NBTSC Worktrades, 2010

 

You'll find a link to our worktrade application at the bottom of this page.
But make sure you read everything here before filling it out!

Application deadline is March 31.

For campers with special skills and for families who couldn't otherwise afford NBTSC, we offer a variety of worktrade positions. Here's what you need to know before applying. Please read carefully to avoid misunderstandings!  
 
Because it makes sense for many people to apply for more than one type of trade, we have just one combined application form. (Except that we do have a separate Vermont lifeguard application. The deadline to apply for a lifeguard position is July 1, later than the regular application deadline.)  
 
If it is important to you to get into NBTSC with a reduced fee, we encourage you to apply for as many types of worktrades as you would be willing to accept. (When an older, returning camper is interested only in an “easy worktrade,” and not willing to take on a more serious worktrade, we usually imagine he/she is not all that committed to finding a way to get to NBTSC, and it's harder for us to take her/his application seriously.) The most difficult positions to get are often (but not always)  full worktrades -- we strongly encourage you to apply for one if you like to work hard, but you stand a better chance of getting some kind of assistance if you're also willing to take a partial trade. (We give full worktrades to just a few reliable, hardworking people we know from previous camps; financial need is a factor, but less important than the applicant's ability to convince us that we'll be happy we chose her/him.) 

Also, while you can specify all kinds of parameters when you apply for a worktrade—kinds of work you aren’t willing to do, limiting the number of hours you want to work during camp, etc.—the more limits you set, the less likely we will choose you.  Seems like common sense to us, but sometimes there are so many stipulations on a person’s application that we wonder if this thought hasn’t occurred to them.
 
In order to apply for any kind of worktrade, you must also register for camp and send in a deposit. We should have not only your worktrade application, but also your registration, by the worktrade application deadline (March 31). If you do not receive a worktrade you are not obligated to attend NBTSC.  When you register, you will be asked whether you will attend NBTSC whether or not you receive a worktrade. Answer no if you want your deposit back. 

We rarely give worktrades to one individual for more than one session per year. Also, people who are planning to attend more than one session of camp do get lower priority, since our purpose is mainly to make it possible for people who can't afford camp to be able to come to at least one session. There are exceptions to these policies, though. In fact, it occasionally happens that we’ll give a full worktrade to someone rock-solid for one or even two sessions, and they attend as a regular camper another session also.

We take all applications seriously, and try to give trades to as many people as we possibly can, sometimes even when we need to exceed our budget to do so. For this reason, we ask you also to take this process seriously, and to apply only if you really need financial assistance and/or sincerely want to take on the responsibility of a worktrade.

Notes on filling out the application
In most cases, the camper and her/his parents should collaborate. If an application describes the parents' financial situation (most do), then parents must at the very least read it over and sign it.

Depending on what type(s) of position(s) you are interested in receiving, you will fill out part or all of the application. We hope it's self-explanatory. You can skip the second page altogether if you’re not applying for a full worktrade.

A note for parents who consider their child financially independent
We sometimes get odd little notes from parents about how they don't want to provide information about their own financial situation, because they require their kids to pay for their own camp and other "elective" expenses. Well, we are all for youth taking responsibility for their own dreams, but some of these notes seem to imply that since the parents don't want to financially support their kids' interests, it is therefore our job to do so. We find this a little off-putting, and it doesn't usually inspire us to give financial assistance to a family.

(But, campers, don't despair -- we also realize that occasionally there's a prospective camper whose parents aren't sold on unschooling and therefore don't want to pay for NBTSC. Please do explain your situation to us. Not because we want to undermine your parents in any way--we don't!--but because we can understand that sometimes adults have a hard time financially supporting something they don't feel great about. If your parents stretch to say "Yes, you can go," but can't quite bring themselves to say "And yes, we'll pay for it," and if you personally are financially really strapped.... well, save up your babysitting money, but also send us your worktrade application, and--without being dramatic or self-pitying about it, please--err on the side of too much information.)

What about the full Oregon 2-week session?
This year we will consider offering (full and partial) worktrades for the combined Oregon session, as well as the week-long sessions.

Make sure you include legible, accurate email addresses for the camper and at least one of her/his parents. Unless you tell us you don't have email, this is the only way we will notify you whether you received a worktrade. Make sure you check your email, and let us know if your email address changes. 
 
The postmark deadline is March 31, and we'll let you know, via email, by April 30 whether we have a position for you. 

 

NBTSC worktrade categories

 

Easy Worktrades

We don't give absolutely-no-strings-attached scholarships, except in unusual circumstances. But we do offer something very close—“easy worktrades.” These reduce your camp fee, usually by half (occasionally more or less depending on your needs and what we have available). We ask you only to do a 6-hour-per-week worktrade during camp—most likely you would be assigned a simple one-hour task to do daily on each full day of camp. The people most likely to receive these positions will both have demonstrated financial need and be new to camp. We encourage you to also apply for a half or partial worktrade, in order to increase your chances.

 

Lifeguard Positions

We offer a few partial worktrades in Vermont for American Red Cross lifeguards. These positions are not tied to your family's financial situation—it you're certified, we want to hear from you! You can apply for a lifeguard position in addition to or instead of other worktrades. There’s a separate application for lifeguards, here. (If you are not able to download it, please contact us - we can email you a copy.) The application deadline is July 1. (However, you can contact us up until the start of camp to find out if we are still interested in having more lifeguards.)

 

Half (and other partial) worktrades and barters

These require a real contribution of some kind from you or your family, but will not impact your camp experience as much as a full worktrade. Most partial worktraders make their contribution during the camp week (dishes, food prep, etc.). Occasionally we can offer other options (help out in one of our offices during the summer? Drive a U-Haul on the first day of camp in Oregon?), or barter items or services (fruit? handwoven rugs? massage?).

To give you a rough idea of what to expect: If we gave you a half trade for work during the camp session, you would work about 24 hours per week (about 4 hours most days). If you worked for us outside of camp we'd expect you to do a little more, probably at least 30 hours. (This is because we know that having to work during camp dictates part of your camp experience, and thus in a strictly monetary sense could be said to lessen the value of your camp session.) In Oregon, if it is convenient for you to come early (perhaps a whole day-and-a-half early) or stay late, we may be able to get some of your hours out of the way without cutting into your camp time as much. (This will depend on our needs, though, so don't count on it.) In Vermont, we expect most worktraders to arrive at least a few hours early, and to depart at least a few hours late. 

Ocean field trip, and Oregon projects
If you receive a half (or greater) worktrade, sorry, but you can’t sign up for the ocean field trip or for a committed project. (You can participate in a drop in project, though you may not be able to attend very often.)

A clarification: what we mean by "half" or "partial"
All campers qualify for a $100 rebate if they get their money and paperwork in on time. So, your worktrade amount is connected to the post-rebate amount of your camp fees. (You need to get your stuff in on time just like everybody else, and just like everybody else, you forfeit $100 if you don't.) So, for example, if we give you a half worktrade, your camp fees will be reduced by $265 per week. If we give you a quarter worktrade, your camp fees will be reduced by 132.50 per week.

 

Full camp-session worktrades

An intense position, almost like being on junior staff. Open to people who have attended camp at least once previously. In choosing worktraders we do consider financial need, but the most important factor is our trust in the applicant's ability and willingness to handle the job. Full worktraders attend camp without paying any money; instead, they work about 50 hours over the course of 8-10 calendar days. (Or almost twice as much, if we end up assigning any full worktrades for the full 2-week Oregon session.) If you are a full worktrader, you can expect your camp experience to be largely about the rewards of working hard to support something you believe in, and of helping to create a great experience for other campers and staff. For the right person, this is not only a way to attend NBTSC money-free, but also a deeply enriching experience in its own right. Because these positions are scarce, we strongly encourage you also to apply for a half or partial worktrade. But we don't want to discourage you from applying for a full worktrade--we need reliable people, and in fact if there came a time when we didn't get enough solid camper applicants, we'd need to hire more staff instead. 

Full worktraders must come prepared to think of themselves as workers first and campers second. Although you will be assigned to an advisee group, you may sometimes be needed to work during advisee time--or during talent shows, Oregon projects, evening events, early in the morning, during the Oregon field trip to the coast, etc. A cooperative, willing spirit is essential--we don't want to nag. (And, of course, we want you to have a great time and will never assign you work at inconvenient times without a reason.)

Oregon: ocean field trip and projects
If you receive a full worktrade, sorry, but you can’t sign up for the ocean field trip or for a committed project. (You can participate in a drop in project, though you may not be able to attend very often.)

Schedule and responsibilities
Full work traders are needed for 4-7 hours each full day of camp, plus possibly 6-8 hours on each of the 2 days before camp starts, the first day of camp, and/or the day camp ends. (About 50 hours total, per camp week.) Work consists of anything we need done that you can do--from scrubbing pots and pans to babysitting to chopping vegetables to running errands to cooking oatmeal.

We may need full worktraders to come to camp early and stay late
We may need your help starting one or two days before the day that camp starts. If so, then for Oregon (full session, or Part 1) you can meet us in Eugene. For Oregon Part 2 or Vermont we may be able to help arrange a ride from Eugene or Rutland, but otherwise you'd need to take care of your own transportation to Roseburg or Camp Myrtlewood (for Oregon) or to Farm & Wilderness Camp (for Vermont). If we do need you the day before camp, we'll call or email you at least two months prior. If you need to make travel plans earlier, contact us to see if we already know when we need you, but we may not be able to tell you until two months before camp.  

We may also need some help from you on the afternoon of the last day of camp (up until around 5 p.m.). We can't provide overnight lodging so you'd either need to leave town late in the day or make your own overnight arrangements.

If coming to camp early or staying late would make it impossible (or extremely difficult) for you to do a full worktrade, let us know on your application. We don't always need worktraders to be available early/late, so we might still be able to consider you.

Important deposit, refund, and rebate information for full worktraders
You actually have to pay $250 to register for camp, but you get it all back if you hold up your end:

• Like everyone else, you send in a $150 deposit with your registration. Once we grant you a full worktrade and you confirm that you accept it, we will count on you. If you cancel after our regular cancellation deadline, you won't receive any of your $150 deposit back. (It’s difficult for us to reconfigure the worktrader lineup this late in the season.) Assuming you show up at camp and fulfill your worktrade agreement, we will happily refund your deposit after camp. If you don't complete your worktrade hours, you won't get your deposit back.  (Also see our refund policy.)
• Also, we need you to get your paperwork and money in on time just like everybody else. If you meet the requirements for the rebate, you get your $100 rebate in the mail, prior to camp.

Photo by Alex Davis--2002, West Virginia

Here you will find:

• the 2010 worktrade application in pdf format.
• the 2010 lifeguard application in pdf format (coming asap).