Get SMART about Camp Hosting--not STUNG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 WorkampingReviews.com Provides a Needed Resource for the Workamping Community

A Voice for the Thousands of U.S. Workampers

On the road, Wyoming – September 18, 2014

A new website has been launched giving workampers and traveling volunteers a voice. WorkampingReviews.com is an easy-to-use free website that allows workampers to share their experiences.  Users will help their fellows to avoid possible bad situations, and encourage the organizations that provide positive employment and service opportunities.  This website equips workampers and volunteers with information so they can determine which opportunities are best for them.

Each year, thousands of workampers and volunteers cris-cross the country filling vital roles in short term and seasonal positions. By all accounts, full-time RVing and workamping is a growing lifestyle.  “A website like this has been needed for sometime,” said Christian Dunn of WorkampingReviews.com. Who, along with his wife, is a full-time RVer and workamper.  “Most workamping and volunteer experiences are positive, but when a situation is bad, it can be a tremendous drain on time, money and emotions,” said Dunn.  “Prior to developing this website I had often wished there was such a resource.  A situation this past year prompted me and my wife to do it ourselves, in the spirit of community.”

The website relies on users to review and share their experiences.  “We wanted the website to be free, easy to use and allow users to post reviews anonymously.  Hopefully, people will come to the website regularly, and share honestly without concern of employer blow-back,” said Alayne Dunn of WorkampingReviews.com.  “So far there is not much in between, people either really enjoy their experiences or not,” said Dunn.  WorkampingReviews.com is the only website of its kind and is solely dedicated to the workamper with no other interests.  It is free, requires no registration, and users can begin posting and searching immediately.   

Christian & Alayne Dunn, also known as the TheRVNomads.com, are non-retired aged full-time RVers that have been traveling around the US with their two cats since March 2013. 

Contact:

Alayne Dunn

TheRVNomads@gmail.com

TheRVNomads.com

443 794 4596

Caverns of Sonora Job Offer

We were on our way to our new job at Colossal Cave Mountain Park when we got a call from the Caverns of Sonora.  It was Bill Sawyer on the phone, a life-long aficionado of caves.  I had sent out a flurry of applications just before our trip to Mexico.  I'd worked hard on them, and Bill said they were ready to hire us.  We couldn't believe we were almost to the cave when the offer came in.  We said we'd be right there.  In the above photo is a sample site in their hookup section of the cave campground.  We'd stayed here before, loved it, and did not want to leave...unless it was to get family to come see this special spot.
This was a paid position...besides being camp hosts, we'd get to give cave tours!  We soaked up information in their well-endowed "visitor's center", which had a massive collection of minerals, fossils, historical memorabilia and antiques.  Bill's photo albums of stunning cave speleothems at this site were unbelievable.  Nothing that fanciful could be real.  But we were soon in the warm and humid and living cave.  We found a meeting room.  You could be married or meet with the spirits or have a family reunion here....or maybe take a nap??








We found detectives were needed.  There's a $20,000 reward for the return of the signature feature of the cave...a gorgeous, but very fragile, "butterfly" (a bladed helictite).  Read this compelling article about the theft.  Bill told us they now know who did it and they intend to sue him for millions, but he has not been located.  He must be on the run, like the many wild-west robbers who used caves as their hideouts from the law.

We were distracted from our robber story by the deepening beauty as we descended with 4 other guests, who were true cave lovers.  Since the group was small, Bill said he'd take us to a wondrous part of the cave...that was even more delicate and beautiful, with a natural tunnel that hummed to a certain pitch and glorious white celestial rooms.  I was in helictite heaven, as I had done college papers on these gravity defying structures.  

Nothing prepared me for the Celestial Room...all decorated in White.

There was no end to the beauty!

I took my own movie and also bought one at the gift shop...but nothing captured the exquisite delicateness and perfection of God's own creativity with ordinary calcium carbonate.  This you have to experience yourself...on the small-group tour.

We were wishing we'd never heard of Colossal Cave, but we had made a commitment to be there and we had been told work had gone into preparing us a site with full hookups.  But we knew we'd found something so much better!!

 

We met with Gerry Ingham, a co-owner, and her daughter, along with Bill and learned even more of their passion for preserving and enhancing this invaluable geologic gem.  We wanted to be a part of this.  They'd even pay us more than the usual minimum wage, which was remarkable in this market with floods of hosting applicants.  The staff were all wonderful, and we knew we'd love working with them.  During our meeting an exasperated worker came in and said the plumbing was backed up in the restrooms.  We went out to the RV to talk this out.  We'd be working with wonderful people in a top-notch attraction...something you could dedicate yourself to.  There'd be a lot of interaction with eager-to-learn school children.  The job would be demanding...probably more than full time in a month or so.  But the big factor had to be we already had said "Yes" to what we thought must be a super job at a cave resort.

We decided to say Bye-Bye to the BEST job offer we've had so far...and farewell to the "singing cave".  (Play the above film clip to hear the cave humming...a natural feature that we'd never imagined even existed.)  Please visit this cave and see its wonders for yourself.  Anything on the internet does not let you experience what comes very near to being divine.

Camp Hosting Positions - Fabulous? ...or... Farce?

We know the dream:  The idealized view of a camp host.  Can you see it?  The cute carved sign with your name on it, the Christmas lights hung and the potted plants blooming all around your shiny rig.  And there's probably a cute pet or two in your vision of the perfect hosting site.  Fantasy?  We found more than one such site at California's Carlsbad State Beach.  Hosts had been delighting visitors by inviting them to decorate a rock.  Fun idea, since the beach was made up of wave-worn rocks...all of them natural beauties....wanting a bit of paint.  If you host in a national park or forest, then you will be asked to leave your host site "natural" looking.  This Forest Service "rule" is often ignored...especially by returning camp hosts who have become much-loved by their managers.   Besides, it's always some kind of holiday....isn't it?  And we must do a bit of celebratory decorating.

We were just offered what I thought was a fabulous dream job in Everglades National Park.  We got an email from Environmental Ranger Greg Litton asking if we were interested in working at their Hidden Lake Environmental Education Center.  He included a brief description of duties:  "Provide logistical support to rangers leading 5th grade curriculum-based environmental education programs.  Two people needed who want to be a part of a nationally recognized environmental education program.  Lots of opportunities for making a difference in urban kids’ lives – this can be hard work too."

This was like candy to a former science teacher who likes working hard and misses working with kids a GREAT DEAL .  I read everything I could about the program.  Greg seemed like a super-star keeper of the Earth.

Ranger Greg passes out periphyton to 5th grade students at Long Pine Key.

 Then the "Fabulous" job started its decline. Here's a bit of sad news we received on Dec 15, 2011, from Greg:  "The only real concern I have is that you don't have a vehicle to get you to camp and back.  It is 10 miles round trip across paved and unpaved roads in a variety of environmental conditions.  That may end up being a real sticking point since some of the VIP duties involve hauling bags of recycling and garbage from camp.   I'll be talking to my supervisor today to see if there is really any other solution."

The Everglades is a Sea of Saw Grass filled with life.

I was thinking we'd just ride our bikes to the camp each day, but it was clear we were supposed to provide a "garbage truck" of some type 5 days a week.  I seriously thought of renting a car.  I wanted to do this!  But thoughts of "farce" started to sneak into my mind.  The previous volunteers quit this job....that's why it was open.  I already knew it was a big commitment.   The work schedule is Mon-Fri with hours as short as a half day to as long as 10 hours.  I started to read the fine print about our duties.  They included: 

Duties include python checks under tents.

Pressure wash, mow grounds, “take care” of unwanted rodents, cockroaches, snakes and ants in tents, care for activity boxes and touch tables, split all of the wood, clean fire pits nightly, cut out poisonwood and poison ivy (it’s around the bathrooms where you have to do string trimming) launder kids’ sleeping bags, spray structures with bleach to control mildew, repaint surfaces damaged by bleach...on and on....

Slough Slogging - a kid favorite!

A big job is being “dock master” for the kids, getting them set up in their canoes, hauling, maintaining and locking up the canoes, camp and trail maintenance, cleaning camp and restrooms, helping students to follow the rules (behave)…and lending a hand to the park staff. You are warned it may be humid, buggy, sweaty work with no showers, and as said...you have to haul the garbage away in your own vehicle.   But you get the weekends off! And we’ve heard the staff is wonderful to work with. They are much younger (and stronger) than we are and tend to wonder why volunteers struggle with the work load. 
Greg put a stop to my trepidation over this "volunteer opportunity" with this Dec 20th email:

Bob and Eileen,
Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm for volunteering at the Everglades next month. The January - April Hidden Lake camp caretaker VIP positions have now been filled. I will keep your applications and info close by since you both were in the running for these positions. [If we only had an extra vehicle to offer in addition to our labor.]

Will work for Badge on Hat

So what do you think?  Fabulous job or a Farce??   I'll give you a hint:  I have heard many volunteer coordinators and managers exclaim:  "I cannot believe what volunteers will do for us and the time commitments they will make to one location."  They say it with appreciative wonder, but also with an incomprehensible gasp or two thrown in.   

Ranger Linda at Bahia Honda State Park gave me this insight:  "They [the bosses] think you volunteers walk on water."

Here’s the job EVERYONE wants!

Salt Springs has to be Florida’s best….very best! Campground. It’s well run by American Land & Leisure. Employees get a free site for as little as 5 hours of work a week. And you are paid minimum wage for your hours. There’s an activities barn with a full schedule of fun get-togethers and staff and campers who are living together as one caring family. Sweet! In fact, this fabulous park-like campground is so popular that every day of the week campers stop by asking how they can camp host here.

Office where we asked for a Job

We asked for a job ourselves, and there’s so many waiting in line to get in, we were given a zero percent chance of being hired. An “internship” is required, where you work through the summer to show you are the right stuff and deserve the job. We’ve lived through 14 Florida summers and you don’t know hot until you’ve experienced stifling, still, super-heated, 100% humidified air. If you aren’t used to it, it can even be life threatening. We went to the Forest Service Visitor Center and found out they need help there, so we blew the dust off of our application and tried to reach someone at the ranger station about getting a job.  We spent hours trying to get an email through to the volunteer coordinator (there's no internet service in The Ocala).  After two days we finally got through and received the following email with 4 generous offers:

Hi Eileen,
I found your application.  Chris mentioned to me that he felt you had great qualifications and would be a great addition to our volunteer program.  We may have a spot opening at the SSVC [the visitors' center link] if we can't work out some details with the current inbound volunteers but I don't know as yet.  We have 3 other sites open:  Delancy West, River Forest, and Big Scrub.

Campground host:  Delancy West is an OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) campground year round and also serves as a huntcamp from November thru January each year.  The host site is primitive and offers a landline and septic.  Water is brought to the host site by forest service employees or volunteers and a gasoline allowance is provided by the FS for a host provided generator.  This position is available right now.  Lake Delancy Link

Campground host - River Forest Recreation Area is a group site available by reservation only.  The camp ground is located on the St. Johns River.  The rec area is currently closed for use while we upgrade the the facilities but we like to have volunteer on hand to help keep up with maintenance and provide security.  This position is available right now.  The host site is full hook up.  River Forest Link

Recreation maintenance - Big Scrub Recreation area is and OHV campground year round.  The majority of the sites are available by reservations with a few sites remaining on a first come first serve basis.  Big Scrub has approximately 60 campsites, 3 full hookup host sites and 2 new (3 yrs old) bathhouses.  This position is available January 1- April 15.  The available position is a recreation maintenance position; duties include assisting with trash removal, bathrooms, mowing, etc.  Big Scrub Link

Getting a job at a KOA or RV Resort

Playa Del Rio RV Resort & Yacht Club

 There are many places on the internet that list jobs...but avoid the "farms" where old listings are posted just so you'll fall into "fields" of ads and offers.  I like this list of jobs because it has the date it was posted.  We are currently testing some of the ads to see if there's still a job attached to them...i.e., Playa Del Rio on the Gulf Coast. 

Another add we're responding to:  "Wow" will be the first thing you'll say after one look at this amazing, amenities-packed KOA in the heart of Central Florida. Splash in one of the region's largest pools after a game of sand volleyball. Pull your rig into an RV site complete with digital cable TV and a brick fireplace on the patio.  Work out in the exercise room.... then relax in the gentle breezes and shade of oaks and palms.  Jump on KOA's Shuttle to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld or Wet 'N' Wild and enjoy it all.   [OK!  We were sold...and they were advertising online for help.  We were gung-ho to apply because Craig & Tanya live close by and the LDS Church is "just across the street".] 

The first thing to do is call to see if the job is still available.  It turned out the ad we read online was not fresh.  But we sent our application in anyway, in case someone had to bail and an opening came up.  The owners sent us an email encouraging us to keep them in mind for next season.  That's just it.  The jobs fill up fast, before the season starts.  So the second thing to do is your research.  Make sure you are applying for a job that you will enjoy...for the entire commitment.  Go online and search the name of the resort or KOA with the key words "worked", "job", or something like that because people love to blog about their camp hosting jobs....and you'll usually get very frank opinions about how it was.

The reason you need to narrow down your options to the area you'd most like to live in and the work you'd most like to do, is there's an overwhelming number of camping locations. 

The third thing to do is to put together an informal resume that pinpoints the skills and experience you have that match the job.  You'll need a current picture of yourself and your rig.  It's best to email your application, and then follow up with a hard copy in the mail (if you are really interested in the position.) Then the final thing to do is an evaluation:  Focus on what you want and do your homework so you don't get stuck in a bad situation.

For instance... I found a compelling RV Adventure site, called Traveling on the Outskirts with the true stories of a young couple dedicated to living on the road.   Last year they were desperate (bad condition) for a workamping position and watched the postings religiously on workamping.com .  One came up at Sun N Fun RV Resort in Sarasota, Florida. This is a huge place with 1,515 sites and activities galore.  Our young adventurers called, sent a flaming resume with superior references, and then aced the phone interview to land the job.  The only problem was they didn't get the details on how they were to be paid and how much their spot would cost them...or even what the spot was like.  It turned out to be $450 a month for a little strip with no privacy whatsoever and a wage $3 less than anyone else was getting and no possibility of making a living...as they were working for tips outside in Florida's coldest winter anyone could remember.  You can read their almost tragic story at: The Real Deal   (A Reality check for campworkers.)

List of Jobs Currently Available

Ready to go to work?  Here's a list of jobs put out by "Work for RVers and Campers".
We responded to the following ad from this list....with enthusiasm....but received no reply whatsoever.  We couldn't get even an acknowledgement that our application was received:
FL: Winter Position on Citrus Ranch Near Disney World
Work campers needed. Work on a 2500-acre ranch close to Disney World. Job runs November through April. We have a U-pick citrus grove, old time country store, eco tours, and a camp ground. Please see our website showcaseofcitrus.com for more info about us.  Call Julie at 352-267-9903, if you are interested.

I like this list because it gives a posting date...so you have an idea if the job might already be filled...or so undesirable that no one has responded and the listing is still active. 

There's a free list by Cool Works of jobs you may have never considered...but could have a riot with.

There ARE many, many camp hosting positions that are paid (in real money).  One of the must varied lists of camp host jobs is found at http://www.simplyhired.com/ .  You can get your free spot without even being in a campground.  Another surprising site is jobsonline.net  with an easy search gadget.  You could be involved with anything from camp counseling to RV sales.

Then we checked the list of jobs posted by Happy Vagabonds.  Why not?  You have nothing to lose by applying.  We sent emails and made phone calls (no answers) and we left messages (with no replies).  We'll let you know if these are valuable lists or not....shortly.   [They are...but apply early and expect quite a bit of competition for the job.]

Here's a sample of a job posting that is supposedly available right now:
Workamper Needed at Fishermans Cove Resort
Needed immediately workamper 20 hrs a week in exchange for site and utilities. Duties are cleaning/general maintenance, friendly, relaxed atmosphere, ideal for retired couple, Come and experience our little fishing / resort. Contact Brenda at (941) 729-3685.

Bob called and left messages several times, and I wrote excited emails, because we used to live close to this resort and know (and love) a lot of people in the area.  After two weeks we gave up, as there was no acknowledgment whatsoever of the communications, resume and pictures we'd sent.  The "paradise" the owner of Fisherman's Cove described went up in vapors for us.  [Note:  We did follow up personally on this job lead, and it had been filled as we had supposed.]

20 Questions You Should Ask Before Accepting a Host Job

NOTE:  These camp hosting questions apply whether you want a paid working RVer job or a volunteer workamper position.

Camp hosting questions about when you work:
1. How many hours will you be expected to work each week in exchange for the campsite?
2. Is that per couple or per person?
3. Will it be in a certain period of time, such as two full days? Or do you have to be there every day?
4. Can you get away...say for doctor appointments?
5. Will you work weekends and holidays?

Camp hosting questions about the work you'll do:
6. What are your job requirements?
7. Exactly, what does “light maintenance” include?
8. What does “some grounds work” really entail?
9. As a working camper, will you greet campers and assign them to their sites, and then just be there to keep an eye on things?
10. Or, will you also be expected to clean bathrooms, collect money, and solve problems?

Camp hosting questions about the campground or RV park:
11. Is the campground facility in a popular place with lots of visitors?
12. What does it cost to stay for one night?  (This is the market value of your host site.)
13. How far is it to shopping, gas, a post office, etc.?

Camp hosting questions about the social climate of the park:
14. Are there many organized activities or other recreational opportunities?
15. What's your guest population...adults, hunters, organized groups, young families....?
16. Are most of the guests overnighters or are they staying for the season?

Camp hosting questions about your pay or benefits:
17. How will you be compensated?
18. If you are working in exchange for a site, is it possible to work extra hours for a salary?
19. Is it mandatory that you work additional hours when the park is busy or staff numbers are down?
20. If free use of the facility’s amenities is included, what are those park amenities?

Asking these questions can help make your hosting experience rewarding for you and free from conflict with the park management. After receiving the answers, give it some thought. Is this really the camphost job that is right for you, or should you look for a different position? Make a realistic list of the pros and cons so you don't make an emotional decision.  Good luck!

Want to be paid Cash Money?

There ARE many, many camp hosting positions that are paid (in real money).  One of the must varied lists of camp host jobs is found at http://www.simplyhired.com/ .  You can get your free spot without even being in a campground.  Another surprising site is jobsonline.net  with an easy search gadget.  You could be involved with anything from camp counseling to RV sales.

We worked with a couple who had happily been employed by Hoodoo Recreation.  She had been an area manager, and he drove a nice truck around with a spray system mounted on the back.  He could clean outhouses in a whole forest in one quick run.  Word is they all smelled great, too.  The secret?  Jasmine air fresheners and biological agents which contain not only potent enzymes, but also bacteria to break down the mess.  Anyway, click on the following site for an excellent description of both host and attendant jobs... It also explains why some jobs pay more than others:  Hoodoo Campground Host Job Descriptions

Recreation Resource Management has contracts to staff many campgrounds throughout ten states. They hire about 500 seasonal employees per year to work at one of 175 different campgrounds.  You can apply with Recreation Resource Management in one of three ways; you can apply online, download an application from the website and mail it in, or receive a paper application by mail to mail back in.   Click here to learn more or go to CampHost.org .  One caveat:  Some hosts have complained area managers with RRM have given them such a hard time that they felt they had to quit.  We do not know if some situations have really been that bad, do you?

I was told ALL of the state parks in Texas pay their camp hosts.  See How to apply for Texas State Park jobs  It turns out SOME of the jobs are paid.  The State of California has had paid camp hosts in the past but is going toward using more and more volunteers.  Check out their jobs at California Host Positions .    Don't forget Older and Bolder for paid jobs.

Legacy RV Resorts hires for their RV resorts in eight states. Visit http://www.legacyrvresorts.com/ to learn more about the job opportunities available.  Their online application is very easy to fill out.

Are you interested in employment at a Jellystone Park™? Check out the parks who are looking to fill  positions by visiting http://www.campjellystone.com/.  Please contact the individual parks directly for detailed information.  Bob and I paid to stay in a Jellystone campground here in Florida, and it's a great place if you miss having kids around.

If you go to http://koa.com/community/ there's a list of KOAs you can contact for employment.  As always, it's best to go in person to the campground you are interested in.  You want to see what the job is, and the employer will feel so much more comfortable meeting you in person before offering you a position.

Job Offers Galore!



Ocala National Forest called us again after we turned down Shanty Lake and offered us a very nice position at Doe Lake Group Site.  We'd just have to watch over one site that was mostly used by equestrian clubs.  I was in heaven!  I love horses so much that I thought I was one growing up.  Pictures are at Doe Lake Description   But then it got confusing.  We got offers to camp host at Gold Head Branch State Park, Juniper Springs with Recreation Resource Management of America (a great company to work for; apply at RRMofA Employment Application or http://rrmofa.com/ ) then four offers in one day from the Forest Service.  Next Jolene called from Manatee Springs State Park with an offer to run the Ranger Station a few days a week in return for a spot with hookups.  We spent a few day at this remarkable state park in January 2010, so that was completely exciting.  And church was an easy bike ride into Chiefland, which was an important feature.  Then on September 23, 2011, we got an email from a ranger in the Everglades offering us the job at the Nike Missile site.  But the job didn't start until December.  (We should have asked, because we thought it started October 1st, like all of the other offers we'd received.)  We also got an offer from Bahia Honda State Park on this same day.  I told Bob to turn it down:  too hot and too buggy!  Besides, I'd miss the family reunion that was planned for October 8th.  He seemed devastated...saying that would be his dream job of all time.


Manatee Springs, complete with Manatees....of course

Here's a sample email we received:  The Ocala National Forest has immediate openings for volunteer campground hosts at the following campgrounds:   Delancy West - available now - April!, Hopkins Prairie - available October 15 - April 15



Applying to American Land and Leisure

Silver Glen Springs, Florida

Our dream job for the winter was to continue with our present company, American Land & Leisure.  We loved the management and how well we'd been treated.  We called the Area Managers, Ken and Judy, in the only spot AL&L manages in Florida:  Ocala National Forest.  We learned we could probably work at a day-use area to cover the existing host when she needed time off.  We were excited!  Silver Glen is not just a beautiful spring, but a lovely boating and recreation area.  But the number of visitors from up north (snowbirds) had dwindled to the point that the company actually cut back on employees this season...and we were on our own to find a job in Florida.  Here we go...off into the unknown.  If you want to check AL&L's current openings in the U.S. just click here:  Current Job Openings  The application is simple to fill out.  When we turned ours in, I added a letter of recommendation from our former employers...which was not requested, but I think it helped.  Click here to see the Application for Employment  This company does supply everything you need to do your job, including some type of vehicle, nice shirts, caps, jackets, and work gloves.  You are even paid minimum wage for your hours. 

Are GUEST Hosts "legal" ??

Granddaughters as Guest Hosts

Guest hosting is FUN...as long as you get permission.  (Our Area Managers approved all of our parttime hosts.)  This pair of hosts lasted about an hour... before they discovered exploring and animal spotting was much more fun for them.  But Bob's Mom, "GG", was 100% dedicated.  She came all of the way from State College, Pennsylvania to take the job.   She was so good at greeting our visitors that she made fast friends.  We loved her input, as her ideas made things like money collection and handling noisy campers so much easier.  GG also let us share her 90th birthday! 



GG's Birthday Banner (made by the Goebel great-grands) on the back of our RV




GG with some of the Fam at Redman

Junior Camp Hosts

 

Camp Hosting National Parks

Hosts in national parks seem extra, extra happy. There's a generic online application that can go to all of the parks, but volunteer coordinators suggest you send a paper copy to any park you are most interested in. We sent a picture of ourselves as well with a cover letter. You have to be enthusiastic and really sell yourself, as the baby boomers are flooding the coordinators with applications for host positions. You can find the ap at any park's site. Here's the one we found for Zion, as we talked with the hosts there in person: http://www.nps.gov/zion/supportyourpark/campground-host-volunteer-opportunity.htm The only pay for your labors is your spot and up to a $30 propane allowance per month.  It's always worth a try...  We got a very nice offer from the Everglades.  Click here to see the Volunteer Application 

Above is the 31K parked on the Virgin River. I went up Watchman Trail to get an "aerial" view of our RV. Taken 4/1/11

How to be a Camp Host

First, talk with any and all camp hosts you can contact who already work in areas you are interested in. I've never found one who didn't love the job...and who wasn't happy to pass on any info that might be helpful to you. It was only last year that I ever talked with a camp host, after camping all of my life. I thought they were aloof and dictatorial...essentially all about very strict camping rules. Wrong. This past year our contacts were not only friendly, but frank...and encouraging: "Do it! Be a camp host; you'll love it!"

Second, it's almost mandatory that you be married. Management companies hire couples. So be sure you and your spouse can get along well (I mean really well) in a confined space...and you have no problems working as a team. It doesn't work out well if one does most or all of the work.

Thirdly, look for a small assignment at first with 30 or fewer hours a week, if you can. It would be sad if you took a long assignment...say 4 or more months, with heavy responsibilities...and then realized hosting was not for you.

You can fill out applications for groups such as CampHost.org, Workamper, etc., and even send a resume...but usually nothing happens. It's best to go right to the campground you are interested in, check it out and start asking questions. If it's a place you want to be, ask if they need any help. We got our first job when a camp host asked us why we were parking our RV in a group tent area in Jordan Pines, Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City. Our son had invited us to join his family on a church group outing, and we guessed that RVs weren't allowed...but we came along anyway. The host who questioned our being there was happy to answer our questions about his job. And when we asked how to get a hosting job (not seriously) he said he was the area manager and happened to have an opening at Albion Basin in the next canyon, near the Alta Ski Resort. We were curious enough to ask for an application, filled it out on the spot, and we were hired (with no interview). How could it be so easy? We soon got a cool ranger-like uniform, name badge and sturdy work gloves and were all set to go.