Fair and Balanced

Lucky
(AZ)





My question is a general one. I ask Work for RVers simply because I know I will receive an honest answer.

There are many of us out here that travel thousands of miles to fill a workamper position simply because we love people, travel, and this form of lifestyle. We contact the RV park and review the position and what is expected, simply because when we get there we don't want the surprise of our life, especially if it not a good one.

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Sometimes that works out well and sometimes it doesn't. I see all the great reviews about how great some of these RV parks and campgrounds are. But, I have yet to find any reviews or chat forums on the internet that tells others if working for any RV park is one they need to be careful or cautious of. There is a large population of workampers that would like to see a chat forum that might give us some insight on RV parks that may not be other than good to work for. We/I also want to hear the great reviews of those parks that others have found to be a wonderful experience.

We want workamping to continue to be a great way to travel and work. Possibly fair and balanced might promote better communication between the workamper and RV parks.





Comments for Fair and Balanced

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Work Camper Reviews


Hi Lucky,

I sincerely appreciate that you came to us because you knew we would answer you honestly, rather than giving you the trendy or politically correct answer.

Not all RV park and campground jobs are hunky-dory. They aren't in any industry. There are several reasons why we don't have pages on the website that list or discuss those where work campers have had bad experiences.

Oftentimes when I get an email from an RVer telling me about a bad experience, it isn't printable. Most make sweeping "always" or "never" accusations that I can't believe are true, because few things are ever that cut and dried. When I read many of the negative reports, I think to myself that if the person's attitude on the job was anything at all like what comes through in the email, that the problems were more than likely the RVer's fault, not that of the employer.

A second reason is that I often hear from both the RVer and the park owner about the same situation. Of course, they have different perspectives and see things from opposite viewpoints. So, do I put the name of the park on the list of "not so good parks" and put the name of the RVer on the list of "not so good workers" for all to see? I guess in a way that would be fair and balanced, but I don't think it would help anyone. It would probably just show that the two had a personality conflict.

Another thing is the liability issue.

I prefer to focus on the positive. Send me information about your favorite, good to work at parks. The more details you provide, the easier it is for your follow RVers to determine if that park would or wouldn't be a good match for them.

Google "work camper job reviews" and you'll see there are some forums, and even one full website, dedicated to the subject. I don't know how successful they are, or if you would find them helpful.

There's one more reason, which I'm going to post as a separate comment.
Mismatched Workers


Another reason is that what some see as the negative aspects of the job, others see as positives. A case in point:

One worker wrote me, asking me to warn other RVers about a particular campground. Her major complaint was that the campground owner did not provide her with a full and active social life, though she didn't use those words. There were no work camper potlucks. Work campers were spread out around the park, instead of all parked together. Workers were discouraged from doing a lot of visiting with one another during the day. There weren't many planned activities at the park, such as camper talent night or game night. She felt isolated and alone, and couldn't find enough things to do in the community to occupy her free time.

Within a couple days of that email, I heard from another RVer. She was upset because her free time wasn't really hers. While she was officially off the clock, the park owner still expected her to be involved with park activities. She felt obligated to spend time cooking and going to the potlucks. She was expected to be at the rec hall afternoons and evenings, even when she wasn't working. Instead of hanging out with her fellow work campers, she wanted to meet and get to know the locals, learn about the community, and do some sightseeing in the area.

Neither of those two campgrounds were necessarily bad parks to work for, just as neither RVer was necessarily a bad employee. They simply weren't a good fit for one another. Having work camper job reviews would have been a disservice to all involved.
Be Happy or Move On


The bottom line is, really, why are you in a work camping lifestyle? To be happy, I hope!

I work camp at Amazon.com during the fall months, and more recently have been recruiting work campers to join us in what I consider to be one of the best work camping jobs out there - you're paid more than the minimum wage for all hours worked and your site is paid for by Amazon (not to mention the employee discount). I don't have to swish toilets for 20 hours for my site, I know when the job starts and ends, and what I earn at Amazon in the fall "fuels" my lifestyle.

Don't get me wrong now, it is no gravy job. It is hard work, sometimes long hours, etc., but in the end it is good for me and we're good for Amazon. But it isn't for everybody, that is for sure.

I've met people who are chronic complainers, and nothing could make them happy. Maybe they have to work to make ends meet and that has put a cramp in their lifestyle, I don't know.

But the bottom line is real simple. Our RV's have wheels for a reason, one of them being if you don't like the situation you are in, you have the power to change it! Do something that makes you happy, whether it's working hard for a short period of time to make enough money to support your lifestyle, or sitting on the beach in a lawn chair watching the sunset (or both).

Life is too short to be crabby.
Honest Prospective


Thank You Coleen. As I stated in my question I knew you would give me a honest prospective.

You are quite correct there are those that would complain of the trivial aspects of any workamping position.

Personally, we were looking for a more distinctive and positive appraisal of any position that may or may not be a suitable for many of us. Promotions from others that found a particular area or campground as a positive experience.

My partner and I have been workamping for the last four years and have found ninety per cent of those that we were fortunate to have worked with to be a positive experience. As workampers, our interest is not in the condemnation of any park or position, just the deciding factors such as location, distance from ammenties, services, places of interest and what the area has to offer.

We understand Campgrounds promote the highlights of their areas and our desire was to be more informed. (Fair and Balanced review from those that have worked there before)

I apologize; we were not seeking a forum of detrimental elements of any position or employer.

We wish to thank work-for-RVers for the service you provide. Lucky
Share Your Experiences


Lucky, I'm sorry that I misunderstood what you meant. Reviews done in the way you describe would be helpful.

Please start sending in those reports that give the kinds of information you mention. We have a section on the website for them. Use the form you'll find at Employer Profiles .

Phil, would you please tell us more about your experience with Amazon.com? We have an article about them at Amazon Jobs, but it would be super to hear more about it.

If you want to keep it Amazon.com related, use the Employer Profile link above. If you'd like to tell us more about yourself and how your job there fits into your general full-timing lifestyle, please also send us a Worker Profiles.

RVers, please do add your reviews and worker stories!

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