If your family is struggling financially and it is important to you to get into NBTSC with a reduced fee, you improve your odds by noting that you are open to smaller, as well as larger, categories of worktrades. The most difficult positions to get are often (but not always)  full worktrades – we encourage you to apply for one if you sincerely 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 them.) If we can’t give you the kind of worktrade you say you’re interested in, it’s possible we’ll offer you another option.

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.  Sometimes there are so many stipulations on a person’s application that we wonder if this thought hasn’t occurred to them.

We occasionally get odd comments from parents about how they don’t want to provide information about their own finances, 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 comments 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’re not excited 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 apply for a worktrade, and–without being dramatic or self-pitying about it, please–err on the side of too much information.)

Except for “easy worktrades,” which don’t have such a big impact on a camper’s experience (and are available only to brand new campers), worktrades are for people seriously interested in working at camp and helping significantly to meet the needs of NBTSC. Certain things come with that territory: you don’t get to pick your own hours or make your own schedule. While we do our best to create pleasant work conditions, there is real work that needs to be done, and most of it needs to happen at certain times rather than at a camper’s convenience. We do offer the chance to state preferences and limits in your application, but once you agree to a worktrade that we’ve offered, you don’t get to specify additional parameters.  Many campers apply for worktrades year after year, and if you get less than a glowing review from your supervisors, we’ll be hesitant to “hire” you again the next year. (We know that teenagers grow and change rapidly, so two years down the line we’ll likely take your application seriously again, having a thorough conversation with your references to avoid regrets.)

When you apply for a worktrade, you are basically telling us: “I want to earn my camp money at camp rather than in some other way before camp.” Just as we don’t think people should spend their lives at careers that don’t inspire them, we also don’t think you should apply for a worktrade if you aren’t inspired about the idea of helping make NBTSC go round.

Note that all campers are assigned approximately 4 hours of work during a 9-night camp week (more or less for longer or shorter sessions). We call this “superhero” time, and worktraders are responsible for this contribution in addition to their worktrade responsibilities.  (Depending on various factors, worktraders may be assigned these hours in their usual work area, or they might be assigned to a separate superhero team.)

Worktraders meet with their supervisors during the session to exchange perspectives about how the worktrade is going. At the end of the session, supervisors share their thoughts about each worktrader with NBTSC administrators (how well the worktrader got their job done, and how pleasant they were to work with), and worktraders share their thoughts (also with NBTSC administrators) about the worktrade program and supervision. We take all this information seriously when planning changes to the worktrade program, hiring staff, and assigning the following year’s worktrades and junior staff positions.

Available only to financially challenged brand-new campers.

Easy Worktrades reduce your camp fee by half.  You are expected to work only 7 hours per week during a 9-night camp week (Vermont), 11 hours during a 14-night session (Oregon). Most easy worktraders work approximately 1 hour most days of camp, with a day or two off.

Available to all certified lifeguards, regardless of income.

We enthusiastically offer worktrades in both Oregon and Vermont for certified lifeguards. In Vermont, certification must be American Red Cross. In Oregon, we prefer ARC but if you have a different certification you are still welcome to apply. These positions are not tied to your family’s financial situation—if you’re certified, we want to hear from you! You can apply for a lifeguard position in addition to or instead of other worktrades. The application deadline is the same as for other worktrades – April 7 this year   – and we strongly prefer that you apply online by this date. However, if you miss that deadline you can contact us later to find out if we are still interested in having more lifeguards.  We can occasionally work out informal arrangements later in the season. (This doesn’t apply to any other category of worktrade – we are otherwise strict about our deadline.)

Who’s eligible: solid, willing, reliable workers who’ve been at NBTSC previously and can commit to arriving at camp two or three days early, and staying late.

Our full worktraders are a breed unto themselves — this is an intense position, almost like being on junior staff. In choosing these folks we do consider financial need, but an equally important factor is our trust in the applicant’s ability and willingness to joyfully handle the job. Full worktraders attend camp without paying any money; instead, they work about 58 hours in Vermont (over the course of 12 calendar days), 80 hours in Oregon (17 calendar days).

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. You will participate fully in an advisee group and in our start-of-session meetings, but other than that anything is subject to scheduling. We might need you to work not only during workshop slots but also early in the morning, during field trips, etc. (In Oregon, full worktraders can’t sign up for the coast field trip unless their supervisor doesn’t need their help that day.) It is also possible that you will need to work during one or two evening events (such as washing dishes for an hour during prom). We won’t ask you to do this unless we need the help, but we need you to be available if asked. 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.)

Important: full worktraders may not stay up all night on the last night of camp.  We really need your help on departure day, and in our experience most folks who stay up all night are useless the next day.

Food handler’s card, workboots, vibrating alarm clock

Depending on which department we assign you to, you may need to acquire and bring some or all of the following:

• • food handler’s certificate – a must for all kitchen worktraders (costs approximately $10; you can study and take a test online – we’ll provide details if you are awarded a worktrade)

• • a vibrating alarm clock (or other surefire, quiet way of waking yourself early)

• • comfortable work boots (optional, but highly recommended for long hours on your feet in the dish pit or kitchen)

Schedule and responsibilities

Full work traders are needed approximately 6 hours daily – throughout camp and also during Staff Orientation prior to camp. You get a day or two off, depending on session length. Work consists of anything we need done that you can do–from scrubbing pots and pans to babysitting to chopping vegetables to cooking oatmeal.

We expect full worktraders to arrive early and stay late

We need your help throughout Staff Orientation, which begins 2-3 days prior to the session. For Oregon you can meet us at Camp Myrtlewood or in Eugene. For Vermont we may be able to help arrange a ride with staff from Rutland or White River Junction, but you’re ultimately responsible for getting yourself to Farm & Wilderness.

We may also need your help until 2 or 3 p.m. on the last day of camp, and afterward you will need to either travel home or provide your own overnight accommodations.

If we award you a full worktrade, we will let you know then what time and day you need to show up at Staff Orientation and how late you’ll need to stay on departure day.

Important deposit and refund 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 $250 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 $250 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.)

Who’s eligible: solid, willing, reliable workers who are happy to make a serious commitment and  prioritize their worktrade over other camp activities.

Half worktrades are a serious commitment, requiring a camper to work approximately 4 hours most days of camp. (You get a day or two off, depending on session length.) Half worktraders cannot count on being able to sign up for field trips (in Oregon)–if the field trip is important to you, it’s possible we might have some wiggle room, but won’t know until camp is well underway.  It is also possible that you will need to work during one or two evening events (such as washing dishes for an hour during prom). We won’t ask you to do this unless we need the help, and probably only one event per camp week, but we need you to be willing if asked.

Half worktraders are normally trained during the actual camp session and do not arrive early. But, if both 1) we need extra help during Staff Orientation and 2) you are able to arrive a couple days early, then you might be able to complete some of your work prior to the session.

Important: half worktraders may not stay up all night on the last night of camp, especially in Vermont. We really need your help on the morning of departure day, and in our experience most folks who stay up all night are useless the next day.

Depending on which department we assign you to, you may need to acquire and bring some or all of the following:

• • food handler’s certificate – a must for all kitchen worktraders (costs approximately $10; you can study and take a test online – we’ll provide details if you are awarded a worktrade)

• • a vibrating alarm clock (or other surefire, quiet way of waking yourself early)

• • comfortable work boots (optional, but highly recommended for long hours on your feet in the dish pit or kitchen)

Who’s eligible: solid, willing, reliable workers–camp history or lack thereof not a factor.

If you want to reduce your camp fee but not cut too hard into your freedom to plan your own days at camp, this might be a good option. You work 13 hours in Vermont, 20 in Oregon, around 2.5 hours most days but with a day or two off. You are trained at the start of camp and do not need to arrive early or stay late after camp. You will not be asked to work during special evening events or field trips (unless you want to).

Who’s eligible: solid, willing, reliable workers–must have attended NBTSC at least once previously. No discount, so your family’s financial status is not a factor in our decision. 

We set up your work agreement same as for the standard “light worktrade,” above. You work 13 hours in Vermont, 20 in Oregon, around 2.5 hours most days but with a day or two off. You are trained at the start of camp and do not need to arrive early or stay late after camp. You will not be asked to work during special evening events or field trips (unless you want to).

We offer this newish category because sometimes we get worktrade applications from really passionate, hard-working campers who want a formal opportunity to serve, and to be part of the awesome worktrade team, but whose families do not need a discount. Sometimes these folks talk about wanting to “give back” to NBTSC; sometimes they tell us they plan to later apply for junior staff and want an opportunity to impress us with their work ethic. (But to be clear, we certainly do not expect junior staff applicants to have participated previously as worktraders and there are plentiful other ways to impress us!)

At camp, no distinction is made between those who have been selected for this option and other light worktraders — they’re all referred to simply as “light worktraders.”