Follow your dreams
Many RVers are making a living while enjoying their favourite hobby
Reaching across the table, my husband and I shook hands, both of us grinning with glee.
We did it! I said. We’d just received a phone call from the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) offering us an eight-month contract to be camp hosts at Derby Reach Regional Park near Fort Langley, B.C. Research, resumes, interviews and crossed fingers ~ all had worked. Success!
Many full-time RVers dream of constant travel; we were no different. When faced with the reality that our budget did not lend itself to an idle life of meandering down the highway, we knew a means of subsidizing our income was necessary. What better way to earn an income and actually live the lifestyle than by working in a campground?
”Living the dream” is how Margot Bartsch of Holiday Trails Resorts in Rosedale, B.C., describes the RVers who visit and work in their parks.
They are the backbone of the park’s success, said Bartsch. ”A good many of our seasonal people return each year, creating a relationship with the members and becoming an extended family.”
Mary Plowman, a membership consultant and full-time RVer, agrees. Mary and her husband, Ray, have returned to the Holiday Trails Resort, Camperland, for the past 18 years. They spend their winters wandering the southern states in their motorhome and return in April to live on site. Driving her golf cart through the park, ensuring prospective members learn the benefits of membership camping, she is easily recognizable by the bright smile on her face.
Start planning early
Recruiting for campground staff usually starts in the fall or early winter for the following summer. When applying, applicants should submit a letter, a résumé and contact information as early as possible since most positions fill quickly.
It’s not always necessary to apply in person; inquiring about a position may be made by e-mail, phone or letter. A résumé highlighting reliability and skills is recommended and should include a picture of the applicant and his or her RV. This puts a face in the mind of the prospective employer.
Employment opportunities are as diverse as RVers themselves, and the skills necessary can be transferred from previous employment quite easily. A retired baker may enjoy cooking in the park café or possibly learning a new skill such as pruning fruit trees.
What’s in a name?
Job titles mean different things to different people. Our position of camp hosts with the GVRD really means ~ keepers of the gate. We ensure the park gates are locked and unlocked appropriately and opened in the event of an emergency. We are available four days a week to answer questions and assist campers as needed. However, being a camp host for iRVins Park and Campground near Valemount, B.C., for instance, means doing maintenance, cleaning and guest services. Asking specific questions of the employer that relate to the duties expected is extremely important for both parties.
Benefits are usually negotiated but can include a serviced site to park an RV and wages for hours worked, depending upon the position. Ensure all of this information is clear prior to commitment by both the employer and the employee.
Go for it ~ seems to be the motto for both employers and full-time RVers. Life is too short to wonder whether you can live your dream ~ take a chance and do it. Seldom have we heard regrets, except from people who hesitated too long and were not able to live their dream.
Three weeks after signing our contract, we are perched along the mighty Fraser River. The view from our living room is an ever-changing scene of little tug boats pulling huge barges of gravel and sand, commercial fishing boats placing their nets and even a paddlewheeler.
Grabbing the keys from the hook by the door, we happily head out to lock the gate of the regional park; this is just one of our duties as camp hosts ~ a position that allows us to follow our dream of being full-time RVers.
Article previsouly published in RVwest 2007
RESOURCES:
http://www.workamper.com/
http://www.holidaytrailsresorts.com/
http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/
www.bcinteriorparks.com/jobs.html
http://www.gov.bc.ca/
http://www.gov.ab.ca/home/
http://www.happyvagabonds.com/
http://www.pc.gc.ca/
