Maine seasonal opportunities

Maine is another beautiful state, especially along the coast. It is possible to work seasonally here. The kicker will be finding an RV site if your job doesn’t come with one. There aren’t that many campgrounds and the ones that are here are expensive. Look for a monthly or seasonal rate that should be more reasonable.

Looking over the help wanted ads in the Portland newspaper, The Maine Sunday Telegram, I found several possibilities:

• Driver/tour guide. You need a CDL and the gift of gab.


• Flaggers. One of the two companies seeks outdoor laborers in all areas.


• Golf maintenance. ASAP - November.


• Deliver phone books. Need own vehicle, begin Aug 6. Clerks and loaders needed too.
  
• Seasonal worker at L.L. Bean
  

For an RV site, you could volunteer at one of the Maine State Parks. Workamper News lists jobs that provide an RV site so look there too. Friends worked at a campground near Bar Harbor that also rents kayaks. She worked in the office, he drove the truck hauling kayaks plus did maintenance. The Maine coast is outstanding. A little research will find a way to pay you to stay here. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

Size matters

When looking for a position working on the RV road, consider the size of the operation. It can make a big difference in your experience.

• Mom & Pop v. corporate: A small family-owned business can be more flexible. A larger operation usually has set policies.
• Destination or stopover: An RV park that caters to families or adults staying for a while has activities and amenities. Family parks will be noisier and more active.
• Number of sites: A larger park, particularly with amenities, will more likely have a division of labor. Maintenance will be separate from reservation or camp store work.
  

Think about the experience you want and then choose your employer accordingly. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

Vermont possiblities

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  We have just spent several days in the Burlington, VT area. What a beautiful state with pleasant weather - at least in the summer. While there aren't a lot of opportunities for working on the RV road in Vermont, these are a few I found.
  
  You'll also want to check into an RV site. If you volunteer at a state park, you would probably receive a site as part of your compensation. In the other cases, you might have to find your own.
  


• Volunteer at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne (south of Burlington) or work seasonally. This is an outstanding collection of art and Americana housed in 18th and 19th century buildings.


• The Vermont State Parks have both volunteers and seasonal employees. One Workamper I know is employed while her husband volunteers.


• Caregivers are needed in New England on a temporary as well as a long term basis for children and adults. New England Nannies & Child Care Solutions (Website is coming) is a Vermont-based company. Do a Google search for New England Nannies for other similar companies.


• Ben & Jerry's hires seasonal help. One perk is three pints of ice cream per day! Most of the workers were young but they were having fun.
  

Tourism is big in Vermont however some places want you all year round because Vermont is a big winter ski destination plus draws tourist for the changing leaves in autumn. If you do want to work on the RV road in Vermont, it's a neat place and you can easily explore the whole state from one location. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

Developing a working network

Networking, or using contacts you've previously met, is probably the most effective way to find a job. Networking is also powerful when you are looking for a job on the RV road. How do you develop a network when you are traveling?

• As you travel and meet Workampers, find out about what they are doing and exchange cards with them or write down their contact information. Make notes on the back of the card or in your Job Notebook to refresh your memory: what kind of job they had, where you met them, any advice they gave you.


• Attend seminars or job fairs for workers on the RV road. Life on Wheels, The Rally, FMCA, Escapees often have seminars at their educational events/rallies. Workamper News will be putting on two job fairs next January: one in Florida, one in Arizona.


• Join an online community on working on the road where Workampers share information and feedback. I highly recommend Workamper.com. Participate in forums on working on the road such as those at RVTravel.com and Workamper.com.


• Other RV groups that have online communication may also be helpful. For example, we belong to the Boomer Birds of Feather group of the Escapees RV Club. Many of these younger RVers work and volunteer as they travel so are good resources.

When you are looking for a job or volunteer position in a particular area or of a particular kind, you can post at a forum or contact one of your network members who has experience that fits. If they don't know directly, they may know someone who does.

The other good use of networking is to check out a potential employer or an area. Talking to someone who has direct knowledge can be invaluable in finding good employers, avoiding bad ones and knowing what you are getting into.

The other RVers you work with can be the most helpful. Ask them about previous Workamping experiences. If you find a good one you might like to do, ask if you can mention their name. They might even be willing to contact the employer and mention they have worked with you. This sort of recommendation gives you an advantage over others applying for the same position. Use it shamelessly whenever you can!

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

Update on solo women Workampers

Betty Prange completed her training in June and is now an official "jammer." She is driving a red bus at Glacier National Park in Montana. The company spent two weeks training the new drivers. They learned to drive the bus, which runs on both propane and gas, and all the things they would have to know to obtain their CDL. In addition, after hours, they had to learn about the area so they could provide a narrative for their tours.

When Betty contacted me last she had succesfully gotten her CDL and taken two tours on the "Going-to-the-Sun" Road. The photo is of Betty in her red bus. She mentioned that she has never particularly cared to wash a vehicle. Now she has to wash her bus every day! (See the original post, "Betty will be jammin'")

Susan Chittam is working at Ruby's Inn just outside Bryce Canyon National Park. She meets many people interested in how she got her job and how you make money working on the RV road.

What has been most fun for Susan, so far, is attending all the plays in Cedar City, located about an hour away. It has several festivals, including a Shakespearean festival, a Renaissance Faire, and coming up, a Neil Simon festival. (See the original post on working in "Gateway Cities" about Susan's job.)

For information finding these types of jobs, whether working solo or as a couple, see Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., available at RVBookstore.com.

Start your engines! Working at a NASCAR race

In a free newspaper I picked up Sioux Falls, SD, an article on glamour jobs includes a section about a fellow who is the former crew chief for Ryan Newman's NASCAR pit crew. His crew was instrumental in Newman's many race wins.

RVers working on the road can be part of NASCAR. Maybe not a crew chief, but NASCAR races need many extra workers at race time for ticket sales, security, ushering and other tasks. Plus vendors who travel from race to race hire workers to follow the circuit.

Workamper.com has a Motorsports page. Read that for more information. One vendor is listed. For positions at a specific track, contact the track itself a few months in advance. Some positions are filled with volunteer workers so paid positions may be limited. You will usually have a place to park your RV, though it may be dry camping. Clarify that when you apply.

You may not see the whole race, but working or volunteering at a NASCAR event is one way to be part of the excitement. Jaimie

For information on working at NASCAR and other short-term events, see Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed. Available at RVBookstore.com.

Paid to scoop poop?!!

We are heading through Michigan on our way to Elkhart Indiana. We took a day to explore Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. Most famous for the Grand Hotel and summer homes of the wealthy, most of the island is actually a state park.

What's unique about the island is that no motorized vehicles are allowed. Transportation is by foot, bicycle or by horse. With nearly a million visitors each year, lots of seasonal workers are needed. And— with more than 600 horses on the island during the summer months— workers are hired to pick up after the horses!

We saw one state park worker with a draft horse and wagon, scooping up horse poop along the road that runs around the perimeter of the island. It looked like a pretty laid-back job if you don't mind what you are doing. Her horse enjoyed munching the grass while she scooped. We biked past another fellow on Market Street. He had a scoop and bag and was walking.

Mostly college-aged students work on the island because housing is limited and shared. No RVs are allowed out here. You might find a campground in St. Ignace or Mackinaw City and commute, though. Regular jet boat ferry service runs between the mainland and the island. There are dozens of retail shops, restaurants, hotels, bike rental places and horse-driven carriage rides.

The Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau website offers links to employers seeking workers. Check for openings at the Department of Natural Resources since state parks also hire seasonal workers. The ferries are another possibility. We rode the Star Line ferry—the one with the rooster tail in back—and saw they too hire more workers in the summer. The other lines undoubtedly do also.

When you visit Mackinac Island, it is a little like stepping back in time. Once you leave the main street with its tourist shops, it is suddenly quieter and a slower pace. If you're looking for a unique experience, this could be the place. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.

Massachusetts new universal health insurance coverage law

Massachusetts' law requiring health care coverage of all residents takes effect today. Could it affect Workampers working in this state? While it's not totally clear, even part-time workers who work 35 hours or more per week are included. And employers with 11 or more employees are required to provide insurance. The state provides three plans for part -time and contract employees. You can sort through the explanations at their new Commonwealth Connector website.

For those who want to full-time RV travel before they hit Medicare age, finding affordable insurance can be the major stumbling block. We are long overdue for health care reform but universal coverage is still only a dream. Maine passed a univeral coverage law in 2005 making health insurance more available to the uninsured but it is voluntary, not required like Massachusetts'. California's governor is pushing a law for his state. The huge number of immigrants could make it financially overwhelming for state tax payers.

There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding Massachusetts' new law and how it could apply to Workampers but it does hold some promise. Stay tuned! Jaimie

Resources for finding health insurance can be found in Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed. See RVBookstore.com.