It’s 2 am on Sunday, 30th June. Most of my friends are peacefully asleep, resting from a long term of studying, while others are out partying and enjoying their summer. But me? I’m in A&E; half-stressed and half-asleep. Why? Not because I’ve done anything, but because I’m taking a sick student from the summer camp I’m working at to get emergency treatment.

At the hospital, the doctors and nurses look at me puzzled: “Are you related to the patient?” they ask me. “No,” I tell them, “I’m a staff member at a summer camp the student is staying at.”

“Oh,” they reply, “I don’t have a box for that, I’ll just put you down as a friend.” This sums up the job of working at a summer camp perfectly: there is no neat box it fits into for types of traditional student summer work, and working at a Cambridge summer camp can only be described as a unique experience. To get a broader understanding of what it’s like to work at a Cambridge summer camp, I caught up with fellow students.

“The role is far more complex than the brief job descriptions often elucidate to”

Everyone applied for pretty similar reasons: there’s plenty of summer camp jobs out there, so getting hired isn’t too difficult. On top of this, Sophie, a second year PBS student, told me: “Summer camps tend to compress working hours into a shorter period, and it’s a fixed contract so I am not expected to keep the job over term time.”

Meanwhile, Will, a third year natsci, said: “I wanted a job that’ll be outside. I spend so much of my university time in my room, I wanted to do something I can get a bit of a tan doing.”

One thing that appears to vary greatly, however, is the kind of work students do at summer camps. The role is far more complex than the brief job descriptions often elucidate to. While the official duties at most camps are listed as registering the students, walking them to town and doing sports activities with them, some find there are many other aspects to the role. There are not the not-so-nice additional jobs like the occasional hospital visit, breaking up students sharing drugs, and dealing with serious welfare problems, but these are thankfully rare. And, there are often unexpected positive benefits attached to the role as well: being immersed in a wonderfully multi-cultural environment where you form close and memorable bonds with staff and students alike. If you’re lucky, you might even receive a few gifts from some grateful students.

There are many other unique aspects of work at a summer camp: the hours are often very irregular, some days you will be starting at 7:30 in the morning, and others you may be finishing at midnight. This means that some days can be very relaxed, with nice long breaks between shifts. But, as Katie, a third year English student noted: “It does feel like the summer camp takes over your life for a month - it’s no 9-5 as you live on site, work on-site, eat on site, so there’s less of a sense of ‘Ahh I’ve finished work for the day.’”

Yet for many I spoke to, the irregular hours weren’t a dealbreaker. Sophie said: “I have had a really great experience so far - I get on with the other staff and the course is run really well. I’ve heard horror stories from other camps where staff work 12-hour days and have an awful time, but ours is managed very carefully.”

“I personally won’t forget the time I had to participate in a music video language project as Britney Spears”

And for every horror story, there’s always a positive one to match it. Will fondly recalled the time some students returned from an excursion to London with Beefeater hats and pretended to be his bodyguards. I personally won’t forget the time I had to participate in a music video language project as Britney Spears, and Sophie told me about a slightly-ill fated punting trip: “We sent the kids off on the punts and they just didn’t come back! We had to go out and rescue them, as I think they were struggling to get the hang of it. We eventually managed to get all the punts back - but we ended up getting back over an hour past our booking. It was pretty stressful - but hopefully, at some point, it’ll be funny.”

Another important aspect of working at summer camps is that they offer students the rare opportunity at our age to take on a managerial position. Katie is the activities director for her camp and so has to oversee and organise all the extracurricular activities, “from punting to British snack tasting.” Katie has enjoyed the extra responsibility, and has loved organising bops that are “definitely better attended than any of the bops I’ve been to at Christ’s”.

Will also holds a managerial position at his camp this year as the welfare officer and assistant course director. Though he’s enjoyed the challenge, he told me he wasn’t sure if the increased pay was worth the additional stress and burdens that come with being responsible for everyone’s welfare.

So, taking everything into account, would those I spoke to recommend the job for students in future summers? Everyone was very positive.

Katie said: “I’d definitely recommend it - great job, great pay, nice to enjoy Cambridge a little more outside of term time. But be prepared to combine your work life and social life into one for the month.”

Will was less enthusiastic about applying to senior roles but gave the activity jobs a glowing endorsement: “I feel like there’s nothing better you can do: you get to be a bit childish, you get to do everything with the kids. It’s never about managing their needs, it’s just about doing what you’re told in a safe and fun way.”

Meanwhile, Sophie reflected: “I’d definitely recommend it to other students! I’d say to research and pick carefully the school you work with, but if you get a well-organised course you’ll have a good time, and it works really well as a job for students.”

As for me? Well, it’s no ordinary job – and you will have to put up with some tough shifts and difficult situations. But even in the most stressful moments, beautiful things can blossom. When I was in the hospital at 2 am, a final nurse came over to see how the student was doing. The nurse asked the student how he knew me. The student replied: “By now, he’s like a brother to me.” The summer camp offers lots of challenges, yes, but it also offers a chance for you to develop responsibility and compassion in a way no other student job can.