Our first Workamper position.

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Iceman567

Active member
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Posts
25
Location
Gulf Coast of Florida
We have been offered a workamper position at a southern Texas RV Resort. It is a fill-in/substitute position in the park. The position hours are split between my wife and myself for a total of 25 hrs per week ( no more than). The contract they would like signed spells out the hours, the title (substitute) but no actual responsibilites other than what we discussed over the phone.

Should the contract clearly identify what our job responsibilites are, total compensation (site, FHU, wi-fi, activity discounts, etc).

The contract also mentions that if, for whatever reason we are not able to fulfill the 6 month agreement, we would be liable to pay the site fees plus electricity for the remaining months.

Any input would be appreciated. This is our first position and I want to be sure all of our bases are covered.

Thanks for any help!
 
Iceman, I am not a workamper so can't tell you what the "norm" is but here are my thoughts. I would not sign a contract that did not spell out everything within reason, period. I would list all things you discussed over the phone, I would also state that you have at least 2 wks free rent for showing up (what if you drive cross country & they change their mind when you show up?), and lastly if you cannot fulfill the 6 mo, whether you quit or they fire you, again you get 1 week free rent to gather things and leave. Then initial under your last sentence so nothing can be added. JM2Cs. I'm sure others can comment on their experiences also.
 
I would agree with mavarick get it all in writing it covers you as well as them. You should not ASSUME it will be the way it was told over the phone especially if you deal with someone else at the CG. You don't have to be anal about it but you should make it clear you would feel better if things were spelled out so there won't be any misunderstandings.
 
"we would be liable to pay the site fees plus electricity for the remaining months."

So if you're not around you still have to pay the site fees?  Or is this only if you stay on site?
 
The contract should spell out what you have to provide in exchange for whatever they provide.  Specific job assignments are typically vague, mostly because they vary a lot, but ought to state the basic type of work, e.g. camp host, office staff, maintenance, etc.

We've held several workamper positions in various parts of the country and I've never heard of one that made you liable for the site if you leave early. However, having workampers quit in mid-season is a common problem and there are often incentives to stay to the end, e.g. a bonus payable at completion.

That sounds like a very one-sided "contract" to me - I would be skeptical. Ask for some provisions that give you some guarantees as well.
 
Thanks for the responses. I will be calling them to get ALL 'perks', etc we are entitled to, specific job duties added to the contract before we sign anything.

With regards to paying the rent if we leave for any reason, here is the quote from the contract: "...will result in you paying the site rent for the period of time that you were to be here....plus full electricity...". The assistant mgr I talked to said that they will try to work through any problems so we wouldn't have to leave. If the position did not work out for either party, I doubt we would really want to stay.

A lot of things were talked about over the phone but not included in the contract. I agree with other posts, a contract protects both parties.

I'll keep you posted. It really is a nice park that I'm sure we would enjoy.

L8R.
 
I'd have a real problem with that leaving early clause, especially the "for any reason" part. If you leave early and aren't in the site, why should you pay for the site plus electricity when you aren't there using it?

Wendy
 
I am in agreement with Wendy........What happens in the event of medical problems? Anything can happen at any point in time. Does that mean you are still responsible for the site, plus electricity? That would make me nervous.

Mariekie
 
:eek: I do work camp and have since the mid-90's. That is the first time I have ran across this work commitment. I would pass on that as this could put you into some serios finance if this is a long term contract. Most camp grounds follow the right to work/right to fire clause. Keep looking, there are polenty of opportunities out there. Try( work for rvers ) website and Happy vagabonds. BOL! Irover
 
Thanks for all of the info. We have decided to pass on this position. After reading the responses from everybody here, we decided that it is in our best interest to keep looking. Six months is a long time to be locked into a position, in a park we have not been in, no guarantee that we could spend Christmas with our family in MN and some possible financial repercussions should we decide that this park was not for us. I will check out the websites as recommended. Ted
 
That business of being responsible for the site rent, sounds way off base.

Glad you kept looking.

I applied for numerous workamping positions and many phone interviews. There seems to be NO norm at all.  I turned down a few because of weird issues. One park wanted me as a single person,  to work 30 hours per week  just to park and have water, AND pay electric for the site out of my pocket.  I notice that place keeps reposting  new ads...  I think they are having trouble getting folks to work 30 hours for just a lot and water. 

Another one kept extolling on all the wonderful sightseeing in the area, but also wanted me on fixed hours 7 days a week that started at sun-up.  The 20-25 hours per week was 4-5-6 hours per day, 7 days a week... what kind of new math is that? 

I'm in a situation without a contract at all, but so far it's working out just fine, I've been here about 9-10 weeks. I'm pretty happy, they're pretty happy.  ;D

Matter of fact, they were kind enough to run over my old decrepit sewer hose with the riding lawn mower and present me a brand new one.  :)

My little Bark Ranger loves his job here. We do it together, so that is a huge bonus not having to leave him locked up in the motorhome. 
 
welcome to the world of workampers....wife and i been doing it for almost 20 yrs.....i may be the odd man out but i have been a workamper and i have managed parks and hired workampers..i think the best part is the mobility. we have made arrangements with mgrs and owners and once we showed up it was a totally different situation then explained, we would just move on,,,thankfully only happened a couple times in 20 yrs.....a basic idea of hours,pay,duties,and free site or discounted site info was all we needed.never,never signed any kind of contract. if the park has a good mgr or owner all your questions should be answered up front, a good park will keep to their word of the arranged agreements.
but, everyone is different, we just go with the flow...............good luck
 
Glad to hear from another workamper. I am happy in my current situation, but want to go further south for the winter, not really into brutal winters.

I'm looking at a situation in Florida  that wants 32 hours per week for a couple. I asked them if they would consider a single, they said yes, but I would have to do the 32 hours as a single.  So I am considering it, since it's the only thing I've found in Florida. There is no pay, just electric, water and sewer.

Trying to decide if I should jump on it or keep looking. So far I haven't been able to find a THING in Florida for the winter, but this one deal.  I assume the Florida stuff you have to wait for a workamper to die, to find anything.  :eek:



 
Let's see. Florida minimum wage is $7.31/hr, so that's $233.92 per week for a campsite? $1005.86 per month?  Sounds like a poor deal to me. What is the winter seasonal rate at this place?

But you are right - workamper compensation poor in places where numerous people go and are looking for a bit of work to help with the expenses. Lot's of competition for the jobs, so low pay.  It may be the best you can do in that region.  Try further north in Florida and away from the beaches and cities. Rates are lower $300-$400 per month is common.
 
It's a government gig, no campground, but they  provide  camping with elec water and sewer.

I wonder where these cheap RV parks are in Florida? 

I hunted all last winter, about wore myself out hunting all over Florida for a cheap park when my workamping ran out (due to government change in regs).  I only found ONE place under $400.  Many did not include electricity. My experience with paying electric separate has been a disaster. I paid $130 to a park just to run my fridge and 110 for one month with no heat and no air conditioning, it seemed rather high to me but that was in Ohio.

I finally ended up in a sardine park in Florida for two months, at  $325 a month which did include electricity. I say sardine, because they had us packed in really tightly.  I did end up with a larger lot because I was on a sharp curve, but the way they had the utilities scattered around, I couldn't reach the sewer unless I parked the most undesirable way possible or bought 50 feet of sewer hose.  I finally figured out a way to deal with it.

Because I have no toad, every time I drove somewhere, I had to make a 7 point turn to get in or out of my lot.  They had a pull through lot, but had rented it 12 months  to someone with a travel trailer. Go figure...

Also, I ran into some parks that insisted on leases for a better rate. I didn't really want to be obligated to a lease, I mean I have WHEELS, I don't want to be forced into settling down, paying rent under a lease.

If I find workamping I need to pick up and go, and not be tied to a lease for six months.

If you know where these 300-400 parks are, let me know. Thank you!
 
Check up around the Ocala area. They may be combo mobile home and RV parks. Lake Bryant MH and RV Park is one possible. Whispering Pines is another - I think they get about $330/month.  Most long term rates do not include electric, regardless of price. And yes, long term rates require a commitment. If you want to be able to move at short notice, you have to be prepared to pay  weekly or monthly rates.
 
;D As per Gary, Ocala area. Search RV Park Reviews. com, Click State; then city; then the campground, you may have to go to the Campground web site for amenities and price. Best Of Luck! I found a place in alabama that was suitable for me there. Happy traveling! Irover
 

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