won't discuss which is "better". Instead I will outline what makes BUNAC different from other organisations.

- BUNAC is a non-profit organisation and can therefore offer a low-cost programme with higher salaries. (BUNAC currently offer the lowest fees and highest wages)
- You'll receive careful, individual placement as a counsellor at an approved camp, plus orientation and training. This essentially means that you are placed according to your own individual skills, talents and strengths at a camp that is right for you.
- Almost everyone gets visited by a BUNAC rep while they are at camp to ensure that they are 100% happy with their placement.
- You get to spend your first night in New York City with other campers
- You get a comprehensive orientation to prepare you for camp life.

If you have any questions about applying through BUNAC, please feel free to get in touch or call 020-7251-3448. Visit www.bunac.org.uk/summercampusa and get chatting to former BUNAC Summer Campers on our facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/BUNACSummerCampUSA?ref=ts

Thanks!
Reply 5
You will have fun whoever you apply with so dont worry too much :smile:

Check out http://www.summercampworldwide.com/chat if you need some independent advice!
Reply 6
I applied to spend the summer with Camp America last year and I would recommend them. I always found them to be very well organised and willing to help. They were always contactable when an issue came up (for example there was a problem with a payment of mine going through and they got it resolved very quickly.) My interviewer was very efficient and helpful and went out of her way to email me reminders about recruitment fair etc. Likewise the forum on the website was a great source of information. I didn't end up going to camp in the end - seemingly due to the financial crisis there was a shortage of places but I think CA did well in dealing with this as they gave the opportunity for applicants to drop out and receive a full refund. I opted to take the refund but I plan to reapply next year. I think it is true that other companies are cheaper and I don't think it makes much difference who you go with but personally I would remain with CA through loyalty.
Reply 7
Camp America are money grabbing - if it's not too late I would cancel and go with someone else. Do you know anyone who has done a camp america type thing before who can help you out with your visa etc? Because I went with Camp America the first year I ever did it and I ended up getting about $500 at the end of the summer and when that was converted to GBP it was pathetic.

I would say try contacting camps directly, as I have been back to my camp three times (albeit only ever once by camp america - they're not stealing any more of my money) and there have been plenty of people who just searched the internet and found my camp and just applied directly. The camp sponsors your visa if it's your first time, and you just have to pay for your flight and your visa appointment fee. My camp even gives us $300 travel expenses. This year I ended up clearing $2000 at the end of the summer, rather than $500 - pretty big difference.

Otherwise I have heard good things about BUNAC and CCUSA, the only thing different about camp america is that they have a forum, which granted is very good, but there's plenty of stuff on the internet that can help, you just have to search for it.

if you want any advice or anything please feel free to PM me.

Good luck!
Liberalist
When in the year are recruitment fairs? And I heard if you go through their website application you can't chose what camp you get?


Yep that's true: you can express a preference if you don't like the camp you get placed at i guess you can reject it. That's why i went to the fair, last year they were in Jan and Feb.
Reply 9
Ive heard Camp America is great if you enjoy washing dishes.
Reply 10
My advice, never go with usa summer camps. They use everything from camp leaders anyway instead of having there own facililies. For example, the profile is made with camp leaders, and it is camp leaders who organise the job fair. when i ring up it sounds like a few people sat in a tiny office who aren't great at their job.
Go direct with camp leaders, or another company.
Reply 11
These pages will help if you are thinking about doing CA:
USA Summer Camp Jobs
Camp America Reviews

Just apply thats the main thing :smile:
(edited 5 years ago)
Hey,
What you have done makes sense. I want to cut out the middle man and apply directly too! Could you give me details about your camp please ?
Hey! What is your camp???x
For anyone reading this after 2011, BUNAC is no longer non-profit and is now owned by a travel company.

I can't comment on the service that they now provide, I'm just saying that this review is outdated.
Hi!

We work really hard on our customer service to make sure that our applicants are supported the entire time of their stay. We have been sending people to camp since 1969 and as the originals we have a lot of experience in sending people to the States, working with the most camps to ensure placements! We are also a designated sponsor for the visa and have a great relationship with the Embassy.

Although I work at CA and I am obviously biased! I went to camp three summers and went with Camp America each time. I chose them initially (before I had any idea who the camp companies were) because I knew people who had been through them and they looked like they knew what they were doing. I continued to go to camp with them because they always looked after me and your pay goes up in your returner years. :smile:

Let us know if you have any more questions
Pops CA

Original post by Liberalist
Hi,

Basically I've registered and started my application to work with Camp America (www.campamerica.co.uk) and have paid my first deposit and am awaiting my first interview.

After I did this I had a scout around the internet and was surprised to find quite a few negative reviews about it in comparison to Bunac, Camp Leaders and CCUSA. It's quite hard to tell whether these are genuine reviews or staff of the other courses badmouthing Camp America and recommend their own in the hope of getting more applicants, as some of the posters only have one or two posts to their name.

So - has anyone been with Camp America before and how did you find it? Is my paranoia unneeded? I am thinking about switching to another Camp (will I get my deposit back if I do?) if the company isn't as good as it makes out.

Cheers.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 16
I started the application with Camp America and have had problems right from the start. After getting my application sorted it, I went to a recruitment fair which was a huge disappointment. I spent 3 hours queuing up to find out that many of the jobs were taken and that the ones that were left had been very judgemental and discriminatory. I found that they would not take you for a job unless you were a certain gender or had certain qualifications.

I eventually found one which I liked and sorted my application. When I went and sorted my application I was not allowed to submit it until I had sorted out the first payment of £35 which is paying for a t-shirt and the application form. When I did get that all sorted there were problems sorting out the interviews and the Camp I chose was very misleading about whether I had jot the job and it caused me many problems. I am also at college and so it was interfering with my lessons as I had to do the interviews during the lesson. When I found out the camp had put me as their placement I was happy, one week after I found out the had accepted me I also found out that they had hired someone else and would not be having me join their team.

Once I emailed Camp America and told them what had happened I was told they would refund all the money I had paid which at the time was nearly £400. This meant that I would be fininshing with camp America and would have no more problems. The money was being refunded in two parts as I had paid with cash for the £35 and card with the rest. The card payments have been refunded but I have been waiting for over three weeks now for the last payment to be refunded but have heard nothing.

I am hoping to get the last payment soon. I would not recommend doing Camp America as they use people as cheap labour and waste time. If you want to do something like this though, I suggest you use ANYONE OTHER THAN CAMP AMERICA. This is my story of what happened.
Hi Miymiy98,

I am sorry you had a bad experience with your application. The recruitment fairs get very busy as they are very popular, they can be a brilliant place to get your camp placement, but unfortunately not everyone will get placed. The £35 first payment is to go through your application and for your interviewer to come out to interview you and go through your application with you, as well as putting together your interview report and approving everything that you need to get processed onto the programme.

What is the name on your application and I can try and chase up your refund for you. Are you just waiting for the last £35 to be refunded? Feel free to send it to [email protected] if you don't want to post it here.

Apologies that you had a bad experience, unfortunately we can't fully control what happens with camps. Did you try to get placed online with a different camp instead, or did you decide to cancel after that camp?

All the Best Pops
Reply 18
Camp America have just sent out the following email to returnee counsellors:biggrin:ear Returner, This is an important email regarding the Camp America application that was submitted to us yesterday (10th April). As I hope you appreciate the U.S. State Department have complex rules regarding visas. Unfortunately, some of these rules seek to limit the number of returner camp counsellor visas that we are able to sponsor each season and this email is to let you know that Camp America reached its limit for returners that have already been to camp twice (i.e this will be your third or above summer at camp) quite a while ago. Which means at this point we cannot move forward with your Camp America application. However, all is not lost but in the meantime please do not begin to process your police check or make further payments. We are currently implementing a waiting list for returners who have applied since we reached the limit and this will operate on a
Try contacting more summer camp recruiters which are similar to Camp America if you would still like to go to camp/return this year e.g. Camp Leaders, InterExchange, CCUSA, Americamp, Wild Packs etc

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