Bad management - Counselor Camp Merri-mac Employee Review

1.0
28 Dec 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Beautiful place to spend the summer, room and board included

Cons

First of all, you get paid like 30 cents an hour , which is fine on one hand because you get free room and board but on the other hand for how much campers pay for 2 weeks it’s atrocious. Senior leadership is really bad. A bunch of college aged girls who are really only there to hang out with each other. If you bring up an issue to them, they will just brush you off. For example, my friend (a counselor) had a camper who was barely eating and she was scared she had an eating disorder. Elizabeth Olvey, the one in charge of staff, brushed it off saying she’ll eat trading post, which she was not. This is just one example of them not trusting staff and caring for campers. Another example is during a free swim for the youngest campers, senior staff left only ONE life guard in charge while they all went to the offsite pool to swim, ignoring the fact that many of them are certified lifeguards. This definitely stressed the poor lone lifeguard after she expressed her concerns about this. It was non of their time off and yet they let the counselor stress alone. Senior staff were just really unprofessional in general. Terrible place to work for the summer. When you interview, they try and make it seem like they really care for staff and treat them well, but after working there for 6 weeks, you start to lose a lot of respect for them.

Explore other reviews about Camp Merri-mac

5.0
12 Mar 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

amazing supportive team, beautiful location, growing and learning so much

Cons

can't think of any cons

2.0
23 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I got to teach canoeing and go on many free trips! Food is always good! (shoutout kitchen staff) The international staff is my fav! My cabin was amazing, (Big Dipper) and had a big community around them. Management always stressed child safety in terms of not being along 1:1 with a child but not always in terms of physical/mental/emotional health

Cons

Management literally does not care. Had a young camper with Self harm and panic attacks, wouldn't let her call home after a severe attack WITH paperwork on file for permission to call at least her therapist. Management will also have expectations of you that won't be voiced until you break those. Timberlake staff is much more put-together and organized, MP and Will Troxeler are kind of inexperienced for how long they've been with Merrimac. Same with Eliabeth O. Adam is better and much nicer/better to be around, but they others are mentally and emotionally draining to be around. There is a high amount of preference/bias for counselors who were campers at Merrimac, even if it's their first year on staff too! Management will say its not true but we all know it is. Staff who were campers are also very cliquey and will not be very welcoming, except for the rare few. Took me about a month and a half to get in with them and by then we were halfway through the summer. If you are lifeguard-certified, expect to be put on only water activities unless you specifically request otherwise. We make up 20% of counselors, with 5 water activities + evening water activities + cabin swim days, you'll be there a lot. Not so much a con, just good to know. You do get a pay increase but isn't much.

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