FAQs for Staff

What is the process for applying to work on staff at Camp Ramah?

All staff candidates are asked to please submit a staff application (which you can download here) and three written references. It is OK to submit your application first, with the references to follow. Once we receive your application, you will be contacted by Josh Edelglass, Assistant Director, or another member of our senior team. Interviews are conducted in-person or via skype. Feel free to e-mail Josh directly in order to schedule your interview. Staff candidates generally go through two rounds of interviews, after which, if we want to hire you, we will make a job offer.

I have applied but I haven't heard anything. What should I do?

Please contact Josh Edelglass, Assistant Director, with any questions. If you submitted an application but never heard from us, that probably means we never received your application and you should contact Josh to arrange to resubmit. If you have had your first round interview and haven’t heard from us about scheduling you for a second-round interview, that probably means that we are still waiting to receive one or more of your three required references. However, you should e-mail Josh to check in.

When I am applying to be a counselor, can I request to work with a specific age group?

Yes, absolutely, and we take all requests into account. However, generally when we hire counselors it is without edah (division) placement. We only assign counselors to edot in early June, after we have completed the camper bunking (which happens in May).

Can I apply to work at camp for one month or must I work for the full summer?

The vast majority of jobs for college-age candidates are full summer, however each summer we do have a handful of one-month only jobs available. If you are only available for one session, you should mention this to Josh in your first conversation or e-mail exchange.

We only hire JCs (Junior Counselors) for the full summer.  If you feel you have an out-of-the-ordinary reason why an exception should be made (for example: you are an Israeli and you are getting drafted into the IDF in August), please contact Josh Edelglass or Michelle Sugarman and we can discuss this with you.

For adults, we do have a variety of one-month-only positions available.

Are there any positions available for a shorter term than a four-week session?

Generally, no. We are looking for staff-members who can work for 4 or 8 weeks. We occasionally are able to bring some rabbis/cantors/educators from across our region to camp for a one or two week stint as a Visiting Educator.

Do a lot of adults work at Ramah?

Yes! One of the things that makes Camp Ramah in New England unique and special is our large population of adult staff-members, in addition to the 100-plus college-aged staff-members who we employ.

If I work on staff, can my children come to camp? What are the financial arrangements?

Yes! Many of our adult staff-members have children enrolled at camp!  It’s wonderful for families to be together at camp.  (Though we do caution parents that staff-kids sometimes have a slightly harder time adjusting to camp than other kids, because they don’t make a complete separation from their parents.  Josh can happily discuss this at greater length with you during your interview.)  We offer a 25% tuition discount for the children of first-time staff-members.  This rises to 50% for adult staff-members.  If your child(ren) is too young to be in a bunk, we have a wonderful Gan day-camp program that runs from the end of breakfast to the beginning of dinner.  There is no staff discount applied to Gan fees; the Gan is already a highly-discounted program available only for the pre-camper-aged children of adult staff-members.  (For 2023, our Gan fees are $225 per week, per child.  The fee is $315 for any child younger than three years old.)  For staff who have to fly to camp, while we will reimburse the cost of your travel, you will have to pay for your child(ren)’s flight(s).

May I apply to work at Camp Ramah in New England if I live outside of your camp's region?

Yes! However, if you spent time previously at another Ramah camp, as either a camper or staff-member, we will contact that camp for their permission before interviewing you.

May I apply to work at Camp Ramah in New England if I live outside of the U.S.A.?

Yes!  We hire many international staff, and we have one of the largest contingents of Israeli staff-members of any Jewish summer camp in the United States.  Your procedure for applying is the same as for American staff.  For international staff, in addition to your salary, we will cover the costs of your VISA and also the cost of your flights to/from camp (up to an agreed-upon limit).  For Israeli adult-staff members planning to come with their children, we have an additional tuition discount for Israeli kids.

May I apply to multiple Ramah camps at the same time?

No. In order to ensure that the Ramah camps are not competing with one another for staff-members, we ask that candidates only apply to one Ramah camp at a time. Of course, if you apply to Camp Ramah New England and we are not able to hire you, you are welcome to then apply to another Ramah camp and we will be happy to forward your application materials to that camp.

If I am hired, what happens then?

After you accept a position with us, we will e-mail you your contract and a variety of staff forms. All forms are due by May 1st.

If I am hired, where will I live at camp?

All college-age staff-members (counselors and specialists) live in tzrifim (bunk) with our campers. On average, a Ramah tzrif has 12-14 hanichim (campers) along with two or three madrichim (bunk counselors).

Adult staff-members live in adult staff housing. We have two main clusters of staff-housing, with rooms in a variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations. We do our best to place each adult staff-member in the room that is best for him/her and his/her family. The staff housing is rustic but in good condition. We do not guarantee a private bathroom.