New Years Resolutions

Make these New Years resolutions to jump start your working on the RV road job search and find the perfect job!

1. Keep your eyes and ears open. You may overhear someone talking about an interesting job or see a help wanted sign.
2. Talk to other RVers and Workampers about their jobs. This is a good way to find out more about the employer and job situation.
3. Talk to people on the job. At RV parks, in national parks, Christmas tree lots and RV shows you can meet people who can tell you more about what they do and how to get that job.
4. Be alert to "different" positions that aren't usually considered RV jobs. Read the free employment newspapers and classifieds to find temporary and seasonal jobs or ones that could be adapted. UPS, for example, hires helpers and drivers for the Christmas delivery season.
5. Write it down. When you come across a potential job or employer, write it down and all the contact information. If you think of a question you should ask during the interview, write it down. When you need it, it will be at your fingertips.

Happy job hunting in 2008! Jaimie Hall - Bruzenak

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.

Traveling skilled tradesmen

While many workers on the RV road do not need to support themselves, some do. If you have a skilled trade, you can combine RV travel and work and make a good living.

I saw an ad in The Employment Guide, a free employment newsletter, while in Tucson for a company that provides contractors with skilled tradespeople. They have a division for traveling skilled tradespeople that provides a variety of contractors with the tradespeople they need to handle plant shutdowns, turn-arounds and outages or complete new commercial construction or industrial projects. They hire tradespeople in the following areas:

• Electricians
• Welders
• Pipefitters
• Carpenters
• Millwights
• Scaffold Builders
• Boilermakers
• Painters
• Blasters
• Plumbers

The company provides a number of benefits. As a traveling tradesperson, you may be able to deduct your travel. You can learn more at the CLP Traveling Tradespeople Web site.

The lesson here is many opportunities for the worker on the RV road abound - if you keep your eyes open and are open to less tradtional RV jobs. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com

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Trailer officers in Tucson

We are in Tucson for Christmas and of course I picked up one of the free employment newspapers at the supermarket. An ad for a "trailer officer" caught my eye. I checked out the Web site. The job description is as follows:

"A trailer officer lives on the job site 7 days a week and is guaranteed overtime, in a trailer that we provide. T/O duties are to patrol the job site during your shift hours and watch for theft and vandilism of the jobsite. Report any issues to your supervisor and then the superintendant."

They will take someone with no experience, but prefer a valid AZ guard card. Benefits are included since they want someone full-time. It looks like the pay is more than $10/hour since starting wage is $27,500/year.

This is the kind of position where the company might be open to giving the job to someone (or a couple) living in their own RV who would make a commitment of at least six months. It would be worth checking out if you wanted (or were willing) to stay in the area for a while.

Also in this newspaper was an ad for inventory associates. Pay is $8.75/hour, though work is scheduled during non-business hours. If you got started with this company, it is one you could probably come back to each winter and work for a few months and they'd be delighted to have you anytime you were in the area.

Tucson does have inexpensive mobile home parks. Because they get a tax break if they have a few RV sites, they do welcome RVers. Mobile home parks don't have the amenities that RV resorts have, but are a good deal for someone looking for an inexpensive place to winter. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.

Christmas tree lot sales

Driving around Phoenix last week, then in the Santa Rosa, CA area where I flew to visit my son and family, I saw lots of Christmas tree lots. Some are staffed by local people, but RVers are often sought to manage these lots. By parking onsite in their RVs, they provide a presence. The managers generally hire other workers locally but take care of the money, inventory and scheduling themselves. Lots open Friday after Thanksgiving and close when the trees are gone or may be open up to and including Christmas Eve day.

The most common form of compensation is to manage the lot for a set fee plus some sort of bonus based on sales. When my late husband and I managed a lot in Texas in the mid-1990s, we were paid $2500 plus $1 per tree. Now the going rate seems to be around $3500 or so. Another arrangement is to be paid a percentage of sales with no guarantee.

Working a Christmas tree lot means long hours and hard work. The owner may limit the amount of hours/times you can have help. And good help is hard to find. Friends working in Yuma, AZ recruited from the military base and got excellent workers. We were always wondering if our scheduled workers would show up. One young man we hired loved to stand around and talk to customers rather than help load trees; he only lasted a few days.

Some questions to ask:

• How will you be compensated? On what does a bonus depend?


• Will costs for your helper be taken out of your pay? How much will you have one or more helpers? What does it depend on?


• What sort of paperwork do you have to complete?


• When will money be picked up? Do you have to store it in your RV?


• Is the lot secured at night? (We were locked in a chainlink fence.)


• Can you be flexible on tree prices?


• What sort of hookups will you have? Usually there is electricity and possibly a hose from a neighbor. We were pumped out when they pumped the porta-potty. One RV couple only had electricity 2 hours/day, though, so check.


• Will you have to flock trees or unload trucks?
  
  

We enjoyed selling trees, though did feel trapped sometimes. One of us had to be at the lot at all times it was open, making it difficult to get shopping and laundry done. About halfway through, we had a problem with our refrigerator. Fortunately my husband was able to get it fixed; we could not get our motorhome out of the lot until we finished selling trees.

While driving down one street in Santa Rosa, I saw the managers had a popup trailer to live in. Temperatures were getting down pretty low. I hope they had electricity! Jaimie

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.

Get your tickets!

If you'll be in Florida or Arizona this January, plan to attend one of the job fairs. You can purchase your tickets in advance. Read below for details. Jaimie

Job Fairs for RVers in Lakeland, FL and Mesa, AZ

Workamper® News, Inc will produce two events with a wide range of employers who will be interviewing job seekers at the Workamper News Job Fairs, Jan. 10-11, 2008 at the Lakeland Center, Lakeland, FL, and Jan. 29-30, 2008 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, AZ.

The Job Fairs will provide Workampers, persons who combine any type of full-time or part-time working with RV camping, an opportunity for face-to-face interviews with employers from across America. Thousands of great part-time and full-time Workamping jobs will be available.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in seminar sessions on topics ranging from Workamping Basics to RV Retirement Planning to Resumé Writing. Seminars will be given by four different presenters over the two day Job Fair.

“We enjoy going to Job Fairs because it is nice to meet the employers and it is a good chance to ask questions. We like to go both days so we can visit all of the booths, have time for interviews and take in a seminar or two,” said Ted and Joan Semprini, Workampers from Altoona, IA.

Workamper employers can include private campgrounds, state and national parks, amusement facilities, hotels, monuments, motor sports, sales, etc. Exhibit spaces are being allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. Employers may reserve space by calling Workamper® News at 501-362-2637.

Workampers can avoid the long lines at the door by obtaining their tickets ahead of time. Call 501-362-2637 for ticket information. Additional Job Fair information and attendee camping is available at: http://www.workamper.com/WorkamperNews/TWNInterviewSession.cfm [You can also see the current list of employers attending. Check back as the time gets closer.]

Workamper® News, Inc. is celebrating its 20th year of “Helping Great People, Find Great Jobs, in Great Places.” Located in Heber Springs, Ark., Workamper® News publishes a bi-monthly magazine and hosts Workamper.com which provides online tools and resources for Workampers and their employers.

End of open WiFi networks?

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that could mean the end of open WiFi networks. Some say the SAFE ACT would make the owner of an open WiFi network liable for data sent by users of their network.

"The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill saying that anyone offering an open Wi-Fi connection to the public must report illegal images including "obscene" cartoons and drawings--or face fines of up to $300,000."

An article at CNet News.com said it wasn't the bill's author's intention to "include homeowners or WiFi providers, but rather the entities that provide the conduit to those networks." The bill was rushed through without a hearing.

Depending on the courts' interpretation - if this does become law - an RV park where some RVers are working on the RV road (or staying as a guest) may be reluctant to offer free WiFi. RVers who have shared their signal with neighbors may also be concerned about possible consequences.

Until the bill passes both houses and is signed into law, RVers do not have to worry. If passed and RV parks, truck stops, coffee shops and libraries no longer allow access to their signals, it could make it difficult for many RVers who want and need regular Internet access. Jaimie

For more information on connecting to the Internet see Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.

Right-to-work states v. employment-at-will

We may read that a particular state is a "right-to-work state." We may also see "employment-at-will." What do these mean?

Right-to-work state: This means you cannont be denied the opportunity to obtain or keep a job based on union membership. That is, you do not have to join a union to be hired. Twenty-two states are "right-to-work" states. You can check out these states and what their laws say at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc. Web site. You can also see what your rights are if you are not in those states.

Employment-at-will state: This means that, in the absence of a contract, either the employer or employee may terminate the employment relationship at any tiem, with or without cause, and for any reason. An employer may not terminate an "at-will" employee for an unlawful reason such as discrimination. Every state is an "at-will" state, though state law variesand workers are protected in certain instances. Learn more about "at-will" employment at EmployeeIssues.com and at Nolo.com.

While an employer can let you go in a "employment-at-will state," you can also leave if you want without repercussion. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.

Unusual job - mortuary driver

Another ad I saw in while in San Diego was one for mortuary drivers. A transportation company was seeking applicants - clean driving record, heavy lifting and background check required. This company apparently provides drivers for a number of companies, not just in this industry.

If you were planning on being in the San Diego area for several months, you might be able to get a full- or part-time job driving for them. Driving a limo for funeral services might not be too bad but it could be doing pickups and deliveries of coffins or perhaps chairs and tents for graveside services since lifting is involved. You'd have to ask.

While at first glance, an ad like this might not seem to hold the possibility of work on the RV road, giving the company a call and getting more information might turn up a real opportunity. Jaimie

For more unusual ideas on ways to earn money on the road, see Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com

Success on the job- focus on the business' needs

In an interview with Susan Eastridge, CEO of Concord Eastridge, Inc. in the Arizona Republic, she made the statement:

"The successful people in my business are those who figure out what the business needs to succeed. The unsuccessful people focus on their own needs."

This applies to the successful worker on the RV road too. While you want to meet your basic needs, the way to sell yourself in the interview is to let the owner know how you can help her meet her business objectives. And the way to be successful on the job and to get a good reference is to concentrate on satisfying the customer and building repeat business or on whatever goals the business focuses on.

Make sure this job is a match during the interview and negotiate for what you need in the way of compensation and other aspects of your agreement. Then do the best job you can. Don't let yourself be taken advantage of but putting your efforts into the bottom line for the owner will pay off in more ways than one. Jaimie

For information on Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.