Is CIT required for staff?

[Scouter&mom]

Do the camps in your area require a boy do a summer as CIT before he can be paid staff? Common knowledge around here says a boy must work as CIT before he can be paid staff. I have yet to find anything in writing, but the council office is closed this week and I intend to investigate further.

 

Our council is very small and has only two weeks of camp. My son is interested in working camp staff somewhere. He will be 16 next summer and will need to raise some money for gas and car, so would rather work as paid staff. He attended summer camp this year for two weeks but did not go as CIT since he wanted to earn some of his Eagle Required Merit Badges and do a special program the second week. He went to Jambo last year, and went out of council to get NYLT. He is finishing his last requirement for Life and plans to be working on his Eagle project next summer.

 

So is he likely to be able to get a job working as paid staff, or will his lack of having CIT (in our council that only means you work for free) keep him from getting paid?

[acco40]

In my council, working as a CIT allows one to be evaluated in the summer camp setting. This would either help or hurt one depending on how one acted as a CIT. For that reason, working as a "good" CIT gives them a leg up on others who have not worked as a CIT. So, while highly recommended, it is not mandatory for employment as staff. Due to supply and demand, it may work out differently in your council.

[scoutldr]

Short answer...no. If a prospective staffer has the skills and personality, and is willing to work for what amounts to one third of what they could make at McDonalds, we don't turn them away.

[John-in-KC]

There are other places to get experience as well.

 

My almost-Eagle spent three years working J-staff at District Cub Day Camp. He worked for T-shirts and references.

 

Those references got him his job this year!!!

[Eamonn]

No it's not a requirement.

More like a dry run.

It does offer both the camp and the Lad an opportunity to see what they are letting themselves in for!!

We have had one CIT go home this summer as he just got very homesick.

This might hurt his chances of being hired next summer.

Eamonn.

[scoutingagain]

Ditto to what Acco and Eamonn said.

 

At our Council Camp, CITs also pay for the priviledge of doing much of the same work paid staff do. In addition they are required to have at least two full uniforms, and purchase staff T-shirts and hats. Even with this, the camp usually turns applicants away from this program that has a limited number of openings. It does include the NYLT program for one of the 4 weeks the scout participates in the program.

 

While not specifically required to work a staff position at our Council Camp, open staff positions are usually filled from those who participated as CITs or Lead Scouts, as we call them, from the previous year. I imagine it varies council by council, camp to camp. As Scoutldr noted though, if your son is willing to put in the work and is willing to travel a bit, there is probably a camp that can use him somewhere. One suggestions might be to have him work towards BSA Lifeguard. Qualified waterfront applicants seem to be in more demand.

 

Our Council Camp frequently has more applicants than positions available. It is not unusual for a CIT to be turned down for a paid position. My son who, did get on staff this summer, knows of at least two CITs from his class last year who are returning as CITs again this summer because they were unable to get on paid staff this summer.

 

SA