BootsnAll Travel Community

Topic: Seasonal Jobs in the US

Go.


I tried checking past threads, didn't find much, but if you can point me to stuff there I'll take that too. I'm looking for generals (ski resort, schools) and specifics (bartender AT a ski resort). My interests are varied, background in criminal justice, law, hospitality and tourism. Would love to work in a school doing a college prep for trouble youth kind of thing, but it doesn't seem to exist. I don't care WHICH season the work is for, I just want to be able to bust my but like 8-10 months a year and have the rest off. For the moment I've got my eye on law enforcement in the national parks, but I'm looking for other ideas

Thanks

quote:

Would love to work in a school doing a college prep for trouble youth kind of thing, but it doesn't seem to exist.

Try juvenile hall. My dad used to work evenings teaching high school equivilancy in a juvi in LA. Pay is not bad, although they might want you to be a certified teacher. The advantage is that prisons are state funded and therefore have the funds to actually pay you. And some of those kids really do need and deserve a second chance once they get out. You could help them with that. When it comes to various local projects trying to help kids get into college, remember that they will be local charities or NGOs = they'll have no money to pay you. So, sad as it is - or possibly inspiring, try helping the kids in prison if you actually need a paycheck too.
Although, kids don't seem to be a seasonal thing. At least, incarceration isn't. Course, you could just go and teach in a poor neighborhood, it would satisfy the interests you listed above, but again - you'd have to have a teaching certificate.

If you don't mind waiting tables or bartending, there are plenty of seasonal jobs to be had in the national parks. I did that for two seasons in Yellowstone and loved every minute of it. The money was decent, too. You can start checking it out here. A lot of people I met in Yellowstone made a career out of this. They would work in Yellowstone during the summer and when the season ended there, they'd take off for the Everglades for the winter.

I worked at Macy's. The work itself wasn't great, and pay was minimum, but once I hit my sales minimum for the day I did really well with commissions (in the home department-- large kitchenaid mixers, fancy knives, clueless husbands buying their wives the most expensive of whatever). Not the best job in the world, but wasn't awful.

I believe there is a lot of seasonal work around the ski resorts, but competition is big (at least out here). Lots of Kiwis and Aussies head up here and work as instructors, etc. I guess there are special work visas?

Camp counselor jobs are abundant during the summer.

if you look healthy enough,and are willing to risk a few injuries, you can get a job at the ski resorts as a lift attendant. It's hard work, but its more fun than most, unless you get stuck int upper ramp areas.

The best jobs there seeem to be the ski instructors and Ski Patrol. Half of the ski Patrol are volunteers working for their lift tickets. They tend to be a little wealthy as a rule. Ski Instructors at our place work volunteer for a year, then they CAN make some serious money at 20 bucks or so an hour for every private or semi-private lesson. It's a hard job to get, but it can be done if you cover an area.

At Vail? Good luck. Other smaller resorts would give you better chances.

And it helps if you speak Australian.

Ha ha, I got the Australian covered Joe, it's the skiing I can't do! I should have mentioned that, I don't mind working at a skit resort but Ski Patrol and Ski Instructor are out of the question (I can ski, just not well enough to do either of those)

Try http://www.coolworks.com they have tons of jobs for all seasons advertised on there.

If you don't mind the cold (the very, very, very, very cold), there are jobs in Antarctica that hire for I believe 6 months and up. the u.s. research station is called mcmurdo. a lot of people who work in alaska at denali for the summer work in antarctica for the winter (southern hemisphere summer)

One other idea, if you want to work with kids is those programs that take "at risk youth" out of big cities and let them play in the woods for a while and all that good stuff.

good luck!

Interesting thread and I like the links people have posted.

There was an article last week in the Chicago Tribune that mentioned seasonal work as a "sled-dog tour guide" with a company called Sourdough Outfitters in Alaska.

I love dogs and have dealt with customers and cold weather, so did a google search - apparently they do 7-day and longer camping excursions which is pretty much NOT my thing. But if you like camping I think it paid 1700$/month and included accomodation, and it mentioned the season goes through April 15.

Alot of young people hop around the globe working harvests at vineyards in France, South Africa, US, South America and Australia. Hard labor, but very cool people!

Just depends on where you want to be...

I actually do that "at risk youth" thing that Keppie mentioned. We work year round, but getting 2 or 3 months off and then coming back is very possible. The winter can be tough and cold as hell, as we work in Colorado, but we are in the desert. The kids are awesome, but they are also a challenge. You need wilderness skills and people skills; your background in criminal justice would help a lot. These kids are not just at risk but actaully in jail - it is a bit tougher than has been seen lately at brat camp. Restraints do happen, kids run, instuctors have been attacted - but we play in the woods too. Tell me if you want more info.