Escapees March/April 2016

There are several ways to locate these summer positions. Sometimes rallies or other events will have employers come and set up a booth. Word-of-mouth is another, but the Internet is where you’ll ¿ nd the most opportunities. Two sites I use most are www.coolworks.com and www. workamper.com . Workamper News is a subscription site speci ¿ cally for RVers, and Cool Works is a free site that caters to RVers and to nomadic workers who need lodging. Wages and Hours Usually, positions with concession- aires are low-skill jobs that don’t require experience or any schooling beyond a high school degree, and the pay is at, or near, minimum wage. This includes jobs like housekeep- ing, food preparation and cashiering. Depending upon how upscale the restaurant is, some low-skill jobs, like servers, include tips and can actually pay well. Jobs that require certi ¿ cation, spe- cialized experience or training (like tour bus driver, mechanic or cook) will pay better, so look carefully at all of the job options. You may qualify for something with a higher pay grade. Most concessionaires will ask for a 40-hour workweek, but there are exceptions. Two of my three park jobs were 40-hour weeks, and one was a 30-hour week. Keep in mind that there are different labor laws inside of national parks, and employers are not required to pay overtime until a person reaches 46 hours. It’s important to note that, if you’re relying on the money you make from a national park job and not doing it for the experience, you’ll need to take into consideration more than the hourly wage. Most park jobs will take a part of your paycheck to cover your site but the amount varies. The cost of living and groceries also varies, and some may have meal plans that will save more money than cooking for yourself. Taxes in some states are higher than others, and, if the job is

“Applying to multiple locations is a good decision. It gives you more options to choose fr om since, most of the time, you won’t know al l the details about pay, location and amenities until you’ve f il led out the application and spoken to someone.”

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