Hours for Site?
If this is discussed in a job posting it is zapped by the moderator, so let’s have a separate thread. (And rightfully so according to the rules) 1. If the “employer” is offering a full hook up sit...
Forum Discussion
My personal opinion on this subject falls in line with the ones that mention monthly rents (not the daily rent multiplied by 30) in the area calculated by an average wage.
I actually think it is silly to expect someone to work 40 hours per week (no matter the type of work) in exchange for a FHU camp site. IMO that is abusive. Really, would you work at a sticks and bricks job for wages that were only equivalent to your rent and utilities NOT including the structure?
Personally I feel that 20 to 25 hours per week no matter where and no matter if there is a pool or whatever other amenity is a fair wage/hours rate.
I saw an offer for a job at a campground on the forum that required 30+ hours per week and thought that was too much.
I really understand that there are people out there that feel like they do not really need to worry about those things and that they are happy to work 40 hours per week for a camp site but think about it... that is selling yourself short.
Think about this as well... the camp site offered is usually NOT one of the prime sites. Most times it is right at the entrance with headlights shining through all night or it is next to the dump station or wherever. Then think about the fact that the loss of a couple of unpopular sites is of very little consequence to the operator in the grand scheme of things. They are making their money on the prime sites and their profit on the rest so they are sacrificing virtually nothing to exchange that site for you to be at their beckon-call. Then there is the electricity/water/sewer. How much of that can you really use each week?
Now I respect those of you that are willing to exchange your labors for a cam site at the 40 hour per week rate you really should take a moment to consider that this devalues us all in the mindset of operators that see work campers as nothing more than free labor and attempt to squeeze as much out of work campers as they possibly can for as little as they possibly can.
Most of these places have park aids, cashiers and other paid staff that are likely receiving at least minimum wage. They clock in at a specific time and clock out at a specific time.
Work campers, on the other hand are generally on site to deal with the customers 24/7 whenever they are in the park.
How many of you can think of a time when you were off duty, relaxing at your site and a camper needed something and you took care of it?
How many of you had the knock at the door at oh-dark-thirty to handle something in the park and you were the only staff there?
How many of you were just heading out for the day and someone needed something while the duty host was tied up elsewhere and you delayed for an hour to take care of the customer?
How many times have you worked a schedule where you were on two days and off two days and you started working at 07:00 in the morning and did not roll back in to the camp site until 19:00 for dinner because you were dealing with customers, cleaning camp sites, picking up trash at the boat ramp, checking in customers, selling firewood, running errands and such all day, THEN the ranger strolled over and asked you to assist with an interpretive program at 20:00 hours that night.
Not to say it is not fun and rewarding but in the same respect I do not believe it is appropriate for an operator to feel they can ask you for all those hours and then maybe even ask of you the extra little bits all the time that you were doing as well.
Unless we as a work camping community put a stop to operators requiring too much time in exchange for a "Free FHU camp site" operators will continue to take advantage.
As someone else mentioned... if you are required to put in a full weeks work then you might s well settle somewhere that the full weeks work is paid commensurate to at leas minimum wage.
Oh, and for those of you that say that the camp ground charges more... think of this... a "resort" that commands higher prices for the sites will likely be in an area where the wages are a little better than a place where wages are low so if the paid employees would likely get paid more then the compensation package for the work campers should also be better.
I actually think it is silly to expect someone to work 40 hours per week (no matter the type of work) in exchange for a FHU camp site. IMO that is abusive. Really, would you work at a sticks and bricks job for wages that were only equivalent to your rent and utilities NOT including the structure?
Personally I feel that 20 to 25 hours per week no matter where and no matter if there is a pool or whatever other amenity is a fair wage/hours rate.
I saw an offer for a job at a campground on the forum that required 30+ hours per week and thought that was too much.
I really understand that there are people out there that feel like they do not really need to worry about those things and that they are happy to work 40 hours per week for a camp site but think about it... that is selling yourself short.
Think about this as well... the camp site offered is usually NOT one of the prime sites. Most times it is right at the entrance with headlights shining through all night or it is next to the dump station or wherever. Then think about the fact that the loss of a couple of unpopular sites is of very little consequence to the operator in the grand scheme of things. They are making their money on the prime sites and their profit on the rest so they are sacrificing virtually nothing to exchange that site for you to be at their beckon-call. Then there is the electricity/water/sewer. How much of that can you really use each week?
Now I respect those of you that are willing to exchange your labors for a cam site at the 40 hour per week rate you really should take a moment to consider that this devalues us all in the mindset of operators that see work campers as nothing more than free labor and attempt to squeeze as much out of work campers as they possibly can for as little as they possibly can.
Most of these places have park aids, cashiers and other paid staff that are likely receiving at least minimum wage. They clock in at a specific time and clock out at a specific time.
Work campers, on the other hand are generally on site to deal with the customers 24/7 whenever they are in the park.
How many of you can think of a time when you were off duty, relaxing at your site and a camper needed something and you took care of it?
How many of you had the knock at the door at oh-dark-thirty to handle something in the park and you were the only staff there?
How many of you were just heading out for the day and someone needed something while the duty host was tied up elsewhere and you delayed for an hour to take care of the customer?
How many times have you worked a schedule where you were on two days and off two days and you started working at 07:00 in the morning and did not roll back in to the camp site until 19:00 for dinner because you were dealing with customers, cleaning camp sites, picking up trash at the boat ramp, checking in customers, selling firewood, running errands and such all day, THEN the ranger strolled over and asked you to assist with an interpretive program at 20:00 hours that night.
Not to say it is not fun and rewarding but in the same respect I do not believe it is appropriate for an operator to feel they can ask you for all those hours and then maybe even ask of you the extra little bits all the time that you were doing as well.
Unless we as a work camping community put a stop to operators requiring too much time in exchange for a "Free FHU camp site" operators will continue to take advantage.
As someone else mentioned... if you are required to put in a full weeks work then you might s well settle somewhere that the full weeks work is paid commensurate to at leas minimum wage.
Oh, and for those of you that say that the camp ground charges more... think of this... a "resort" that commands higher prices for the sites will likely be in an area where the wages are a little better than a place where wages are low so if the paid employees would likely get paid more then the compensation package for the work campers should also be better.
