Swim Instructor/Lifeguards for Summer Camp

The Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds (HKC) is currently seeking motivated, reliable and capable individuals with a love of swimming to join the HKC Pearl River aquatics team as swim instructor/lifeguards for summer 2026.

• Camp Dates: June 29 - August 14
• Pay: $4112 for the 7 weeks of camp + 19 hours of training (approx. $16/hr)
• Hours: Mon - Fri 8:30am - 4:00pm

Applicants do not need to have prior experience working as a lifeguard or swim instructor.

ABOUT THE JOB

You'll spend the summer working at our three pool complexes ensuring the safety or all swimmers, campers and counselors alike, as they swim and make use of the pools.

Half of the day, each member of the aquatics team serves as a swim instructor, teaching swim according to the American Red Cross curriculum. The other half of the day is spent lifeguarding. HKC will provide the curriculum and train you in how to teach swim.

Primarily, your job will be to:

• Supervise and guard all swim activities to help prevent and manage injuries.
• Teach swim to 4-5 groups of campers daily
• Provide rescues as needed
• Ensure campers and staff follow safety procedures while at the pools
• Daily set-up and close down of pools

EXPECTATIONS

• Work all 34 days of camp (some exceptions allowed)
• Attend all orientations and trainings
• Show up on time
• Be a great team member

CERTIFICATIONS

• Lifeguard certification provided by HKC (no charge)*
• WSI certification a plus

*Tuition reimbursement up to $300 available if you are unable to attend the HKC course.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Enjoy working with children
• Visual and auditory ability to identify and respond to critical incidents
• Physical ability to act swiftly in an emergency
• Ability to spend the entire day outdoors, under the sun
• Must be at least 16 years old at the start of camp
• Swim well enough to pass the pre-certification swim test:
  • Ability to swim 300 yards continuously using front crawl or breaststroke
  • Ability to tread water for 2 minutes using only your legs
  • Complete a time event within 1 minute, 40 seconds where you starting in the water must swim 20 yards, surface dive to a depth of 7 - 10 feet to retrieve a 10 lb object, return to the surface and swim 20 yards to the starting point with both hands holding the object, with your face at or near the surface and exit the pool without using the ladder or steps

HKC requires all applicants submit three references. At least two of them must be from an adult connected to work, school, volunteer work or extracurricular activities.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Home to 11 independently run JCC day camps, the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds, is a small Jewish non-profit, that manages and operates three facilities located in Long Island, Rockland County and Staten Island. Our mission is to enhance the camp experience and provide a safe environment for the campers and counselors who call our grounds home. On any given camp day we welcome more than 5000 campers and camp staff through our gates. As a seasonal organization, HKC hires 200+ seasonal workers to provide lifeguarding, swim instruction, maintenance, janitorial services and security to ensure we can carry out our mission and meet the needs of the day camps that run at HKC.

HKC is a second chance employer