Information AboutWorkamping |
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While year round workamping jobs do exist, the majority of workamping positions are seasonal: from March/April/May to September/October in northern states or at high altitudes, and during the winter for southern climates, including Florida, Texas and the Southwest. Workamping jobs generally fall into one of two types:
VOLUNTEER WORKAMPING POSITIONS Volunteer camp hosts trade their labor for a free campsite, without any additional compensation. Because of Minimum Wage restrictions set by the Fair Labor Standards Act , volunteer camp host positions are generally limited to government run campgrounds. The National Park Service , National Forest Service , Bureau Of Land Management , and Corps Of Engineers all use workampers to staff many of their campgrounds. Volunteer camp hosts are typically expected to work 10-20 hours week. Their responsibilities can vary by location, but typically these camp hosts collect fees from campers, help campers find an available site, answer questions, and keep watch for problems. Camp hosts often are given a well-marked and highly visible site near the front of a campground, so visitors can find them easily. Though camp hosts may only have to work a few hours total during the day, this work can be spread out in short increments from early in the morning to late at night. Camp hosts must be comfortable having strangers knocking at their door at odd hours, and most workampers would describe themselves as a "people person" who likes to meet and interact with others. PAID WORKAMPING POSITIONS Most paid camp host positions are with private campground operators, who either own the campground or operate the campground under contract with a government organization. Paid camp hosts are responsible for all the duties expected of volunteer hosts, but also are generally expected to clean bathrooms, remove trash from the public areas, and perform light maintenance (such as painting, raking and mowing). Paid workamping jobs can demand up to a full forty hours per week of labor, though most require less, particularly when a host couple splits the work. THE NOMADIC LIFESTYLE Most workampers enjoy traveling to and living in new places. As a result, workampers may work in one campground in the summer and a different campground in the winter. Some workampers return to their home for part of the year, while others have sold their homes and live on the road all year long. While workampers tend to spread out in the summer time, many congregate in the winter months along the Colorado River in Nevada , Arizona , and California . The towns of Lake Havasu City , Quartzite , and Yuma become central gathering points in the winter. FINDING A CAMP HOST POSITION Campers can find camp host positions one of three ways
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