Really Pay to Review My Application

[ricklord2001]

My wife and I have sold our house and will be fulltiming for a while.
I saw that a State Park had an Opening for a host and thought I'd check it out as the description was very vague. Following advice I got from here I thought I'd call and see exactly what was expected for duties. That didn't go very well and every time I asked a question the response was do you have a problem with that. I really got the impression that you do what they ask and shut up. I really didn't get much out of it.
They advised me to fill out paperwork online and they might contact me. So I said what to heck and filled them out figuring I'd get my answers after/if they contacted me. Well I hit submit and there was a fee of $15 to review the application. It's not the $15 but to pay to have someone review my application just didn't agree with me. I've gotten jobs paying a lot of money and never been hit with this.
Is this the norm for workkamping? Just really rubbed me the wrong way in addition to the way I was treated during the phone call.

[Dog_Folks]

wannavolunteerFT wrote:
With 45 state parks and recreation areas utilizing up to as many as 8 volunteer hosts per park, it makes sense that Georgia is ALWAYS looking for hosts. That is a lot of volunteers. Dog Folks that may be why it seems like they are looking for more than other agencies, because they have more needs.

RickLord, if you look on the page where you sign up to be a host, it has some job descriptions for various types of hosts (camp, golf, maintenance, etc). The site also says 24 hours per couple (sure they want you around the camp site more), but you aren't stuck in the park 24/7. I often see signs on host sites saying "off duty, see host on site ##). Another thing you sign up to host from 2-6 months, so you are not stuck for a year either. If something comes up that you really feel you need to leave, you can... just may make getting another hosting gig a bit more difficult... and you don't get the extra free camping that you get for completing your time. Please read the website carefully, and download the volunteer welcome packet to answer even more questions.

I hate to disagree and do not want to start a fight, but Florida has two and 1/2 times the number of parks. (160) One park have I have hosted at for years has 12-18 hosts and over 100 regular volunteers that have to provide twice the number of hours (40) per site each week.

Florida has no problem finding hosts or volunteers and it is difficult to find a position there. I have talked to Georgia hosts and they seem happy, yet Georgia can't even fill the positions in the all the parks even in peak season. There is some thing amiss there, as the parks are beautiful and in good shape.

No matter the reason,I am not going to PAY to volunteer.

[llallerstedt]

Okay...let me get this right. Pay money just to submit an application? And for no pay. I have just gotten a good job working retail at a major department store. The pay is not much and its part time, but I am willing to give my all for this store. They are giving me a chance. And Georgia wants to charge me without even looking at my application to see if I would be a good fit. Come on, I am not that stupid.

[wannavolunteerF]

With 45 state parks and recreation areas utilizing up to as many as 8 volunteer hosts per park, it makes sense that Georgia is ALWAYS looking for hosts. That is a lot of volunteers. Dog Folks that may be why it seems like they are looking for more than other agencies, because they have more needs.

RickLord, if you look on the page where you sign up to be a host, it has some job descriptions for various types of hosts (camp, golf, maintenance, etc). The site also says 24 hours per couple (sure they want you around the camp site more), but you aren't stuck in the park 24/7. I often see signs on host sites saying "off duty, see host on site ##). Another thing you sign up to host from 2-6 months, so you are not stuck for a year either. If something comes up that you really feel you need to leave, you can... just may make getting another hosting gig a bit more difficult... and you don't get the extra free camping that you get for completing your time. Please read the website carefully, and download the volunteer welcome packet to answer even more questions.

[Dog_Folks]

mikeleblanc413 wrote:
Given that the "net pay" to a workamper in a state park, and many other locations, is well below minimum wage, I would not pay any fees associated with "hiring". There are many choices for a workamper and this fee arrangement will only lessen the quality of workamper.

X2 If you watch common work camping ads on the internet, you will see that Georgia is ALWAYS looking for volunteers, much more than any other agency, comparatively.

Now I know why. I am certainly not going to PAY in order to work at low wages. We volunteer to "give back." We are certainly not going to pay for the privilege.

[ricklord2001]

It's really not the $15 it's the idea of it and they don't need to run background checks on everyone only the people they hire. Also the attitude of the guy I talked to which was pretty vague in job description, I really got the impression that you do what we tell you when we tell you to do it. Also on call after hours to help any campers, and when I asled if you could arrange to take time off to maybe go visit someone or something the answer was no your pretty much there for the duration. So for a year your stuck. Maybe just the guy I talked to was having a bad day but it seemed like to talking to potential volunteers was a real pain and he didn't have a very high regard for them, THEN to find out it was going to cost $15 just struck me wrong.

[doxiemom11]

If we are volunteering, I am not paying any fees so that they can let me work for free. Sorry.

[Georgew48]

My wife and I are camp host in the Ohio state park system and we were informed at the state wide campout last week that starting next year all camp host will have to go through a background check every year and that we will have to pay for it. The cost is 20 dollars. I am all for the checks but am not happy about having to pay for it so I can work my butt off for free. I guess it's a sign of the times.

[mikeleblanc413]

Given that the "net pay" to a workamper in a state park, and many other locations, is well below minimum wage, I would not pay any fees associated with "hiring". There are many choices for a workamper and this fee arrangement will only lessen the quality of workamper.

[Merrykalia]

If you are wanting to camp host, I can suggest Point Lookout State Park in Maryland. We camp hosted there for the month of June this year and it was fabulous. Jonas Williams is the ranger that is in charge of hosts and was super to work with.

The area is beautiful. It is where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake Bay. There is great fishing and crabbing. You are close to the Calvert Cliffs State Park, which is an experience in itself. Point Lookout is very historic, having served as a hospital first for the Union, but then for the Confederate POWs and there are lots of volunteer opportunities that has to do with the history.

If you want more specifics about what you are required to do, PM me and I will give you the low-down on the job.

[dahkota]

powderman426 wrote:

Twomed wrote:
Five nights in a GA State Park for $15...what a deal. 🙂 🙂

They have some great parks, some with golf courses. NOT the norm, but the must be getting a lot of apps and it does cost $$ to do them. Sounds fair to me

Wow! I may have to sign up for that deal and I am not even lookng for a job.

X2
Charging $15 also keeps people unlikely to pass the background check from wasting the everyone's time by applying.

[path1]

What a great idea! Get a web site and charge people to submit their application.

[wannavolunteerF]

I had not looked at GA SP volunteer site in a while, so didn't realize they were charging, but I can imagine it costs them a good bit of money to run background checks. I figure they probably cost $50 to $100 at a minimum, and am afraid that with all the scrutiny that security/background checks are getting right now due to the shooting in DC that the costs will go higher. No one is going to want to be liable for letting one slip through the cracks and going off the deep end in a state park.

I also agree that 5 nights of camping for passing a clean criminal history check is a deal. Makes me want to sign up, although I can't volunteer until retirement in a coupld of years.

[powderman426]

Twomed wrote:
Five nights in a GA State Park for $15...what a deal. 🙂 🙂

They have some great parks, some with golf courses. NOT the norm, but the must be getting a lot of apps and it does cost $$ to do them. Sounds fair to me

Wow! I may have to sign up for that deal and I am not even lookng for a job.

[missourijan]

Some California state parks require the host applicant to pay for their own background check, about $20. Most states are cutting parks budgets and they are just trying to get volunteers to come, any old way they can.

[Twomed]

Five nights in a GA State Park for $15...what a deal. 🙂 🙂

They have some great parks, some with golf courses. NOT the norm, but the must be getting a lot of apps and it does cost $$ to do them. Sounds fair to me