An all-American tradition, each summer children and teenagers from all over the USA attend camps for 1-8 weeks between Jun-Aug. A place for them to learn new activities, grow their skills and experience living away from home in the great outdoors – camps in America are seen as integral to a young person’s social development. Each year, Camp Directors hire 18-30 year olds from all over the world to work as Camp Counsellors, Activity Specialists and Disability Counsellors for 9-12 weeks.

Plus, your J-1 camp visa allows you to travel for 30 days before and after camp.

With BUNAC! We've been doing this for 50+ years. Plus, all our BUNAC Camp Crew have worked at an American summer camp, so we've been exactly where you are – interview nerves and all!

Camp Directors start hiring for their summer staff as early as October the year before. We have three ways to help you secure your dream camp position.

1. Hiring pool

Once we’ve helped you to create a winning camp application, it will be entered into the summer camp hiring pool where there are 800+ camps in 46 states. Based on your skills, Camp Directors will approach you for a video interview – and likewise, you can reach out to them to show your interest in their camp.

2. IRL hiring days

Typically from October, we also host in-person hiring days where you can meet Camp Directors face-to-face, interview on the day, and (everything crossed) come away with a summer camp job. Keep an eye on our BUNAC site for our camp world tour dates and when we're coming to Dublin!

3. Virtual hiring days

Can't travel to an in-person hiring fair? We also have virtual hiring days. This is where Camp Directors hire for multiple positions over a day via video interviews. Remember, you can get hired between Oct-Apr in our hiring pool – so if there's not a hiring event coming up, get active in the hiring pool to secure your preferred camp job.

For first-timers, the BUNAC Summer Camp USA program cost is €339 – which is one of the lowest camp prices in the industry. BUNAC and USIT are part of the same travel family as J-1 visa sponsor, IENA. As both the camp agency and US visa sponsor, we’re able to pass on more savings to our travellers – while also having all the visa and sponsorship know how in our team!

You'll earn minimum USD 2,250 pocket money for the summer – plus, meals and accommodation are included at camp. So it's a great way to fund your summer in the States.

Most nationalities can apply for summer camp in America, you’ll also need to be:

• Aged 18-30
• Able to fly to the USA before 20 June
• Able to commit to the whole camp season, typically 9-12 weeks
• Be a fluent English speaker with no criminal history
• Have some prior experience working with children or young adults
• Have a passport that’s valid for at least six months beyond your stay
• Have proof of an onward flight from the USA

For the full eligibility and inclusions, check out our BUNAC Summer Camp USA page here

Nothing at all! Part of the same travel family along with JENZA (our global work and travel brand) and SWAP (our Canadian work and travel brand) – USIT and BUNAC are the same camp team behind-the-scenes offering the same program – we just had different names in different countries.

From June ‘25, BUNAC became our dedicated summer camp provider for our whole travel group – allowing us to put all our efforts into what we do best: s’mores. And the whole ‘creating life-shaping camp adventures for 18-30s everywhere’ thing.

Find out more about our BUNAC camp story here