Workamping is a system where full-time or long-time RVers camp in an area and work at a job either on-site or nearby. The concept includes both volunteer positions and paid work. Payment for workamping may consist of free camping, wages, salary, and other considerations, in various combinations.
A Brief History of Workamping
The concept was developed in 1986 by Greg Robus, a Park Ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and his wife, Debbie, a teacher with experience in newsletter publishing when Greg had trouble finding seasonal employees.
The two developed a newsletter and later a web site devoted to matching RV camper with available jobs, and trademarked the name Workamper™ (and WorkCamper™ which refers to volunteer work).
The organization was sold in 2005 to Steve and Kathy Jo Anderson, formerly of Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa.
Workamper Demographics
According to the Workamper site, their audience is Primarily RV owners who seek jobs or volunteer opportunities compatible with the Workamper lifestyle
- Most Workampers are in their 50's and 60's (about 53% are below 65, says the site)
- Slightly more than half work to supplement their retirement income
- The rest work to support a full-time, or near full-time, RV lifestyle
- The most common or highest-profile job is that of camp host, though there are many others
- Most Workamper jobs are in the Outdoor Hospitality Industry (resorts, campgrounds, theme parks, state/national parks, etc.)
Online Job Search
To some extent, the Workamper site that allows RVers to search for jobs at the site. A few featured jobs are shown each day.
Subscribers to the "WorkamperPlus" progrm can access additional resources:
- A hotline that features immediate job opportunities
- Subscription to the bi-monthly magazine, Workamper News in print and online form
- Access to the private sections of Workamper Viewpoint, including "Praise Your Employer"
- Workamper News Forums
- Awesome Applicants® job-search software, an online resumé system.
Likewise, employers can subscribe to an "Employer Plus" feature which gives them access to resumes and other resources.
The main source of information for the average Workamper is the magazine, Workamper News.
Workamper University
Workamping is not all happiness and joy. Sometimes employers aren't happy with the staff they get. Sometimes RVers drive for hundreds of miles only to find that the job was misrepresented or is not what they had in mind.
Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak, Workamper's Viewpoint Moderator, has developed a home-study course on DVD to help reduce the number of unhappy matches. The course promises to help RVers:
- Identify their most valuable work skills (the ones employers seek)
- Discover what they really want in a job
- Identify and research potential employers
- Evaluate job offers to determine fair compensation
- Develop a dynamite resume to attract Workamper employers
- Learn to ask potential employers the right questions
The course is practical, not theoretical. "We aren’t going to just talk about Workamping," Hall-Bruzenak promises. "When you complete the course, you’ll have an action plan for finding your first job, a resume and a list of 20 potential employers."
The Workamper system is not the only way to find a job. Word of mouth and local sources also play a part. Often the local want-ads contain jobs suitable for RVers looking for a seasonal position. Internet marketing jobs, blog writing, and other computer jobs can be started at home then taken on the road.
Workamper News is a niche product that grew to meet the specific needs of working RVers and appears to do the job well.
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