Only the Best: Chi’s Around the Globe Search

In the past few weeks, Joelle and Louis have gone on international staff hiring trips. Between the two of them, Chi has been in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Krakow, Dublin, Puebla, Edinburgh, Prague and Budapest. Joelle is currently in Israel to hire our shlichim and in just a few days Kyle heads to the UK for more hiring. Already we have racked up more than 38,000 miles on our many travels, and there is no doubt we will end the hiring season with well over 45,000 miles between the team. But why so much travel to hire staff?

Every year the full-time staff scour the globe for the most skilled, dedicated and passionate individuals who can embody the Chi values of kindness, community, and respect. We work with different international staffing agencies who help locate the best candidate and bring them to us. At Camp Chi, we employ staff who are sincerely dedicated to creating the best summer possible for a fantastic group of children- our campers. These staff must be compassionate, enthusiastic, patient, good listeners, nurturing, and trustworthy. We want them to be team players, and leaders, easy-going people who know how to have fun, but can also ensure safety and quality in our programs. And in addition to all that they must have experience in the specialty area they want to work- whether it is with the horses, in the kitchen, on the housekeeping staff, in the health center, or on the ropes course. Every year, we search high and low, far and wide, and we bring some of the most amazing people to Lake Delton each summer.

Of course, a large portion of our staff come right here from the United States, and our standards are no different. Nearly all of our counselors are American and 90% of them were campers at Camp Chi, with many participating in the SIT program as well. Just like our specialty staff, we set the bar quite high for our counselors, require experience working with kids and a creative drive to produce amazing and unique programs. These homegrown staff members are the backbone of our staff, and while we log less miles to hire them, there is no less effort in making sure they are the best candidates.

In addition to the full-time staff, there are some other big players that help us find the best staff- our alumni- the dedicated group of people who have worked at Chi and have seen the amazing value and impact a summer at camp can have. Many send their siblings, friends, and cousins to Chi, creating a staff legacy similar to a multiple-generation camp family. On the recent trips we had a lot of help from our alumni and want to publicly thank the following people for their finding time to catch up with us and for all their help: Kim Prophet, (DJ) Hattie Abbott, Viki Tolnai, Bianka Jurscek, Lilla Lazar, Courtney McKay, Ruth Van Mierlo, Jacob Gehlan, Fraser Smith, Dani Schur, Max Feehan, Joe Davies, Dan Delew, Abbie Morgan, Imo Connett, Guy Robertson, Roberto Muñoz, Jhosimar Ramirez and John Nugent.

Already for this summer we have contracted staff from Israel, Poland, United Kingdom (Scotland, England, Whales & Northern Ireland), Hungary, Ireland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, and of course the United States of America. That’s right, we have staff that come from almost every continent, from every walk of life, and who speak many different languages. The Chi staff is a cultural melting pot, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Each summer our staff and campers get exposed to a variety of cultures and leave camp with family members and friends from all over the globe. And why? Because we promise each year to find the absolute best staff, and we do not take that lightly.