Your Role as a Camp Counselor

Camp counselors are the heart of American summer camps. You guide, support, and inspire campers while enjoying an unforgettable cultural exchange experience. Duties include daily supervision, activity leadership, and ensuring health and safety.

Earnings & Program Benefits

• Stipend: Earn a minimum of $2,300 USD up to $3,500 USD for 9 weeks, with additional pay for extra days.
• Board & Meals: Free room, accommodation, and meals provided for the entire duration of camp.
• Insurance: Full accident and sickness health insurance covered throughout the program.
• Visa & Travel: Official J-1 Visa Sponsorship (DS-2019 form) + 30-day grace period to travel across the USA.

Eligibility & Who We Recruit

Who to Recruit

• Excellent English skills: Counselors must communicate clearly with campers and staff. Limited English can make placement difficult and may even lead to visa denial.
• Positive attitude and flexibility: Camp life changes quickly! Great counselors stay adaptable and handle challenges calmly.
• Maturity and teamwork: Participants must act responsibly around children and work well with others throughout long, active camp days.
• Genuine interest in children and cultural exchange: The program isn’t about earning money, but about personal growth and cultural understanding.

Requirements for Counselors

Before an applicant completes the full application, please pre-screen to ensure they meet these basic requirements:

• Availability: Must be able to start no later than June 12 and stay until at least August 15. A wider availability range increases their chances of placement.
• Age: We prefer candidates between 19 and 25, but will also consider those aged 18–28.
• Skills: The more specialized, the better! Applicants should have relevant certification or training in their activity area and/or strong teaching experience.
• Eligibility: Applicants must be a student, teacher, bona fide youth worker, or have specialized skills related to camp activities.

Program Steps

Transparent Program Fees (€500 Total)

The Intern Professional Training program is designed for foreign college and university students and recent graduates who want to gain exposure to U.S. culture and hands-on experience in U.S. workplaces in their chosen field. Placements are arranged through a designated J-1 program sponsor, and ADOT supports candidates throughout the process.

Who Can Apply

• Currently enrolled and pursuing studies at a foreign degree- or certificate-granting post-secondary institution.
• Or graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months before the program start date.

Occupational Fields

Internships are available in areas such as Management, Business & Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, Arts & Culture, Information Media & Communications, Education & Social Services, and the Sciences & Engineering.

DinoCamp is an educational study trip that lets young people experience how paleontologists work. Participants explore Late Jurassic fossil country on the Portuguese west coast, learn how fossils are found, recorded and prepared, and understand what they tell us about ancient ecosystems and climate. The program is open to all students aged 7 to 18 and is organised with our host organisation, the Sociedade de História Natural.

Host Organisation: Sociedade de História Natural (SHN)

The Sociedade de História Natural de Torres Vedras was founded on 18 March 1998. It is a non-profit scientific organisation dedicated to promoting paleontological and geological heritage, with a focus on vertebrate fossils and educational activities in GeoPaleontology. It manages one of the largest paleontological collections in Portugal and is working towards a Paleontological Museum for public science communication.

SHN researchers have contributed to the description of new dinosaur species from the Torres Vedras and Lourinhã region, and the organisation has reported finds such as a Jurassic dinosaur nest with eggs at Santa Cruz beach and an armoured (ankylosaur-group) dinosaur about 146 million years old.

Designed for Every Age Group (7-18)

Photos from SHN

Photos: Sociedade de História Natural (shn.pt)

What Students Will Do

• Guided fossil excavation: supervised dig days in Late Jurassic rocks (about 150 million years old), learning to find, record and protect fossils.
• Laboratory experience: work in a paleontology and paleoecology laboratory, discovering how fossils are cleaned, prepared and catalogued.
• Geoheritage field trips: GeoHeritage and GeoPark-themed tours of the Oeste region to understand landscapes, rocks and the fossils they hold.
• GIS and mapping workshop: use maps and geographic information tools to see where fossil sites are and why protecting them matters.
• Climate and ecosystems: use fossils to understand ancient environments and what they can teach us about climate change today.

Program Format (1-2 Weeks)

Families and schools can choose a 1-week or a 2-week stay. The 1-week option covers Week 1; the 2-week option adds Week 2.

Program Details

• Duration: 1 or 2 weeks.
• Participants: all students aged 7-18 from Europe and neighbouring countries.
• Type: educational study trip - paid program, open to all students. Fee (see what is included below) and dates are confirmed on request.
• Location: Torres Vedras region, Portugal (SHN research centre Ci2Paleo, Santa Cruz).
• Supervision: activities are led by SHN specialists and educators. Participants under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian.

What's Included in the Fee

• Return flight tickets
• Local transport
• Accommodation
• Guided tours
• Free SHN membership
• Museum entrances
• Dinopark experience

Transparent Price Summary 2026-2027

Indicative per-participant prices for the 2026-2027 season. Final prices are confirmed in your written offer. Return flights are priced at an average for European departures.

Accommodation

• Hotel: Hotel Mar Azul, E.N. 247, Empreendimento Turístico "Mar Azul", Bloco 6, 2560-446 Silveira

Contact Us

All applications, questions and arrangements for DinoCamp are handled by ADOT Education Events Consulting, the organiser and intermediary for this program.

Our Background & Expertise

Our J-1 program and mobility consultancy journey began in 2018. Over the years, we have built trusted relationships with camp directors across leading U.S. camps including Camp Watitoh, Point O'Pines, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, and Camp Greylock as well as leading volunteering projects in Portugal. With our regional hubs in Lisbon and Bratislava, we ensure quick administrative responses and hands-on guidance for all candidates.

News & Media

Our Erasmus+ projects and partners in the press.

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