Pay or No Pay?
This seems to be a hot topic with a lot of workampers so I thought I would post my 2 cents worth.
Essentially, there are 2 types of workamping positions:
A. Positions where the campground pays the workamper
B. Positions where the workamper pays the campground for the privilege of working there.
Most advertised positions fall within type B above. The ad may read "volunteer", which means the campground will gain at the expense of the workamper's time and efforts. Another prevalent ad might read "work 40 hours a week, the first 25 hours for the FHU and the balance of hours receive pay at $10 per hour." That's 100 hours per month at $10 or $1,000 per month. So, in reality the workamper is paying the campground $1,000 to be there. One recent ad even stated that the workamper would be paid $12 for every hour worked and the cost of their site and utilities would be deducted from their check each pay period. This would mean the workamper would then receive a W-2 at the end of the year and have to pay taxes on money they never got to see. The campground sells a site and only has to pay for the extra hours which came to $631 or less than $4 per hour for the workamper over 40 hours.
I know there are plenty of people who jump at this offer, but to me it doesn't fly. Type A positions are what I look for. They will read "Perform duties for X hours per week, compensation is $X per hour for all hours worked, FHU and utilities, use of facility and amenities." These are campgrounds that actually value their workampers.
Essentially, there are 2 types of workamping positions:
A. Positions where the campground pays the workamper
B. Positions where the workamper pays the campground for the privilege of working there.
Most advertised positions fall within type B above. The ad may read "volunteer", which means the campground will gain at the expense of the workamper's time and efforts. Another prevalent ad might read "work 40 hours a week, the first 25 hours for the FHU and the balance of hours receive pay at $10 per hour." That's 100 hours per month at $10 or $1,000 per month. So, in reality the workamper is paying the campground $1,000 to be there. One recent ad even stated that the workamper would be paid $12 for every hour worked and the cost of their site and utilities would be deducted from their check each pay period. This would mean the workamper would then receive a W-2 at the end of the year and have to pay taxes on money they never got to see. The campground sells a site and only has to pay for the extra hours which came to $631 or less than $4 per hour for the workamper over 40 hours.
I know there are plenty of people who jump at this offer, but to me it doesn't fly. Type A positions are what I look for. They will read "Perform duties for X hours per week, compensation is $X per hour for all hours worked, FHU and utilities, use of facility and amenities." These are campgrounds that actually value their workampers.
