Summer camps

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.

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

No middle folk

BUNAC and USIT are part of the same travel family as leading US visa sponsor, IENA. As both the camp agency and US visa sponsor, we offer start-to-finish support throughout your camp journey and during your time in the States.

60+ years experience

Here in Ireland, USIT has been providing American cultural exchange experiences for 60+ years. Our sibling camp brand, BUNAC, launched its first summer camp program in 1972 – making us one of the OGs of the camp world.

Visa experts

Meanwhile over in the US... IENA was founded by former Camp Counsellors in the 90s. We have decades of experience working directly with camps and providing visa sponsorship for thousands of students and 18-30s every year.

Dedicated camp team

We're the team who've been. All our camp crew have worked at camp, often returning to camp each summer (tough gig!). We're authentic and accountable, we value quality service over quick wins, and we treat every camp experience as if it were our own.

Pocket money

As travellers ourselves, we understand the challenges of working abroad. We've always championed the highest camp salaries for our Camp Counsellors, currently a minimum USD $2,300 for the summer – one of the highest in the industry.

Giving back

Camp only works for us if it works for others too. We donate 5% of profits to our Youth Access Scholarship Fund so that more young people can have the life-shaping experience of working and travelling overseas. Find out more on our parent JENZA site