Staff F.A.Q.
Where is Club Kodiak located?
Club Kodiak is located about 25 minutes north of Huntsville, ON, near the town of Burk's Falls. We are on a 49 1/2 acre site on beautiful Jack Lake.
How are staff selected?
Our staff go through a rigorous interview process before being hired. Our staff includes professionals that are working in a related field (teachers, child & youth workers, social workers, PSW's, etc.,), or mature university students that are working towards a career in one of these fields.
Staff go through a significant training period that is led by instructors that have both experience with Club Kodiak, and experience working with the population of Guests that attend Kodiak.
All staff are required to complete a Vulnerable Sector (Police) Check prior to arrival at Club.
What are the responsibilities of staff members?
Staff members will be responsible for both living in a cottage and advising their Guests. They are also responsible for teaching life skills, sports and/or activities to the entire group. All of our Advisors have the opportunity to work with all of the Guests that attend Club Kodiak.
What qualifications or certifications are needed?
As we employ Advisors who are either experienced professionals, or university students heading towards a profession working with children or young adults with special needs, qualifications in these areas are certainly an asset. Professionals such as teachers, child & youth workers, social workers, etc. are given special consideration upon applying.
Also, applicants who have camp-related certifications are strong candidates for employment. Certifications in lifeguarding, boat-driving (pleasure craft operator), canoeing, sailing, etc are an asset.
Who are the Guests? Where are they from?
Kodiak Guests range in age from 19 years and older, with Learning Disabilities, ADHD, NLD & High-functioning ASD. We host young adults that come from accross Canada, the USA and around the world.
What activities are offered at Club?
All of our Club activities are planned with a view to teaching skills, building confidence and improving self-esteem. We achieve this by carefully structuring all of our activities to ensure success. Our Advisors break tasks down into manageable chunks and present them in a logical sequence. This way, we can be sure that our Guests will be successful. We acknowledge every accomplishment, and never miss the opportunity to provide positive feedback and recognition.
We continuously de-emphasize competition, stress co-operation and sportsmanship, and model appropriate behaviours and attitudes.
What does a typical day look like for staff?
The days are long and jam-packed for our staff, yet they are also very rewarding. Our staff wakes up before the Guests (around 7:30 am) to prepare for the day. There is time in the morning for Advisors to help their Guests prepare breakfast, tidy up the cottage and get cleaned up and prepared for the day. Our mornings consist of two, 1 hour life skills sessions; the first as a large group and the second hour is for skills that the Guests will choose. We set aside a 1/2 hour at the end of the morning to allow Guests the opportunity have a bit of free time. Lunch is prepared back in the Cottages, which is followed by a rest hour period. Our afternoon activites are chosen by the Guests each day and will vary from day to day. We finish the afternoon with 'Sun and Swim' - which is a time for all Guests to have some beach time, in case they've chosen other activites for the day. At that time, we also begin our dinner preparation, which we cook and eat together as a whole group. We have two more activites in the evening, and then it's back to the cottages to settle in for the night. As we offer 24-hour supervision, at least one advisor will remain in the cottage after lights out. The rest are welcome to enjoy some 'down time' in the staff lounge.
When should I apply?
We begin to hire in the late fall, but you are welcome to apply at any time. Follow the link below to complete an online application.
What is the duration of employment? What are my days off?
Staff training begins towards the end of June, and our Club sessions run through until the beginning of September. Consult the Dates & Rates page to see the specific details for Club Kodiak sessions.
Staff are given one day off a week, not including the first or last week of the summer, or the transition weeks between sessions. This totals 7 days off for the summer. Days off begin the night before, once Guests are settled, and run through to the morning after, before Guests wake up.
What is your accessibility policy?
Our Accessibility Policy can be viewed here
Our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan can be viewed here
How much will I get paid?
Club Kodiak staff are paid competitive salaries, with experience and qualifications as considerations. For more information, please contact the Kodiak office.
Is there computer or internet access for staff?
Internet access is very limited at our location, and therefore it is generally reserved for office use. However we do provide internet and computer access for staff when they need to complete school registrations, or other business that requires the internet.