join our team
Fantastic job opportunities available each spring and summer. learn more >
Camp Staff
We aim to hire only the best and most qualified staff to work with our campers. We look for caring, enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals that have a genuine interest in working with children. The majority of our staff have been HOC campers in the past and have taken part in our two year Staff Development program. They have first-hand knowledge of what to expect and what the campers’ experience will be.
A lot of our new staff are recruited by staff from previous years, whether they are friends or family. The advantage of this is that the new staff come in knowing exactly what to expect and we trust that our past staff members would only send us the best candidates possible. Of course, all staff go through a thorough interview process, which is followed up by reference checks. Every staff member must also submit a current Police Record check.
Our hockey instructors have a different array of qualifications, but they all have two things that bring them together; their love for hockey and teaching young campers. All of our instructors, have strong playing or coaching backgrounds in the game. We have instructors that have played pro/semi-pro or college/university in Canada and the US; we also have instructors that spend the winter coaching bantam and midget teams in their area. A couple of our instructors have been campers for years and know our hockey program inside and out.
The ratio of staff to camper is 1 to 4 at the waterfront and 1 to 6 in all other camp activities. All waterfront staff have a minimum water qualification of Lifesaving Society’s Bronze Cross certification (or equivalent) and many senior water ski staff have a minimum of Lifesaving Society’s National Lifeguarding Certification (NLS) (or equivalent). As added security, given our lakeside environment, we average over 80% of our counselors are water certified with a minimum of Lifesaving Society’s Bronze Medallion certification (or equivalent) and the majority of our staff who work with the campers directly have current first aid qualifications.
Counselors live in the cabins with the campers – in a separate room. Campers are never unaccounted for. A staff member supervises every aspect of camp life including meals, scheduled free time, transitions between activities, bedtime & morning routines and to/from and during hockey training.
Our staff receives in-depth training on HOC policies and procedures and how to handle all potential situations that may arise at camp including bullying, homesickness and emergency procedures (both land and water emergencies).
At HOC we are proud to say that staff alumni are doctors, paramedics, nurses, business owners, social workers, lawyers, recreation administrators, Olympic and professional athletes, coaches, child advocates, teachers, vice principals and principals. The list of successful individuals both personally and professionally could go on and on.
Like many successful camps with a rich history, campers look forward to the day they can work at camp. Many staff start out as campers, working up the ranks and finish as senior staff. Recently, this path has come full circle with many of our alumni campers/staff returning as the parents of the next generation of campers.
