American Camp Co.
American Camp Co. is a summer camp staffing brand focused specifically on direct placements, created by Smaller Earth and Cenet with roughly five decades of combined J-1 visa experience. It positions itself on price transparency and feeds applicants who haven't secured a direct placement into the related Camp Leaders program. It operates within the same group as Camp Leaders.
Camp America
Camp America is one of the oldest international camp staffing programs, placing counselors and staff from more than 20 countries at U.S. summer camps since 1969. It operates as part of the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS), drawing on AIFS resources for transportation, insurance, and global recruiting offices. The program runs large recruitment fairs, historically in London, and provides year-round camp account support.
Camp Leaders
Camp Leaders is one of the largest international summer camp staffing brands, founded in 1999 in Liverpool, England and now part of Smaller Earth Group. It recruits counselors and support staff through on-the-ground offices in roughly a dozen countries and markets an in-house, camp-specific hiring platform with screening, background checks, and visa support. The brand positions its technology and global reach as its main differentiators.
CampStaff
CampStaff (campstaff.com) is a summer-camp-specific job board that connects staff applicants with camps across the US and Canada. It offers a single free application to reach many camps for roles such as counselors, activity/sports staff, nurses, and chefs. Per the company, it launched in 1996 as the first camp-specific jobs site and also runs CampStaffNurses.com.
CCUSA
CCUSA (Camp Counselors USA) is a designated J-1 visa sponsor that has placed international counselors and support staff at U.S. summer camps since 1986, working with more than 900 camps and recruiting from over 40 countries. It also runs Work Experience USA for seasonal jobs beyond camp and provides participant vetting, monitoring, and travel insurance. The company is headquartered in San Rafael, California.
CIEE (Camp Exchange USA)
CIEE is the oldest and largest nonprofit J-1 visa sponsor in the U.S., founded in 1947 and headquartered in Portland, Maine. Its Camp Exchange USA program places international counselors and support staff at accredited American summer camps with full visa sponsorship, insurance, and 24/7 support, and runs in-person and virtual camp recruitment road shows. CIEE was one of the first organizations designated by the State Department to administer the J-1 Summer Work Travel program.
InterExchange
InterExchange is a New York City-based nonprofit J-1 visa sponsor whose Camp USA program has connected international counselors and support staff with U.S. summer camps since 1982. As one of the few nonprofit camp-counselor sponsors, it markets lower program fees than for-profit competitors and a recruitment network reaching underrepresented countries. It works with more than 200 camps and assigns each a dedicated placement specialist.
Sure Check Background Screening
Sure Check Background Screening provides employment background checks and screening services, with a focus on speed, accuracy, and direct customer support. Founded by a former educator, the company markets itself to organizations—including youth-serving programs—that need reliable screening of the adults they hire.
Wild Packs
Wild Packs is a UK-based summer camp recruitment agency that places counselors and support staff, mainly British students, at ACA-accredited U.S. camps. Rather than sponsoring J-1 visas itself, it works in conjunction with sponsors CIEE and AAG to handle visa paperwork and in-country support. Its camp programs also power Alliance Abroad's American Camp Crew, covering 300+ North American camps.