ALERT - Critical Camp Worker Information to avoid BIG Mistakes

Waterfront Camp Host sites next to The Shop

Today, 11/7/2011, we were enlightened! We thought the big advantage of work camping is the free site. When you do the math, your site is often double or even triple what you would normally pay for a camp site. And your site is often sub-standard…next to the camp shop, or crowded together with the other hosts next to a busy road, or in a less-desirable area...like next to the dump station!   

Front Gate Elite Resort at Salt Springs

We found an RV resort across the street from Salt Springs Campground with a lot renting for $250 a month, including cable and all utilities except electric, and activity fees already paid.  (See resort here.)  The lot is landscaped and huge, with concrete pad and patio.  Even the lawn furniture is included.  So if we get a job…maybe checking people in at the front gate…you have a little income that works out to be more than you’d ever get with the “free” site.  The light goes on!  Negotiating the lot rental separately from the job is a much more profitable setup…at least in this instance.  And you’ve avoided losing your freedom to roam, as many host positions actually require you to be "on duty" most, if not all days in smaller campgrounds.

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!

Job Duties of a Camp Host

First, saturate yourself with the beauty.  This is the entrance view for Redman Campground.

  
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Keep a clean host site.  It's so tempting to pile up your "tools

of the trade" under and around your RV or trailer.  Don't do it!

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Learn all you can about your inventory--know which sites would match a given camper's specific needs.  This site is a double (for groups of up to 16 people) with an extensive trail system behind it....leading to magical forest, stream and meadow adventures.  You also need to know it has great parking for a large RV or trailer.

  

Taking photos of Camp Sites

Site 25 - All-time favorite, by the Creek



You also will probably paint tables, clean out fire pits, remove ashes and garbage from stoves and/or grills and pick up all trash (anything not "natural")...oh, and of course clean the Potties.

A fun job is taking photos for Recreation.com and ReserveAmerica.com so they can post them online to inform campers of what they are reserving.  The best duty, though is to meet and greet campers.  They are so very enjoyable!  In the above picture I'm sharing some of my favorite necklaces with our wonderful campers.  We're grateful for every visitor!  Please stop by our host site and chat.    :]

Finally, no matter how trashed someone leaves their camp site....don't forget to smell the roses. 

(These are at our entrance gate....totally natural, of course.)

Snow drifts in July? Oh, certainly...in Utah's Mountains

These pictures still give me CHILLS. We were supposed to open, and being new to the campground, we didn't realize there were TWO more camp sites. They were so buried in snow we still couldn't see where the tables might be. The stick in this picture is my tough shovel handle. It held up much better than my leather gloves, and I was grateful for it. There really were tables in these drifts. The one in the second picture scared me. . . as there was a sizable cave under it . . . and I convinced myself it was a bear's den. (Three recent bear sightings in the Brighton Ski Area, just barely up the road, stoked my imagination.) I was sure if I dug any deeper, my shovel would part the hair of a big black bear.
The picture at the top of this post is the same site a month later. No bear. But we were required to pass out pamphlets and lecture campers about bears because of the sightings. The flower-lined trail leads to Brighton Ski Resort. We learned this site is a favorite because of its wild "back yard" that extends to a large "secret" tent site.