We're going to be camp workers! Advice welcome.

[Halfmast]

@Primo20

I don't see why you would be unable to Workamp in most situations, as it is "barter" not employment. Amazon Camperforce program pays your site rent but also pays an hourly wage, so that would not work for you. The OP states that he/they will receive an hourly wage which also wouldn't work.

However in the vast majority of Workamp situations, no money changes hands. You get your site in exchange for unpaid work hours. Check out this link where many positions are "FHU Only".

https://workampingjobs.com/workampingjobs.php

[Villagerjjm]

In my younger days, I worked at a privately owned resort campground for a period of time from April through the end of September. I had a great time and met a lot of people and made some close friends. The downside of it was that you are virtually on standby for anything that requires assistance and your hours begin at sunrise and end at sunset. Even if you are told you have set hours, you may find that you will be working more hours than you planned on working.

[jkierl]

Originally Posted by primo20

not being a US citizen or resident alien stops us from working in the USA. i cant imagine we would get a work visa. i enquired with Amazon for their camp work program and they cant hire Canadian citizens...

If you are workcamping, no pay just hours for site, nothing is stopping you. Inquire at any state park, especially in Florida. I (work) with several Canadians every winter.

[biker1952]

I was a full timer for 8 years & Workkamper for 5 of those. I enjoyed it very much, especially dealing with campers from all over the world. The only problem was I had a dispute with owners daughter & that ended that. If you are a great people person you will have fun.

[primo20]

Originally Posted by Halfmast

@Primo20

I don't see why you would be unable to Workamp in most situations, as it is "barter" not employment. Amazon Camperforce program pays your site rent but also pays an hourly wage, so that would not work for you. The OP states that he/they will receive an hourly wage which also wouldn't work.

However in the vast majority of Workamp situations, no money changes hands. You get your site in exchange for unpaid work hours. Check out this link where many positions are "FHU Only".

https://workampingjobs.com/workampingjobs.php

Originally Posted by jkierl

If you are workcamping, no pay just hours for site, nothing is stopping you. Inquire at any state park, especially in Florida. I (work) with several Canadians every winter.

excellent thanks - i definitely dont want to get my self in trouble and end up getting deported! much appreciated. i would love to trade my skills/services for free sites! the "retirement" income should cover the rest!

[BTKIGHT]

You can always try the state parks. It is basically the same everywhere. The tequired hours do vary but the one we have worked at here in Texas require 24 hours a week per couple. For that work, which is not hard at all, you get a nice full hookup site. Some parks even provide free firewood, ice, etc. as well as free park entry to family and friends. There is no pay, but when you are retired and living on SS, it is great. No mortgage/rent, no taxes, no utilities. Plus you get to meet some wonderful people and live in a beautiful place. This is our 4 th job within Texas Parks and Wildlife. May 1st we return for our 3rd time to beautiful Tyler State Park in the Piney Woods of East Texas.

[Bbfish]

My husband and I have been Camp Hosts at State Parks ( In PA) for the past 6-7 years. There is no pay but the campsite is free. We're technically there for a 40 hour week "on call" basis but the work never really amounts to much. Mostly PR for the park. ..trying to keep people happy. Sometimes we help out with the programs and with anything else they ask us to do. We've met some really nice people and plan to continue doing this. Most of the parks want us to stay 2 weeks at a time and that's fine with us...we like to go around to different parks. It works for us.

[Beachbourbon]

Originally Posted by ncebeemer

Keep your bosses happy, but don't forget the "customers". You used to be one and will be one again. Treat the guests as you would want to be treated, and your boss will be happy. Seen a few campers who have tried the hosting bit, but became terrors to the guests. Just my 2 cents. Enjoy the new career.

We’ve experienced the “terrorizing” types too often. I remember tent camping and seeing a mother and young daughter harassed to the point of tears, packing up at dusk and driving home in the dark. We didn’t even notice a violation or nuisance of any kind! It was so bad that I personally called and wrote to the campground parks dept. fortunately, they told me I was not the only one, so there were some good campers there that day. Things were different (better) on our next visit.

[ernest917]

Once things calm down some, my wife and I will be reporting to our workkamper jobs at The Crazy Horse Memorial in Custer, SD.....

We originally were to report on May 6th but they won’t be reopening until Memorial Day weekend.... (unless things fail to improve)

FHU site with free WiFi as well as hourly pay .....

We are excited to get started.....

[Villagerjjm]

It sounds great! Good luck in your new adventure! Be smart, be safe, stay healthy!

[Springerdad]

Long story; hopefully I won't bore you all.

Several days before we were to leave here to head to the Keys, and on our last week of work in our business (it did sell) Vicki was push mowing the back yard of one of our client's house..... and misjudged her spacing. She would up falling backward off a 3' high retaining wall onto a concrete pad - that is also a seawall cap. She landed on her butt and shoulder, then hit her head. Luckily she didn't black out, or it could have been a disaster. Her backside was bruised, and her shoulder was giving her a great deal of pain. We debated the wisdom of going to the Keys to work in a few days, but being a tough West Virginia gal she said she'd be fine.

We were given entry to the Keys, even though it was roadblocked, since we had a lease contract and a letter of employment. We arrived at the resort and were told to self quarantine for two weeks - for ours and everyone else's safety. So, we goofed off, relaxed, and stayed by ourselves.

THEN the fun started. We knew the landscaping needed a lot of work, so we worked. And worked. We got to know the remaining winter camp worker couple better, since they decided not to head north for a while, but eventually did leave at the end of April. We also got to know the managers better as well. They were tough, but fair. We developed a good, trusting relationship with them. Many evenings were spent poolside enjoying cocktails and socializing. They are not new at the RV resort management thing, and definitely had their way of doing things - which was ok with us, but not the husband of the other summer couple we were paired with. There was a lot of head butting on his part, which caused some anxiety for us. Can you say narcissist? He threw me under the bus at every opportunity he had. Management knew what was going on, and did their best to keep him at bay and us happy.

Vicki's shoulder pain worsened, to the point she was unable to do several things in our work. Being out of network, and the Covid 19 situation worsening, she was unable to get the medical help she needed to find out what was going on. We finally decided we needed to come back to SW Florida so she could get help, and gave management our 2 week notice. It was one of the hardest things for us to do. Management was understanding, and put her on 'desk duty' to prevent any further injury, and of course to avoid a worker's comp issue. I continued my jobs, and Vicki created a tutorial for future camp workers on the hows and ways to care for the vegetation there - which was greatly appreciated by them.

We stayed an extra day to help with the influx of RVers on June first, when they reopened the Keys, and departed the next day. As of today, we are still awaiting a doctor visit next week (finally!) and hoping her injury was not permanent. The house didn't sell, as the virus pretty much squashed the real estate market here at home. So,,,,, we're going to stay.

In the end.... would we do it again? Probably not. Having a 'less than' counterpart really took away from the experience, and yes, I realize might not happen to us again. We learned a lot, gave a lot, and made a better relationship with management. RVing is still for us, but not camp working. I guess we're better suited to full retirement. We are still glad for the experience.

Oh, we're going back there as guests for the week of Thanksgiving, and again in April of next year. They still love us there.

[NMWildcat]

Thanks for the follow up and 'the rest of the story'. Hope your wife recovers and that it is nothing serious.
We also looked being work campers, but after we retired, we discovered we enjoyed being retired too much to tie ourselves down to a part time job.

Would you mind sharing the name of the park? We are looking to spend some time there when the situation allows it. We have been to the keys and Key West many times, but never in the RV. We want to change that and knowing a nice recommended park would help.
Thanks again for getting back to the thread.

[Springerdad]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Thanks for the follow up and 'the rest of the story'. Hope your wife recovers and that it is nothing serious.
We also looked being work campers, but after we retired, we discovered we enjoyed being retired too much to tie ourselves down to a part time job.

Would you mind sharing the name of the park? We are looking to spend some time there when the situation allows it. We have been to the keys and Key West many times, but never in the RV. We want to change that and knowing a nice recommended park would help.
Thanks again for getting back to the thread.

Grassy Key RV Park and Resort. It's about 7 miles east of Marathon. I just want to reiterate, we got to know the managers, and they truly are great people. No beach at the resort per se, but there are several beaches on Marathon, ocean side. Also, we have found several of the best places to eat there! Several of them are not well known, but boy do they have great food!

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Springerdad

Grassy Key RV Park and Resort. It's about 7 miles east of Marathon. I just want to reiterate, we got to know the managers, and they truly are great people. No beach at the resort per se, but there are several beaches on Marathon, ocean side. Also, we have found several of the best places to eat there! Several of them are not well known, but boy do they have great food!

Thanks for the info and review! We will definitely move this park up on our list of possibilities!