Staff

Working as a Ross Counselor

Counselors are the most central component to the mathematical development of campers at the Ross Program. Counselors will be responsible for teaching mathematics, providing social and emotional support for students, and supervising student safety. They are also responsible for being role models for younger students, and for fostering a welcoming camp culture among the participants.

The Ross Program is a rich experience for counselors as well. Counselors are able to engage with various advanced lectures at the Ross Program with professors from nearby universities and from other counselors. Counselors also have the opportunity to organize their own advanced lectures on topics of their interest. Counselors will gain experience in organizing content for students, as well as in grading and providing feedback on problem sets. The experience of teaching mathematics not only looks good on a resume for future teaching in graduate school or other educational professions, but also is valuable for giving the teacher the skills necessary to see problems from all directions and become a better communicator and pedagogist as a result. Ross also seeks to cultivate a rich culture of mathematical sharing, bringing together counselors with interests in many different disciplines. Counselors often gain much through discussions with other counselors. Learn more about expectations for the counselor position.

The Ross Program will hire several counselors to work at the in-person program planned for 2023. Each counselor is expected to be available during the entire six weeks of the program.

Application materials for the 2024 session are posted in January. Check back here for updates.

Administrators

We are also looking for program administrators to help run the logistical side of the Ross Program. If you are interested in applying for an administrative position, please see the respective page.

Compensation

In exchange for six weeks of work at Ross/USA, Ross counselors receive a base salary of $4500. There will be opportunities for additional pay as extra tasks arise. Room and board are covered for the duration of the program, in additional to the listed pay.

Application Requirements

A Ross counselor needs both a strong background in mathematics and good social skills. We prefer applicants who are either math graduate students or undergraduate math majors who have completed at least two years of college. Applicants are expected to have completed a college course on abstract algebra and to have some experience with elementary number theory. However, prior knowledge of all the course topics is not required. You can still be a strong applicant even if you have not seen all of these particular concepts before, and there is still ample time for self-study in preparation for the program. Many great counselors in the past did not have a lot of number theory experience when applying to the Ross Program.

Every staff member needs to pass a standard background check. Depending on your citizenship status, you might need to obtain an appropriate visa to earn a salary at the Ross Program.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.