What can I expect if I served on Summer Staff?

The experience is different for everyone, but some things are common to all staffers:

• You will work in a team with 3 other summer staff members: Center Director, Returning Staffer and a fellow First Year Staffer. The Center Director is responsible for managing the overall day to day operations of the center, including construction repairs, supply and material procurement, staff and partner relations. In addition to assisting the Center Director with running the center, Returning Staff and First Year staff each choose to be responsible for a specific position that requires day to day supervision. All staff members must work well and communicate effectively with different types of people.
• You'll work closely with different groups of volunteers each week to:
  
  • provide quality home repairs to families and individuals in Appalachia.
  • facilitate meaningful relationships with the Appalachian families.
  • and ensure that volunteers' needs are being met.
• You'll plan, develop, and lead Christian programs each evening to help volunteers process and grow from this service experience. On Sunday nights, your staff will orient your new group of volunteers to your center and county. Programming on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday is traditionally a mix between activities that both inform volunteers about Appalachian culture as well as allow them to spiritually reflect on the work they are doing, the relationships they are building and how they can take the experience of their week at ASP home with them. One night of the week, traditionally on Thursday, staff, volunteers and families all gather together for a picnic at a local park to share fellowship with one another. 
• You won't know until late May exactly where you'll be serving or who you'll be on staff with.
• You will be challenged! This is a very demanding, yet extremely rewarding job

What are the eligibility requirements?

To be eligible to serve on our 2011 ASP Summer Staff, you must be at least 18 years of age by May 2011 and one year out of high school (have graduated in May/June of 2010). You must apply by January 1, 2011 and attend a Staff Applicant Weekend (SAW) to interview. All summer staff are also required to have Adult CPR and basic first aid certifications valid through the summer (child and infant CPR certifications are not required).

Please note that the staff job requires lots of driving. ASP must hire competent and safety-conscious drivers. Your past driving record plays an important part of your application because failure to get insurance approval will eliminate the possibility of employment. Applicants from certain states have to obtain their driving records themselves to submit with their application. Applicants from other states must provide a check or money order for $10 for ASP to access their driving records.

What is the application process? How do I apply?

To apply for ASP Summer Staff you must complete an application and attend a Staff Applicant Weekend (SAW) to interview and learn more about the job. All summer staff hired are also required to have Adult CPR and basic first aid certifications valid through the summer (child and infant CPR certifications are not required).

Here are few important deadlines and dates:

• November 2010 or earlier: Obtain 3 references to submit with your application; if from CA, NH, PA, or WA, you must obtain a copy of your 3 year driving record to submit with your application (those states don't allow others to access your driving record).
  
  • If you participated in ASP’s Staffer-in-Training (SIT) Program, you are only required to obtain 2 references.
• January 1, 2011: Complete your application. Upload resume and complete online assessment.
• January - February 2011: Attend a Staff Applicant Weekend (SAW)
• March 2011: Offers of employment are made

Click here to learn more about the application process.

What if I can’t attend a Staff Applicant Weekend in January or February?

Contact Steve at Steve.Tomick@ASPhome.org. If you’re a new applicant, we can make arrangements for you to participate in our Staffer-in-Training Program at one of our Adult Program centers in November or December. A member of the Home Repair Ministries Department will either interview you in person during your participation as a Staffer-in-Training (SIT) Program or will schedule a phone interview with you.

If you are a returning applicant and know that you will not be able to attend SAW because you will be studying abroad, you may apply through the Early Hire Program. Applications are due by midnight on December 1 and interviews will be scheduled and conducted in the following week. Offers will be extended no later than December 15 and applicants who are offered a position will be expected to make a firm commitment to work for the entirety of the summer by December 17 (barring any life-threatening emergencies). ASP reserves the right to defer any early hire applicant to the SAW season, at which point they will receive full consideration for staff.

What are the dates of employment?

For new staff, returning staff and support staff: May 25 - August 12, 2011*
For Center Directors: May 20 - August 12, 2011*

*Dates of employment may be flexible. Contact us if you have any minor schedule conflicts.

Students on the quarter system, please note: You may still apply for staff! ASP can contact deans and professors to coordinate changing your exam schedule. School officials recognize an ASP staff experience as worthwhile and educational, and work with us to get staffers to training by the first day.

What is the typical summer timeline?

Your summer begins with staff training at one of ASP’s year-round facilities in Jonesville, VA. Along with the rest of the summer staff, you will spend 10 days learning everything you need to know about the job, meeting your staff and finding out where you will be serving for the next 10 weeks. At the conclusion of training, your staff will travel to your center where you will spend the next 10 weeks working on the front lines with volunteers, families and community members to make homes warmer, safer and drier. As your summer comes to a close, you will return to Jonesville for about 3 days to Wrap-Up and debrief about the summer before you head home.

What is the Staffer-In-Training (SIT) program?

The Staffer-In-Training program provides potential staff members with a "preview" of the life of a summer staffer. You must apply to participate in the SIT program. Accepted applicants will spend as much as one week at one of ASP's summer centers, shadowing each staff member, trying on each staff role. There are no fees to participate in the SIT program. Individuals who participate do so voluntarily without pay and are responsible for getting themselves to and from the ASP center to which they are assigned.

Click here for more information about the SIT program.

What is Summer Support Staff?

Each year we hire a number of folks to work for us temporarily over the summer, but not as traditional summer staffers. Those individuals serve as construction consultants, staff liaisons, dump truck drivers, and chaplains.

Click here to see brief descriptions of each role.

How do I request more information?

Email Flossie.McCaffrey@ASPhome.org to request a free summer staff information packet.