Chapter
14
How
to find jobs with a campsite
You
may be parked along a stream with a view of snow-capped mountains in
summer. You could be nestled among the palm trees or exploring miles of
lush Sonoran desert in the winter. You could be part of the excitement of
Christmas or enjoying the solitude of a remote ranch or estate. You pick
the spot. A job awaits.
Fortunately,
not only can you choose your desired location, you will also find
employers for some types of positions prefer to hire employees who bring
their houses along with them and will even provide an RV site.
Jobs at RV parks and resorts
- Manager and assistant manager
- Reservations
clerk or guest service worker - day and night shifts
-
Registration and reservations
worker- computerized system
- Gatekeeper
- Office workers like secretary, bookkeeper or
accountant
- Maintenance worker
- Construction - carpenter, plumber, electrician
- Propane service technician
- Janitor or housekeeper
- Mechanic
- Groundskeeper
- Food service staff
- Recreation or activity director
- Craft or activity instructor
- Golf marshal
- Entertainer
- Security personnel
- Marina worker
- Canoe rental clerk and livery driver
- Shuttle van driver
- Bike rental clerk, mechanic
- Pool operations - lifeguard, pool cleaner
- Retail stores operations - sales clerk, inventory
and pricing clerk
- Tour guide or salesperson for lots in membership
parks
- Offer services to other campers, i.e., haircuts,
massages, sewing
- Worker for contractor-offered services at RV parks
and resorts - food, marina, etc.
RV
parks and resorts hire employees during their busy season to help out.
You’ll find more jobs available during the summer, but don’t overlook
winters where the “snowbirds”are — the southwest, Texas,
Florida — or parks in ski resort areas. You could work all
year around.
While
the owners frequently act as managers, you’ll find many parks hire
manager couples, assistant managers and staff to register campers, sell
items in the store, provide meals in a restaurant. Maintenance staff takes
care of grounds, fills propane tanks, cleans restrooms and makes repairs.
Larger parks may hire activity directors as well.
Some
of the jobs listed above are found only in the larger, resort-type RV
parks. If you have skills or experience in more areas, you increase your
value. You might be able to create a position combining several different
jobs in a smaller RV park. A smaller park may hire someone to work
part-time at a particular task, such as activity director, or to work in
exchange for an RV site if the park can’t afford a whole position.
Where
you find these jobs
A
number of RV parks and resorts advertise in Workamper
News. You may also find advertisements in other RV publications or on
RV-related Web sites and discussion groups related to working on the road.
You
can also identify RV parks and resorts that are potential employers in an
area using campground directories or by contacting the local Chamber of
Commerce. Contact them directly. For resorts and larger parks, you may
find listings in the Help Wanted section of local newspapers.
RV
workers Ron and Val: “Normally I would say 100 sites is a good measure
of whether a campground would need some extra help or not. A lot depends
on what amenities they have. A smaller campground with a pool and Jacuzzi,
etc., probably could use the extra help but not 40 hours per week.”
Compensation
The
compensation for working in an RV park or resort can range from a simple
exchange (with no money changing hands) to good working wages, along with
an RV site.
In
an exchange, you work a certain number of hours per week and in return are
given a site. Hours worked may be per person or per couple. The park may
or may not add an hourly wage for hours exceeding that minimum.
For
paid positions, you can receive an hourly wage or monthly salary. Your RV
site is generally part of your compensation. Perks — such as
free or reduced-cost propane, laundry, store items, meals or other
amenities — may also be included as part of your compensation.
Complimentary tickets to area attractions could be part of the deal.
Compensation
can vary tremendously. We have met RV workers working almost full time for
just a site. Others volunteer a few hours for a site to reduce their
expenses. Still others have negotiated excellent wages or salaries as well
as perks and been very well compensated; for example, one couple who
worked in Colorado several years ago negotiated their site, one free meal
a day, propane and laundry plus $8/hour each.
So
you are clear on what you are being offered and what your RV site
“costs,” review Chapter 10, “Find out about the Job” and Chapter
11, “What is a site worth?” (page 112) before taking a job.
As
Greg Robus, editor and publisher of Workamper
News, stated in one issue, “The employer’s idea of what his or her
exchange package is worth is irrelevant. It’s up to each Workamper to be
selective and to only accept jobs that offer a compensation package that
suits their individual needs.”
Finding
better paying jobs
To
find (or create) higher paying jobs, do your research. Know what other RV
parks in the area are offering so you have an idea of what is realistic.
Know your own worth. Your skills are probably worth more than a bare
minimum wage, especially if you are willing to work and not just doing
something to keep busy. Sell yourself and ask for more during the
interview and negotiation process, especially as you accumulate
experience. And look for opportunities that aren’t listed in the usual
publications.
 | Develop your RV worker
network.
See Chapter 8. |
| Talk to the owners when you
stay at an RV park. Conduct an informational
interview. See Chapter 8. |
| Increase your value by taking a
training and certification
program for campground managers. ARVC and National RV Park Institute offer
courses and certification programs. Escapees RV Club has a training
program for members desiring to work in RV park management at member
parks. Obtain a training CD for a reservation system. (See Resources.) |
Related
possibilities:
 |
Contract
services:
Some RV parks and resorts contract out services like operating the
restaurant, a marina, or other activities. You might be able to bid on
these positions. Watch for advertisements in the previously mentioned
sources, but also keep your eyes and ears open. |
|
Membership parks: If you
belong to a membership campground, there may be opportunities for paid
work or for an exchange of services for your site. Talk to management. |
|
Specialized parks or camps:Church or Scout camps may need summer maintenance and
office help or caretaking during the off-season. Military RV and fam camps
for families of active and retired military personnel are another
possibility. Clothing-optional resorts also hire workers. |
|
Offer
services:
Stay in an RV park for a period of time and then offer services to park
residents. One fellow we worked with one summer was resident handyman
during his winters in an Arizona RV park that catered to winter snowbirds.
He did repairs to the inside of rigs that more elderly residents
couldn’t or didn’t want to do. Another RVer, to raise money for
unexpected truck repairs, offered to repack wheel bearings while in an RV
park. Just a few jobs and he was on his way. Sewing and haircuts are
services that could be offered to other residents without disruption to
park activities. The management, of course, should approve these
activities, and you may also need certain licensing. (See Chapter 21 for
more information on operating your own business.) |
 |
Working
specific locations: Ron & Val are
exceptionally good at finding positions in RV parks and campgrounds. Ron
usually works in maintenance, Val in the office or fee collection. They
have been working every other year in a state park in Colorado to spend
time with grandchildren. The other years, they target an area and line up
positions before heading to that location. Ron and Val check with all
sources. They use Workamper News,
other job sources (Chapter 8), and network with other RVers, talking to
co-workers and RVers about RV parks that are good to work for. Besides
considering the salary, they weigh the perks: free site, free laundry,
discounts and tickets to attractions. |
|
Ski resorts: Gabby & Janice managed an RV park in Ketchum, Idaho, one winter. They are ski buffs and
this job gave them the opportunity to be near Sun Valley and get
discounted ski passes. Expecting to have just a few winter visitors at any
given time, the owners left them in charge. More visitors kept showing up,
and it turned out to be a bigger job than they expected, but they got in
lots of skiing. |
|
Church camps: Rich and Fran found employment at a church camp and conference
center that Fran had attended as a child. Pay was better than average plus
they got three excellent meals each day. Fran worked in the office
handling the phone and computer input as well as registration and check-in
for attendees. Rich supervised a crew of four eighteen-year olds as Head
Housekeeper. With free site and meals, they could bank most of their
paychecks all summer. |
|
Clothing-optional
resorts: Al and DeAnna have worked at several clothing-optional
resorts. They visited the first resort and liked it. They called a couple
of years later and, after a telephone interview, ended up being the first
couple hired. Says DeAnna, “Nudist and clothing-optional resorts are
expensive to live in so working there is an opportunity to live the
lifestyle. It’s really inexpensive because you tend to do your
recreational activities like swimming pool, parties, and other activities
there rather than spending money out. So it was a good thing for our
budget to be there.” Most clubs want their employees to have experience
with the lifestyle prior to working there. DeAnna advises visiting a
resort before taking a job to see if you are comfortable there. Some
resorts are more family oriented. They can be either privately owned or
run by a board. |
Site-sitting jobs
27. Construction sites: mainly providing a
presence
28. Construction sites: paid to provide 24-hour security
29. Storage units: management, night security, or provide
vacation relief
30. Gate guard at an oil field for a security company
31. House-sitter
32. House-sitter, providing also pet or plant care
33. Caretaker of ranches or other property
34. Caretaker or work in exchange for site
35. Managing a household— house couple
36. Child care provider — nanny
37. Gun club or shooting range — caretaker
Construction
companies and individuals hire people to watch their property when there
is no one there. We’ve often noticed ranches seeking this kind of help.
Some jobs require simply a presence on the site for a certain number of
hours per day. In other cases, you may have certain tasks to do. People
seek others to help them with projects like gardening, restoring old
buildings, and new construction in exchange for a site.
Often
money is paid for extra hours in these cases. Nonprofit and government
agencies may also seek RVers who are willing to work in exchange for their
sites. Quite a variety of tasks can be involved and you can likely find
one that appeals to you.
Caretaking
property requires more duties than simply site-sitting, and is generally
longer-term. Duties could include care of animals, garden, fencing, house
repair or inside duties.
Where
you find these jobs:
The Caretaker Gazette lists these types of situations in their
publication. They vary in location, duties and compensation. Workamper
News and other RV publications may also have ads of this type.
Homesitters on Wheels has house-sitting and other site-sitting
opportunities, though they charge a fee for materials to join, and not
everyone is able to find assignments in areas they desire.
Word
of mouth, local classified ads, large construction companies, real estate
agents, security firms, all are potential sources. Self-storage units
often hire couples to manage the property and live onsite. You might see
an ad in the classified section of the local newspaper, or use the Yellow
Pages and contact a storage place directly.
Potential
compensation:
Many
housesitting arrangements and caretaking assignments are an exchange of
services. You get full or partial hookups, perhaps a telephone line, in
exchange for keeping an eye on the place. If you have duties beyond
bringing in the mail, you can probably expect some compensation. If you
work for a construction site or storage place, you should get compensation
in addition to your site. All this is negotiable, of course.
Related
opportunities:
Housekeeping
couples (and singles) are
sought in Caretaker Gazette and
by agencies. They could have duties as cook, gardener, chauffeur, child
care or housekeeping. Household managers may oversee other household and
grounds keeping staff. Some positions offer lucrative compensation;
$100,000 a year plus benefits is possible but these generally require a
commitment of at least a year. Most employers require excellent references
and previous experience or training.
Many positions like this come with housing; you would need to
negotiate a spot to park your RV.
Gun
clubs hire
RVers to park onsite and keep an eye on things. Workamper
News is one source.
|
House
couple: Bill and Marna
decided several years ago they wanted to work as a house couple since
those positions paid almost $40,000 year. Not having any direct
experience, but feeling confident in their knowledge and abilities, they
asked friends to write up letters of reference and went to an agency. They
were placed at an estate where they worked for one year. They were later
interviewed for a position working with a celebrity. |
|
Site
watchers: Mike and Nancy were referred by summer job co-workers to a company that constructs
microwave towers and hires RVers to watch the site. On some assignments
one person was required to be onsite 24-hours a day. At others they had to
be present only at night. Compensation was more when they provided 24-hour
a day security. For either type of job, when workers were there, they
could leave to explore the area or do their shopping. Says Nancy, “It
was a pretty easy way to earn money, though on one job we got stuck out in
the desert after it got very hot.” |
|
RV
homesitters: Al and DeAnna have
obtained housesitting assignments through friends. Most recently
they were able to visit Hawaii. Explains DeAnna, "We paid for
our airplane flight; they supplied the house, a car, and insider’s
information about what they liked best about Honolulu. I fed the
dogs and took them out on two walks a day. We kept in contact with
the owners via email and were able to let them know about an urgent
call from their credit union." They could easily have extended
their stay. Al was at a garage sale nearby, and told the lady he was
pet sitting and was offered another job. Word of mouth and meeting
other pet owners can also lead to assignments. |
Sales of Christmas trees and pumpkins
38. Christmas tree lot manager or helper
39. Pumpkin lot manager or helper
The
smell of pines, children excited about Christmas — part and
parcel of selling Christmas trees. Managing a Christmas tree lot is a
short but intense way to earn some cash. As the managers, you may be able
to hire local workers to unload, display, water, trim, sell and load trees
onto customers’ cars or you could find yourselves doing all or part of
these tasks. It depends on the owner and how busy the lot is. Lots usually
open the day after Thanksgiving and stay open until all the trees are sold
or Christmas Eve, whichever comes first.
The
negatives of this job are several. Long hours and the weather can be a
challenge. Many Christmas tree lots are on dirt. If it rains, you’ll
work extra hard at keeping your rig clean. In some cases, dealing with the
owners can be a challenge. The biggest headache we had was finding and
hiring reliable helpers.
Potential
compensation
In
the three to four weeks the lot is open, you can earn a nice chunk of
money. At this writing, average compensation for managing a Christmas tree
lot was around $2,500. Additionally many owners offer some sort of bonus.
We earned a bonus of $1.00 or so for each tree sold; other owners give an
unannounced bonus or one based on how well the managers do overall. Still
other owners pay on a percentage basis. Don and Cynthia earned 18% of the
after-tax sales at their lot.
Related
opportunity
Pumpkin
lots work in a similar way, though aren’t as intense. Often a pumpkin
lot reopens as a Christmas tree lot so you can work both. Compensation
isn’t as good because pumpkins sell for a lot less. But you might earn
as much as an additional $1,000, depending on the situation.
Questions
to ask
Some
questions to ask if you are considering this type of work, gleaned from
the experience of other RVers:
| What
sort of site and hookups will I have? Are
there provisions to empty your holding tanks or use a portable toilet? Do
you have electricity? What volts? Is your lot paved or dirt? |
| How is my pay figured?
Most have a set fee for the time period. Some have a base pay and then an
amount per tree sold. Others pay a percentage of sales. Make sure nothing
can be subtracted for any reason. Can we earn a bonus? How is that
computed? |
| What duties do we have? These
vary by owner. Duties may include setting up and preparing the lot,
trimming trees and putting them in stands, watering, flocking trees,
loading and unloading the truck, loading trees on customers’ cars, etc. |
| What responsibilities do I have for money?
Do I have to reconcile receipts against cash or complete any forms?
(These duties can add an hour
or more to an already long day) Are tree prices firm or can I offer a
discount to make a sale? (Depending
on how your compensation is figured, this could make a difference in your
total income.) How often will cash be picked up? (Are
you in a safe area if you have to keep cash overnight? Or at least in a
fenced, locked yard?) |
| Who will hire workers?
If I do the hiring, do I have a budget, or will this come out of or affect
my compensation? If not, will there be a helper here at all times or only
during certain hours? What will happen if a worker doesn’t show up? Who
pays them? (The owner should take
care of this, otherwise you could have a nightmare of taxes and forms to
complete.) |
Where
you find these jobs
Workamper News and word of mouth. A good way to line up a job is to
stop by a Christmas tree lot or pumpkin lot in the area you might like to
work the following year. Find out from this year’s manager what the
situation is. Get the contact name and follow up after Christmas. Most
owners like to firm up their managers by September.
Check
also the National Christmas Tree Association Web site for retail lots in
the area you are interested. If you have targeted an area, check also with
the local Chamber of Commerce. They may also be able to tell you lot
locations and owners for their area.
From
our experience, before taking a job selling Christmas trees, we would
definitely recommend talking to someone who has previously worked for this
owner. Your expectations will be more realistic and you may avoid some
potential problems. In the right circumstances, we woulddo it again. It
was fun being part of the magic of Christmas and a challenge to sell more
trees and increase our bonus.
|
Christmas
tree workers: John and Susan
relate, “The first time we sold trees, we didn’t know the questions to
ask but we needed money so we hired on with a company in Missouri.
Temperatures were as low as 20 degrees below zero, plus wind-chill factor,
with frozen water for five days in a row.” Electricity was only
available for a few hours a day. Another disadvantage was that this was a
new lot. Whereas an established lot would have clientele that would return
year after year, a new lot depends on people driving by and noticing
it.” John and Susan were getting paid by the number of trees they sold.
They only made $1,700. “Our second experience was better. There was a
base of $2,500 plus an additional amount for each tree sold.” They could
hire employees to help out, whom the owner paid for. We enjoyed helping people pick out their Christmas trees.” |
A
job with a campsite is ideal for the RV worker. You will need to ask
questions to make sure the position is a match. The employer has certain
needs and a budget. If one situation is not right, there are plenty more
in this category to investigate, so don’t get discouraged.
These
types of jobs can work for RV workers needing to make a living and those
for whom income is not a strong consideration. If you need to make a
living, you will have to look harder to find a job that pays well. All the
job-finding skills you developed in Section
II will come into play. Others have found good jobs. So can you.
© 2002, 2006 Jaimie
Hall
All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from the author. |
About Support Your RV Lifestyle! An
Insider's Guide to Working on the Road
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