Guidance Counselor, BEAM Summer Away

Guidance Counselor, BEAM Summer Away

Join the BEAM team this summer and make a difference!  We are seeking passionate leaders to join our Summer Away residential programs in Upstate New York or Los Angeles as Guidance Counselors. This is more than a summer role - it’s an opportunity to lead, mentor, and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians!

Why Join BEAM?

At BEAM, we are dedicated to creating pathways for students who lack access to STEM opportunities, helping them become future scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and computer scientists. We believe in providing every child with the opportunities a top-notch education offers, actively engaging them in problem-solving, critical thinking, and mathematical exploration, and empowering them to be the leaders of their own learning. We immerse students in deep mathematical experiences through rigorous summer programs and challenging year-round activities, provide academic support, mentorship, and advising, and prepare them for collegiate studies in STEM disciplines, enabling them to attend advanced academic programs, excellent high schools, and strong-fit colleges. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION

Embark on a life-changing summer as a Guidance Counselor with Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM), a program dedicated to empowering bright, underserved students to discover the world of enrichment math. Whether in Los Angeles or in New York City, you’ll play a vital role in creating a supportive, inspiring, and transformative environment for middle schoolers exploring their love of learning.

This is a chance to make a lasting impact on students as they navigate an exciting yet challenging new chapter. By fostering connections, addressing emotional needs, and helping build a thriving community, you’ll be instrumental in ensuring students flourish both socially and academically.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Self-Preparation and Planning (approximately 30 - 50 hours)

• Complete required BEAM onboarding, including background checks and a mix of asynchronous and synchronous virtual training.
• Read and internalize the BEAM Leadership Handbook and engage with BEAM’s full-time staff in virtual meetings to understand the various components of running a BEAM camp. Site Directors are allowed to make selected customizations for their camp and are expected to create a site-specific Leadership Handbook that documents such customizations and can be shared with the other leaders. 
• Participate in virtual meetings with the other members of the Leadership Team to start building a collaborative leadership community and to prepare for “Pre-camp Week.” The  “Pre-camp Week” represents the days when leaders provide staff training, build community, and prepare camp logistics before students arrive. (2-3 meetings of 1 hour each)

Pre-Camp Week Training and Set-Up

During the week before students arrive, you will collaborate with the leadership team to finalize preparations for the summer program, set team expectations, and ensure that staff are ready and the camp is set for a successful start.

• Attend the leadership retreat day
• Facilitate team-building activities
• Lead a training of your design to prepare staff for working with middle school students
• Support the setup of the facilities (signage, supplies, room assignments, etc.) in preparation for student arrival
• Support the leadership team in establishing a set of working norms and communication expectations among one another and staff, especially regarding communication about student 1-1 support needs.

During Camp (22 Days)

Counsel Students

• Build relationships with students from the start of the program, opening lines of trust with them during non-academic activities.  
• Support students in addressing common challenges (especially those who experience shyness, anxiety, or homesickness). 

Support Individual Student Needs and Community Needs As Needed

• Assess student needs and recommend next steps. 
• Run mediation (student/student or student/staff). 
• Implement restorative justice processes. 
• Implement behavior contracts. 
• With other leadership staff, make calls home to keep families informed. 

Program Leadership

• Serve on a 5-person leadership team (along with the Site Director, Associate Site Director, Academic Director, and Director of Student Life) to ensure the program runs smoothly. Provide advice to this group and handle the next steps that you are best suited to handle. 
• Provide guidance to other staff (both counselors and faculty) as they work to address and support mental health and other student needs.

Attendance Communication

• Liaise with the nurse and staff to identify and support students who might have an unusually high number of nurse office visits and/or seem frequently disengaged during instructional time. If deemed appropriate, counsel students to re-engage with faculty and the learning community. 

Support the Overall Community and Ensure Smooth Camp Operations 

• Lead an activity of your choice daily with students (such as sports, arts & crafts, board games).
• Support meal time by eating two meals a day with students (except when this is the best time to meet with a student one-on-one). 
• Organize daily afternoon snack distribution. 
• (Occasionally) cover the responsibilities of counselors due to staff absences, including covering additional activities, classes, or evening-time activities. 
• Accompany students on field trips. 

While your role is not mathematical in nature, to cultivate a positive learning environment, we expect all staff to foster a supportive attitude towards students' math learning, which you could do by visiting students in classes, inquiring about their learning or growth, or simply displaying curiosity about the math in the program. 

QUALIFICATIONS

We understand that there are many paths to acquiring experience and, therefore, welcome candidates from diverse and nontraditional backgrounds for this role who have demonstrated equivalent transferable skills to carry out the major duties outlined in this job description. 

Above all, we're looking for people who are passionate about the work and impact of BEAM. It is much more important to us that we hire someone with the right approach than someone with a particular background.  

That said, because you would be leading the socioemotional response team over the summer, we’re looking for someone with formal and/or extensive training, which could be demonstrated through:

• Having an MSW degree and/or a social work license. 
• Having a degree in counseling and/or counseling certification. 
• In the absence of such formal training, 3+ years of counseling work history. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior work experience with middle school students. 
• Prior work experience with students in LA or NYC public schools or serving students from a comparable background. 
• Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Korean, or another language commonly spoken by BEAM’s LA families or NYC families.
• Experience leading training workshops for adults. 
• Mediation training and/or experience. 
• Restorative justice training and/or experience. 
• Interest in mathematics and/or broader curiosity about learning new things.

WORK SCHEDULE:

Los Angeles:

• Campus: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
• Dates:
• Staff (Leaders: 33 days on site, Staff: 29 days on site)
• Leadership Team Planning: June 21 (arrival); June 22 (9:30 am start)-June 2406/21 arrival - 06/23 (starts @ 9:30 am on 6.22)
• All Staff Pre-camp Training: June 06/24 - June 06/27 
• Camp (with students): June 06/28 - July 07/19 
• Staff Wrap-up: July 07/20 - July  07/22
• Leadership Wrap-up/Depart: July 23

Upstate New York:

• Campus: Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY
• Dates:
• Staff (Leaders: 33 days on site, Staff: 29 days on site)
• Leadership Retreat: 06/28 (arrival); 6/30 (9:30am start) - 6/29
• All Staff Pre-camp Training: 07/01 - 07/04  
• Camp (with students): 07/05 - 07/26
• Staff Wrap-up:  07/27 - 07/29
• Leadership Wrap-up/Depart: 07/30

This job is ideal for someone who enjoys working with kids and wants to be part of their transformative summer, a first summer exploring enrichment math for most of them!

Compensation, Benefits, and Other Details

Compensation

• $32.50 per hour for Pre-Camp work
• $8,750 for Camp and Wrap-up

Benefits

BEAM provides a number of benefits, including:

• Transportation expenses to/from the staff’s residence to a BEAM Summer Away campus location are covered by BEAM within BEAM's approved travel guidelines. This includes flight cost if needed. Details about the expense approval criteria and the travel booking process will be provided later.
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the college campus cafeteria and snacks, with options for dietary restrictions
• 2–3 staff dinners during camp to relax, connect, and celebrate together

Commitment to Diversity

BEAM believes that our staff, at all levels and across all roles, should represent the backgrounds of the students we serve. We are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment. Beyond a commitment to nondiscrimination, we strongly encourage applications from underrepresented and marginalized communities.

Hiring Process

• Application, including resume and answers to a few short questions. 
• Phone screening and virtual interviews with BEAM staff. Details will be sent by email.

For accommodation requests related to the job application process, please contact HR at accommodations@beammath.org.