From experience...Work camping is a great thing, if you have patience and enjoy the public. If a person is lacking in either of those two areas, it's is misery.
If you are in a government park..state or federal, there will be a time expectation, usual;y of 3 months.
As a rule..the more money you are being paid, the more responsibility and hours expected. Work-Camping in a state or federal park and many county ones, is a trade. You get your site and whatever amenities are available, such as power, water, etc. In return you will have shifts and usually 3 days off. You might work the office, or just out in a golf cart selling firewood and answering questions. Yes, bathrooms might fall into your work routine.
The upside? is that once you have a history of being a good Host..you can criss-cross the country, as many many do, staying in wonderful parks, almost anywhere you want to be, for 3 months.
I think the most common complaint from Work-Campers is not knowing what the job entails. Like bathrooms. Do the E mail thing...get the commitments in writing. And sometimes, there are personal classhes...you 'can' just up and leave. No one is going to chase you down. Try not to do that tho..you need good references to get the good parks.
There is an interesting side-bar to work-camping. ANY park where you get your site in exchange for doing something. The IRS views the trade as having a value. If that site is rented out for XX dollars, and you are getting it free, in trade...that is a taxable benefit. They have never been known to go after anyone but..keep receipts, to prove your trade value. And that is why you cannot work-camp in another country.or people from another country, cannot work-camp in the US, unless one is paying income tax to the IRS, of course.
Gary Haupt
