Summer 2027 · ages 19+
A summer at camp abroad. It costs you €0.The camp pays you.
With the Cultural Camp Experience you join a camp's team as a volunteer: training, a bed, every meal and pick-up on arrival are covered, and your deposits come back in full when you finish. Some camps offer a Paid Counselor Placement instead, with a salary.
With the Paid Counselor Placement the camp employs you: training, a bed and every meal, plus a salary, typically around $2,000 for 8 weeks (approximate). Only some camps offer it, for at least 8 weeks. Most camps offer the Cultural Camp Experience instead, which costs you €0 in the end.
Early-bird deposit until 21 December. Applications open 1 November.
Cultural Camp Experience
Summer 2027
You book your own travel; some camps help with the airfare.
Paid Counselor Placement
Summer 2027
* Approximate: around $2,000 for 8 weeks is typical at the camps that offer this program. Each camp sets its own; visa and paperwork costs reduce it. Fees are not refunded.
Two programs
You choose the camp. The camp sets the program.
Each camp offers one of the two programs, shown on every placement. Most summers are Cultural Camp Experiences: great value, and often the best atmosphere. Paid placements exist only at some camps and ask for more commitment.
Tap a program: the costs, comparisons and questions below follow your choice.
Cultural Camp Experience
Showing · CCE€0You pay €375 (€355 early bird) and get it all back
- Back to you: Both deposits, in full, when you complete your placement
- The camp gives you: Training, room and board, pick-up on arrival. Some camps also help with your airfare.
Paid Counselor Placement
Showing · PCP€375€355 early bird. Not refundable: it pays for our matching service
- Pay: From the camp, typically around $2,000 for 8 weeks. Visa and paperwork costs can reduce it.
- The camp gives you: Training, room and board, and your salary
* Approximate figures: each camp confirms its own pay in its offer.
Volunteering abroad, four weeks
Elsewhere you pay to volunteer. Here it all comes back.
What other volunteer programs charge for a month working with children, before flights.
Working abroad for the summer
The lowest fee to work a summer abroad.
What other summer-work programs charge you, before you earn anything.
To be clear: a paid placement is a real job, with long days and real responsibility for children. That is why camps pay for it, and why only some camps offer it. The Cultural Camp Experience is the other way in, and costs you €0 in the end.
In their words
They went. Here is what they say.
I was surprised how memorable it was: young people with the same energy, all excited for the next adventure, so many like minds in one place.JamesAustralia · 10 weeks, Camp Europe, Walsrode, Germany
I looked forward to every day to see what it would bring. Every day was different, and it was the people who really made it special.JoshEdinburgh, Scotland · 8 weeks, Camp Europe, Walsrode, Germany
Scouting gave me so much growing up. Six weeks at Camp Europe let me give some of it back to children, and in two languages.SaffronUnited Kingdom · 6 weeks, Camp Europe, Walsrode, Germany
I came to help children grow in confidence and found that I grew too. From the very first day, Camp Europe felt like a family.DinaAustralia · 4 weeks, Camp Europe, Walsrode, Germany
The placement process was straightforward, and it opened up so much. From counselor to camp director: you grow when you put yourself out there.BarryIreland · Camp Adventure, Germany
What no price tag shows
The summer that changes how you see the world.
- Learning by doingLeadership, responsibility, a new language: learned with real children, not in a classroom.
- An experience of a lifetimeCampfires, lakes, forests and a team that becomes family. The summer you will talk about for years.
- Truly internationalCounselors and campers from many countries. Friends, and contacts, on every continent.
What every camp gives you
Everything you need to live at camp is covered.
A bed and every meal, all summer
You live at camp with the team. No rent, no food shop, no hostel hunting: the two biggest costs of a summer abroad are gone.
Training first
A training week at camp before the children arrive, with the certifications that come with it.
Picked up on arrival
From the airport, train station or bus stop to camp.
An international team
Counselors from many countries. The friends you make here last.
A camp reference for your CV
Leadership and responsibility, proven by a real camp. English language coaches also get a TEFL course.
From today to camp
How it works
- Apply onlineChoose a placement and send your application. Applications are open from 1 November to 30 April.
- InterviewWe meet you online to get to know you and match you with the right camp.
- OfferYou receive your camp offer with dates, role and program.
- PrepareWe help you get ready: documents, travel and what to expect.
- Training week and campYou start with a training week at camp, then the summer with your campers.
- Back homeCultural Camp Experience: both deposits come back by bank transfer once your placement is completed.Paid Counselor Placement: you go home with your salary from the camp. Our two fees are not refunded.
Before you apply
Questions about costs
For both programs
How much does it cost to work at a summer camp with International Camps Network?
It depends on the program the camp offers. Cultural Camp Experience: nothing in the end. You pay an initial deposit of €75 (€55 until 21 December) and a final deposit of €300, and both come back in full when you complete your placement. Paid Counselor Placement: an application fee of €75 and a placement fee of €300, €375 in total, and the camp pays you.
Which program will I get?
Each camp decides which program it offers, and it is shown on every placement. The Paid Counselor Placement is only at some camps, needs at least 8 weeks and costs €375. Cultural Camp Experience camps cost you nothing and often have a wonderful atmosphere.
Who can apply, and when?
Anyone aged 19 or over. Applications are open from 1 November to 30 April; the early bird first payment of €55 runs until 21 December.
Cultural Camp Experience
Is the Cultural Camp Experience really free?
Yes. You are a volunteer, so we do not charge you: your €375 in deposits comes back in full when you complete your placement. The camp gives you training, room and board and pick-up on arrival; some camps also help with your airfare.
When and how do I get my deposits back?
At the end of your placement, once you have completed it satisfactorily, International Camps Network sends them to you by bank transfer.
What happens if I leave camp early?
If the placement is not completed, the Cultural Camp Experience deposits are forfeited.
Does the camp help with my flight?
Some camps set a travel allowance towards your airfare in advance. When a camp offers one, it is shown on the placement.
Paid Counselor Placement
Is anything refunded in the Paid Counselor Placement?
The application fee is refunded if we do not offer you a placement. Otherwise both payments are kept: they pay for our work matching you with a camp that pays you.
How much will the camp pay me?
It depends on the camp. As a guide, around $2,000 for 8 weeks. That figure is approximate: each camp confirms its own pay in its offer.
Do I need a visa or work permit?
It depends on your nationality and the camp's country. We guide you through the paperwork; its costs are yours and reduce your take-home pay.
Find your Camp Staff Placement for summer 2027.
Early-bird deposit until 21 December. Applications open 1 November.