Camp Counsellor
Nini’s Cooking is Calgary’s leading culinary school for children. We provide an awesome culinary Summer Camp experience to kids. Our mission is to provide a safe and empowering environment where youths can learn hands-on culinary skills, and develop confidence and independence. We do this by step by step teaching cooking and baking skills, supporting and helping kids cultivate a love of cooking healthy foods and creating recipes on their own. We believe skills learned at Nini’s Cooking will have a positive impact on their lifelong eating habits and their overall health.
To ensure our campers have a fun and memorable Summer camp, we are currently recruiting a Camp Counsellors for our campsites who will engage in fun, educational, interactive and engaging indoor and outdoor activities with our campers. We are looking for an outgoing, experienced, enthusiastic, motivated, responsible, creative, caring, physically fit, and an authority figure who will build relationships with campers and enhance their experience while taking responsibility for their health and wellbeing. Demonstrated experience working with children. You will be required to work with diverse age groups. If this is who you are, we invite you to join our team. You will bring your personality, your passion, and unique skills to Nini’s Cooking team to create a fun, engaging, educational and safe experience for our campers.
Based on your performance you may be retained for summer camp and yearly programs.
The camps will run throughout the spring break from June 29- Aug 28. This is a full-time position working 40 hours per week from Monday - Friday with occasional overtime as deemed necessary. Reporting to the Lead Chef the Camp Counsellor is an integral part of the team, responsible for leading all morning and afternoon huddles, as well as planning and managing all break activities. For a full list of your responsibilities see below:
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Support the lead chef in building and maintaining a physically and emotionally safe environment for campers and staff
- Create, implement, coordinate, conduct, and supervise all recreational activities for campers and deliver large and small group instructions.
- Execute break time activities including arts and crafts, games and team building exercises with enthusiasm and high energy
- Responsible for the well-being and safety of campers, as well as for creating a safe, fun, and rewarding environment for campers
- Build authentic relationship with campers, team, families and host
- Ability to teach and lead various recreational activities alongside helping campers engage fully in all activities.
- Supervise and support campers also during execution of recipes to keep campers safe. Follow and execute daily prep requirements as defined by the sous chef
- Help define and reinforce rules and expectations.
- Be a Nini’s Cooking brand ambassador
- Ensures all campers are on the same page and work as one unit
- Ensure campers are well fed and hydrated
- Stand, sit, or walk for an extended period of time
- Ensure good safety practices, and maintain proper emergency and security procedures
- Have an Upbeat and welcoming personality
- Support kitchen assistant in the execution of cleanliness standards
- Ensure campers stay hydrated, are safe and well fed
- Help manage campers and assist during the Friday competition
- Adhere to Nini’s Cooking mission, pride in doing good work, positive attitude, and believe in the potential of every child
- Complete other duties as assigned.
Required Experience and Skills:
- 3 years of experience working with children in a professional setting
- 2 years experience working with children in a summer camp setting
- Enjoy working with children, with patience and self-control
- Demonstrated experience working with children
- Ability to teach and lead various recreational activities
- Ability to work with a variety of ages and skill levels
- Passion for food and experience cooking meals
- Some experience using all kitchen tools and knives
- Creative thinking and management skills
- Enthusiastic, motivated, responsible, creative, caring, physically fit
- Great sense of humour with an outgoing personality
- Ability to build relationships with campers with great communication skills
- Passion for food and experience with handling some kitchen tools and cooking meals
- Sensitive, empathetic, and sympathetic personality to accommodate all behaviour personalities of our campers
- Work experience in the culinary industry is an asset
- Organized, detailed oriented, and punctual
- Proactive, detailed oriented and punctual
- Willingness to work with culturally diverse campers
- Strong communication, collaborative, and interpersonal skills
- Vulnerable sector check screening is to be provided 2 weeks prior to camp
- Experience working with culturally diverse campers
- Reliable and dependable - able to commit to the program, arrive on time, and proactively communicate any needs or issues during camp
Required Qualifications:
- Red Cross or St. John Ambulance Standard First Aid & CPR certification
- Food Handlers Certificate
- Preferrably Permanent Resident
Benefits of working for Nini’s Cooking
- Competitive compensation
- Work with Certified Chefs
- Rewarding and meaningful work
- Work regular hours: Mon-Thur 7:00-5:00 pm, and Friday 7:00 am-6:00 pm
- Weekends and Holidays Off – a bonus in the Summer months!
- Fun, welcoming and family-oriented culture
- Team of passionate and enthusiastic individuals
- Rapidly growing company with opportunities for growth & learning
- Enjoy a variety of meals that we make!
- Opportunity to impact lives
- Free Parking
Dates of work: -
June 29 - Aug 28, 2026 - Summer Break Camp
How to Apply:
If it sounds like we’d make a great team together, and you share our drive to help kids have fun while developing independent living skills, please send us your cover letter and resume with qualifications and skills to the attention of Trisha.
Please quote “Camp Counsellor – Summer Camp” in the subject line. We thank all applicants, but only those candidates who meet the position requirements will be contacted directly.
No phone calls, please. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Hours of Work: Mon-Thur 7:00-5:00 pm, and Friday 7:00 am-6:00 pm
Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract, Casual, Seasonal
Contract length: 2 months
Pay: $16.00-$18.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Discounted or free food
- On-site parking
Application question(s):
- Looking for someone who is very outgoing and energetic, experienced with running fun activities with children indoors and outdoors
- This role requires high energy, constant engagement, and leading groups of children actively throughout the day. Are you naturally outgoing and comfortable maintaining an energetic environment for long periods? Yes or No
- Describe a specific example of how you kept a group of children engaged when they were losing interest or becoming distracted
- This position requires taking initiative without waiting for instructions. Can you give 2 examples of when you stepped in and took leadership with the children or a group activity?
- are you comfortable leading activities , speaking confidently in front of groups of children, keeping the momentum going even kids are tired or unfocused? Yes or No
- This is a fast-paced, hands-on camp environment where standing back and observing is not acceptable. Are you comfortable being actively involved. and participating throughout your shift? Yes or No
- What is your natural energy level when working with kids? Provide an example that shows how you bring ethusiasm into a group setting with kids
Experience:
- camp counselling: 2 years (required)
Work Location: In person
