Outdoor Education Internship

Outdoor Education Internship / Cabin Counselor

– Camp Cobbossee for Boys –

Monmouth, Maine

Thank you for your interest in a paid internship in Outdoor Education this summer.

THE JOB

Cobbossee is a 4-week, 2-session sleepaway sports and adventure summer camp in Maine. The dates for this position run from June 2nd to August 9th, 2025.

For more on what summer camping actually is, see the very bottom of this document! 

Cobbossee is looking for passionate and motivated Outdoor Education Majors to work in our Climbing and Challenge Course program.  

Looming large above the entrance road to Cobbossee lies our two 30ft climbing walls , the High Ropes course and our zipline! It’s here the boys of Cobbossee learn how to climb, hang and fall safely, they also have a ton of fun.

Through a professionally run program, boys at Cobbossee learn the fundamentals of climbing and ignite their passion for swinging in the air and getting up into the tree canopy. 

This internship will take you from a beginner outdoor instructor to a proficient Challenge Course and Climbing instructor as well as develop your understanding of teaching climbing curriculum. The Climbing team are part of the ‘Adventure team’ and interns will experience a large range of outdoor education activities including; fire building, hatchet throwing, shelter building and nature walks.

Over the summer a Climbing counselor will operate many elements of our challenge course, these are; our High Ropes course, Our 100m Zipline, the Leap of Faith, the Flying Squirrel and the Low ropes course. We will provide a third party professional training upon arrival , called the Challenge Course Instructor training. This course is provided for you, free, and will boost your practical skills and resume! 

If you haven’t used these elements before do not worry. We offer a three-day certification course in Top Rope Belaying and equipment management. Safety is the name of the game at Cobbossee. You will become an expert in the basics under the experienced watch of the Adventure Leadership team. If you are new to climbing this job will take those basics and build you up to a proficient instructor whilst developing your own climbing knowledge.

You will also be a part of the ‘Adventure team’. The Team is made up of six ropes staff, two mountain bikers and two archery instructors. This is a close knit unit of outdoor adventurers who operate all of the adventure activities at camp under the Head and Assistant Heads of Adventure.

There is a lot of variety associated with the Adventure team, you will have opportunities to assist at archery, hatchet throwing, mountain biking and fire-building. 

ADVENTURE CULTURE AT CAMP COBBOSSEE

At Adventure we push kids outside of their comfort zone. We do this safely and in a supportive way. There is no better feeling that high fiving the kid who was scared of heights who just climbed to the top of the climbing wall through your instruction or when they first try the Free Fall device and it’s you who helped them to take the jump. The program area we run has real scope for danger which is why we set our standards high in safety procedure which then provides us with enormous scope for fun and memorable experiences for the boys. The cycle of effort to reward is continuous, working with every age group of camper through an appropriately challenging curriculum of outdoor adventure activities.   

Alongside the activity role in the day, our Instructor interns also work as Counselors who live in a bunk with a set of campers and work at their activity area during the day. 

THE BENEFITS

This position will provide the following package; pay a base salary, end of season bonus, provide bed & board, Wifi, Laundry service and day off transport throughout the summer.

Pre-summer certification training is provided for free by us in Challenge Course Safety Management.

To get you to and from camp we provide a Travel Allowance so it won't cost you personally to take this adventure to Maine! (that's right, expenses covered to work somewhere new and exciting with beautiful weather). On-site use of our Weights room & facilities are available to all staff summer long. The Adventure team in particular, earn their privilege to use the adventure areas in off time.

How to Internship

Internship requirements can be fulfilled through a tailor-made program when you discuss the specifics with our full time Staffing Director, Jonesy. If you have any questions you can directly message Jonesy through Handshake or head right to our website and complete the short work application and Jonesy will be in touch immediately to discuss how we can tailor our position to your needs / dates this summer.  Our training is professional and our contact hours are intense over the short summer season and so far, we have fulfilled school requirements for internships annually.

For anyone interested in an outdoors leadership career, this position is excellent exposure to safety management across a range of outdoor activities and within a respected adventure program.

THE BOTTOM LINE

“Summer jobs” are often seen as throwaway jobs. Not here. This job is going to challenge you. You are going to give of yourself, have an absolute blast, develop strong friendships with your peers, and really make a difference in young people’s lives. 

You should come work at Cobbossee because we are one of the best. We develop counselors like we develop campers. You will change for the better. It will truly be the summer of your life.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

You should immediately head to https://www.campcobbossee.com/experience/#work and apply online. Our Staffing Director, Matt “Jonesy” Jones will be in touch very quickly. You can also call us at 800-473-6104 if you have more questions.

For anyone not familiar with the huge world of sleepaway camps in New England, it works as follows:

All over the northeast each summer, families send their boys and girls up to New England to spend anywhere from a couple weeks to the entire summer at a sleepaway camp. Sometimes people who are not from the east coast see this as a strange choice, maybe even a mean choice! “Don’t they like their kids?” the question goes. Of course they do. They love their children and it’s hard for them to be away from them for the time they are at camp. But parents sacrifice time with their kids in the summer because summer camp is really good for young children. Camp (especially longer-term camps of four-to-eight weeks) teaches children independence, self-reliance, and confidence through the teaching of new skills, improving at sports, and living away from home. It isn’t always easy. But it is worth it! Crucial to this process are you, the counselor. You become like a family member to the campers in your cabin. In fact, you will find yourself developing really fast yourself, just so you can be the best counselor and instructor possible for your kids! It is rewarding, challenging, and transformative work to care for campers.

Check out our reviews from prior staff who found us through Handshake.