Activity Assistant
applications open.
Work a season at a residential camp in Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia. Camps pay you their standard rate and cover your room and board, and your working holiday permit means you can stay on in Canada once your placement finishes.
This is our first year in Canada. We're confirming partner camps and start dates now, and you'll know your camp and your dates before you pay the programme fee.
Application fee: AU$150, non-refundable, payable when you submit.
Camp is a big part of growing up in Canada, and the camps rely on staff from overseas to run them. Every year, camps across Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia hire counsellors and activity specialists from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
It’s the same kind of work our Activity Assistants do at outdoor centres in the UK, where we’ve been placing people since 2005. Canada is the next place we’re taking the programme.
You’ll live on site, often by a lake, and spend most of your day outdoors with the kids. When your placement ends, there’s still plenty of time left on your working holiday permit to travel or find more work in Canada.
Most placements are one of these two roles. You can tell us which suits you when you apply, or say you're happy with either.
You look after a cabin of campers, day and night, for the whole session.
A typical day
You'll needExperience leading groups of children, plus plenty of patience and energy.
You run one activity for the whole season, such as sailing, climbing, or arts and crafts.
A typical day
You'll needA recognised certificate for waterfront and climbing roles. For music, theatre, and arts, some experience teaching it.
We put your profile in front of our partner camps, arrange your interviews, and help you through the offer.
We'll point you to the official IEC application and tell you what you'll need. You apply for the permit yourself.
Orientation when you arrive in Canada, in Ontario or BC depending on where your camp is.
Help with the basics during orientation, like your SIN, a bank account, and a phone SIM.
Support from the Letz Live team before you leave and throughout your placement.
A pre-departure group, so you can get to know others on the programme before you fly.
20% off IEC working holiday insurance through IEC Insurance, our sister company. You need insurance for your whole stay as a condition of the permit.
You'll need an IEC Working Holiday permit, which is an open work permit for Canada. You apply for it yourself through the Government of Canada, and we'll point you to the right place to start.
You need to be 18 to 35 and hold an Australian, New Zealand, or UK passport. Other nationalities may also be eligible, so check with IRCC before you apply.
Canadian citizens can't apply. The permit is for people coming to Canada from overseas.
UK places fill quickly each year. If you're applying on a UK passport, be ready to apply as soon as the pool opens.
Jobs working with children usually need an immigration medical exam. The IEC application explains when and how to book one.
You'll need private health insurance that covers your whole stay in Canada.
The pool for the 2027 season is expected to open around the end of this year.
Apply online
Create your account and fill in the application. You can save it and come back later, and the AU$150 application fee is paid when you submit. If you've already applied with us, just let us know you'd like Canada and we'll use your existing application.
Interview
We'll chat with you about your experience, what you could teach, and the kind of camp you'd suit.
Camps see your profile
With your permission, we share your profile with our partner camps, and they choose who they'd like to interview.
Accept an offer
When a camp offers you a place and you accept, you pay the programme fee and apply for your IEC permit.
Head to Canada
We'll send you everything you need before you leave. You'll start with orientation in Canada, then head to your camp.
You'll know which camp you're going to, and your dates, before you pay the programme fee.
We’re confirming our partner camps for 2027 now. They’re all residential camps in Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia, and you’ll know which camp you’re going to before you accept an offer.
It depends on the camp. Most hire staff from late May to the end of August, and some run from March to November and want staff for the full season. Tell us when you’re available in your application and we’ll match you with camps that suit.
Yes, if you and your camp both want it. Camps like having staff come back, and the IEC permit lasts long enough for two seasons.
The IEC Working Holiday permit is valid for up to two years, depending on your passport. Your placement takes up part of that, and the rest of the time is yours to travel or work elsewhere in Canada.
As well as the programme fee, you’ll need to budget for flights, insurance, your IEC permit fees, a medical exam if you need one, and police checks. We’ll send everyone who applies a full breakdown.
You may still be eligible. Check the IRCC eligibility page, and if your country is part of the programme, go ahead and apply.
You can tell us which you’d prefer. Where you end up depends on which camps we’re working with and which ones offer you a place.
Send us an email or give us a call, and someone from our team will get back to you.
