Camp Tekoa hires roughly 100 summer staff members each year to serve more than 2,000 campers at its Christian camp in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Positions include Family Group Leaders, Support Staff, Resource Specialists, and paid Internships, and we hire high school and college students from across the United States and around the world. If you are searching for summer camp jobs in North Carolina where the work actually matters, this page covers the roles, the requirements, the training, and how to apply.
Applications open each fall for the following summer, and interviews follow the receipt of an application and references. The application peak runs from January through March, so applying early gives you the strongest position for the role you want.
Why Work at Camp Tekoa
Camp Tekoa has operated since 1949 in the mountains of Western North Carolina, guided by the mission of “Touching Hearts, Changing Lives, and Sharing the Light of Christ”. Staff members here are not supervising a schedule. They are living in cabins with campers, leading devotions, facilitating adventure activities, and shaping how a child understands themselves and their faith.
The professional case is real too. Staff gain leadership experience, earn certifications, and build a set of skills that transfers directly into any career: risk management, group facilitation, hospitality, team dynamics, collaboration, scheduling, task management, project management, equipment management, problem solving, public speaking, teaching, and training others.
Summer Staff Positions
Family Group Leader, ages 17 and up
Family Group Leaders make up the majority of Tekoa's staff. FGLs are paired with a different co-leader each week and together facilitate camp activities for an assigned group of roughly 14 campers. FGLs live in the cabins with their campers, and age group assignments rotate weekly across day camp, overnight camp, adventure camp, and special needs camp.
This is the role with the most variety week to week. One week you may be with elementary campers on the low ropes course, the next with high schoolers on a whitewater trip.
These staff members must have graduated high school or be in college.
Support Staff
Support staff roles exist to make Family Group Leaders effective. These positions include Coordinators, Specialists, Directors, and Resource Staff, covering areas from program facilitation to adventure resource work to operations.
Day Camp Family Group Leader
Day Camp FGLs form a smaller, dedicated team working with Tekoa's Elementary Day Camp and Adventure Day Camp programs, which serve local families in the Henderson County and Western North Carolina area.
Paid Internships
All internships at Camp Tekoa are paid, unless an intern specifically requests volunteer hours to meet an academic department requirement. Tekoa hosts internships both for students who need academic credit and for students seeking professional development.
For academic internships, the Assistant Director and Executive Director may meet with the intern regularly and handle college paperwork, including formal contracts, weekly hours logs, mid season reviews, weekly check in meetings, project collaboration, and end of season reviews.
Leader In Training, current high school juniors
The LIT program is Tekoa's pipeline into staff work. LITs commit to one training week plus between one and seven serving weeks, and the schedule is designed to accommodate busy summer calendars. LITs can train, serve a week, leave for other commitments, and return later in the summer, getting a full taste of all Tekoa has to offer. This is a volunteer position, and is a great way to get service hours and job experience.
What We Look For
Tekoa's hiring process examines a number of personal qualities. Applicants should:
- Be a Christian who is excited about Tekoa's mission of touching hearts, changing lives, sharing the light of Christ
- Show evidence that they enjoy interacting with children
- Show excitement for working in the outdoors
- Show signs of being a good listener
- Be able to think quickly and react positively to pressure situations
- Possess a good attitude and good character
- Show evidence of working well with others
- Be ready to laugh, cry, and learn alongside their campers
That last one is not filler. The work is emotionally demanding and genuinely joyful in the same week.
Training and Certification
All senior staff complete a two-week training course before the summer season begins. Training covers six components: program and activity facilitation, camper education including behavior management and camper and parent relations, camp policies and procedures, worship and devotions, staff fellowship, and specialized training including CPR, AED, and First Aid.
Senior staff also have the opportunity to be certified as a Lifeguard by the American Red Cross and as a Ropes Course Facilitator. Lifeguard and ropes course training dates fall the week before senior staff training. Adventure resource training is mixed into senior staff training and may include weekends beforehand.
Application Process
The process differs slightly by role, but the structure is consistent.
Senior Staff FGLs and Support Staff must complete an online application, have three personal references, submit online reference forms, complete a personal interview in person or online, and pass a national history background check. Returning senior staff need only one reference.
Leaders In Training complete an online application, submit three references, and complete a personal interview.
All application and reference forms are online, and interviews are conducted after an application and references are received. Full details are on the work at camp page.
Where You Will Work
Camp Tekoa sits on a property built for the work. Facilities include a three-acre lake with canoes and paddleboats, fishing areas, a diving dock with diving boards and a slide, a sand beach and shallow swimming area, a high ropes course and giant swing, three ziplines including the Woodland, Lake Zip, and Big Zip, a 40-foot climbing tower, the Ninja Cave bouldering wall, a tree climb, a lakeside rope swing, hiking trails, a challenge and low ropes course, a campfire circle seating 300, an outdoor chapel seating 100, an activity field and meadow, an outdoor basketball court, a picnic shelter, a playground, and an 18-hole disc golf course.
Year-Round Opportunities
Tekoa's work does not stop in August. Retreat season runs from mid August until summer camp begins in May and includes school year programming for local children. The camp also posts year-round salaried positions with benefits when they open. Year-round openings are listed on the Tekoa website as they become available.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old do I have to be to work at Camp Tekoa?
Family Group Leaders must be 17 or older. The Leader In Training program is open to current high school juniors.
Are Camp Tekoa internships paid?
Yes. All internships at Camp Tekoa are paid, unless an intern specifically requests volunteer hours to satisfy an academic department requirement.
Do I need prior camp experience?
No. Tekoa hires many first-time staff each summer and provides two weeks of training for senior staff. What matters more is a genuine interest in working with children, being comfortable outdoors, and alignment with the camp's mission.
What certifications will I earn?
All staff receive CPR, AED, and First Aid training. Senior staff also have the opportunity to earn American Red Cross Lifeguard certification and Ropes Course Facilitator certification.
When should I apply?
Applications open in the fall for the following summer, and the strongest application window runs from January through March. Applying earlier gives you more say in your role and any specialized certification tracks.
Do I have to be United Methodist?
No. Camp Tekoa is a United Methodist camp and asks that staff be Christians who are excited about its mission. Staff come from many denominations and churches.
Apply for a Summer That Changes Things
Camp staff work is not a placeholder job. Alumni describe it as the summer that shaped their career, their faith, and their closest friendships. Curt R., who was both a camper and a staff member at Tekoa, wrote that he was not sure how else to describe it, that it changed his life, and that he and his family plan on sending their children there.
Start on the work at camp page to review positions and complete the staff interest form, or learn more about the camp itself on our general info page. Questions are welcome through our contact page or at (828) 692-6516.
