What jobs do campgrounds hire for?
When you are searching for a campground host job, you will find 11 different types of jobs. All work camper jobs have the purpose to serve the needs of campers and maintain the campground facilities. If you have a background in a useful field for the campground, even the pay scale maybe higher than the usual minimum wage most campground workers earn. Let me show a partial list of what is available in the work camper industry.
1) Manager- If the RV Park is not owner-operated, or for US Forest campgrounds with more than one campground, there may be a need for a manager. These employees should be able to lead a staff of one to twenty, have knowledge of the campground industry, know the Campground Masters program, and be able to accept a fulltime position. The pay rate is higher for the manager. There is often an onsite accommodation offered. And a long-term contract may be available.
2) Camphost- There are several names for this position. Park host, workamper, work camper, to name a few. These employees tend to work on a seasonal basis, typically April to October, directly service the needs of the campers. Collect fees, lead campers to their sites, sell firewood, enforce the rules, and help to keep the campground clean.
3) Relief camphost- These employees cover for the hosts on their days off, may cover lunches for store employees, and assist management as needed. These are seasonal positions.
4) Kiosk or Gate house worker- These employees collect fees from visitors or campers as they enter the park. Or they may take phone reservations at a busy campground. This could be seasonal or part time in the slower winter months.
5) Volunteer workers- These employees are often called Docents. A docent is a person who instructs visitors on the local flora and fauna (plants and animals) of an area, they may act as trail guides, and trade their time for a site at the campground.
6) RV Camp Employee- These employees help the campground owner to operate the park in areas of store clerk, grounds maintenance, pool safety, game amenities, etc. They may be onsite or offsite employees.
7) Activities Director- These employees organize activities for campers. They usually live off-site and may have come from a recreation, teaching, or human resources background. Table tennis, shuffle board tournaments, whiffle ball games, board games, barbeques, dances, concerts, are just a few of the events that this employee may organize and oversee.
8) Grounds Maintenance- These employees can live onsite or offsite according to the needs and size of the campground. Although the camphost will assist with grounds when the campground is not busy, a full-time grounds employee maybe needed to keep focused attention on the grounds of the campground or RV Park. These positions could be seasonal or year around.
9) Marina dockhand- These employees are needed for lake campgrounds with rental boats. They may live onsite or be hired locally. They could be seasonal if in snow country, or year around in temperate climates.
10) Store clerk- There are several ways that a campground can cover a store, a camphost couple could have the husband hosting and the wife in the store or they can hire an offsite local.
11) Pool lifeguard- Most RV Parks hang a no lifeguard on duty sign up, but if the park is large enough, a full-time lifeguard may be necessary. These employees would likely be hired locally and live offsite. Unless the pool is indoor, this will be a seasonal job.
Naturally the number of camphost jobs that are offered to run and maintain a campground, is factored on the size, use needs, and finances of the campground or RV Park. More employees are needed in the summer months and of course just a skeleton staff remain in the winter when most amenities are closed or not available. The wage scale for campground workers is based on experience, the needs of the campground, and the position applied for. I have been a camphost for seven years, I have done nearly all the positions listed above, and I highly recommend working in a campground.
All of the articles on my blog come from being a camper from the time I was eight years old. I bought my first RV when I was 30, a tent trailer. I traded the tent trailer for a 26′ bumper pull trailer, then a 5th wheel, and I now have a 38′ Newmar Mountainare Class A motorhome. Once I retired from the Motion Picture Industry after a 39 year career, my wife and I sold the house, and moved into the motorhome. We have been traveling, managed an RV Park in Washington, worked at a lake in Southern California (I was the Maintenance Manager), and are planning our seventh season as the campground hosts at a campground in the Los Padres National Forest, in Southern California. We love the Full Time RV Lifestyle. See my course on https://howtofulltimerv.com
