Finding work camping jobs in state parks is not your typical job search. As you may have already noticed, each state park manages their volunteer listings differently. While some park systems have very modern volunteer websites with clear information and great usability, others… well, not so much.
Luckily, the Florida State Parks volunteer portal is gorgeous! That said, searching for volunteer opportunities that definitely offer RV hookups can be just a little bit time consuming. This post will cover some basic information that you should consider when searching for volunteer opportunities in Florida state parks — and also walks through how to find the listings that include RV hookups!
Important things to know before you start your search:
Volunteering VS Work Camping
Work camping is a quirky industry that typically falls into a gray area between “volunteering” vs “working”. However, state parks are much more straightforward in that all opportunities are truly volunteer positions. This distinction means that when you’re searching the Florida State Parks website, you’ll see ALL volunteer listings, not just those that offer residence or hook-ups. Keep this in mind when you’re filtering, searching, and reading through job descriptions.
Florida opportunities are popular. REALLY popular.
It’s probably stating the obvious to say that RVers love Florida. One reason Kamper Jobs decided to launch dedicated state park pages is for that very reason. This trend seems to hold true for Florida because the state parks website even recommends, “Inquire early. Parks book winter volunteers as far as one to two years in advance.”
Wow, TWO YEARS in advance?! Well, fret not, friends! The site also mentions that “most parks, regardless of location, need campground hosts in the summer.” All that said, make sure you keep this in mind as you search for new opportunities and plan your travels.
What do Camp Hosts / Park Residents do?
The Florida State Parks volunteer page has great information about what you can expect and you should read through all the information they provide. On their site, duties are described as typically answering questions, assisting with maintenance and being available for late-night emergencies. But what’s the difference between a Camp Host and a Park Resident? According to the website, the main distinction is that Camp Hosts volunteer at campgrounds (that offer camping to the public, etc) whereas Park Residents volunteer at locations that do NOT offer camping or overnight accommodations. While Camp Hosts might focus on greeting visitors and ensuring a positive camping experience for the community, Park Residence might instead focus on assisting with landscaping, maintenance, removing invasive plants and other special projects. Make sure you’re comfortable with the responsibilities for any position, regardless of the title, though.
How to search the Florida State Parks website
The Florida State Parks website has a great dedicated page for searching volunteer opportunities, and the most recent listings are always listed first. However, you’ll notice the volunteer listing titles and information take a bit of time to navigate so make sure to acquaint yourself with the interface. To search for listings, go to the volunteer opportunity page, and read these tips before starting your search:
Here are the important things to know when navigating the volunteer opportunities:
- Filters: The search and filter fields at the top of the Florida State Parks volunteer opportunities page does allow for some handy options. Specifically, you can filter by a specific state parks, and even type in some keywords (e.g. “hook”, “hook ups”), but unfortunately it does not allow easy filtering for positions that definitely offer RV hookups and/or onsite residence. Keep in mind, you can also refer to this awesome list of Florida state parks with campground host and resident host volunteer opportunities.
- Job Titles: Each volunteer listing’s “Job” title contains helpful information, but does not allow for easy skimming for a specific type of position. For example, a job listing might be “*2023 April – December * * Work at the Springs! Park Resident Maintenance “ instead of simply, “Resident Volunteer – RV Hookups“. On that note, you’ll find that volunteer positions are often “Host”, “Camp Host”, or “Resident Volunteer”, but don’t rely on the consistency of these job titles, as other positions can offer hook-ups, such as “Maintenance” or “Cabin Cleaning” positions. The opposite is also true, where not every “Host” position is guaranteed to offer RV hook-ups and/or residency.
- Job Descriptions: To see the job descriptions, click on the green button labeled “More Info” beside each listing. A window will pop-up in your browser and it contains all the information available for that volunteer position, including whether an RV site is offered, position requirements, and how to apply. Keep in mind that descriptions are park-specific, so read it carefully.
Now for the EASY way to find volunteer opportunities in Florida State Parks…
Here at Kamper Jobs, we’re all about easy. We recently launched our state park initiative to scour and post state park volunteer listings that offer RV hook-ups, including Florida State Parks. Now, you can easily find volunteer positions in Florida State Parks that offer RV hook-ups and have all the relevant details at the top of the page! In other words, our team does the heavy lifting of searching and parsing the details so that you can find them when searching for jobs, include them in job alerts, and receive the latest listings via the free weekly newsletter. (Nice, huh?)
We hope you’ll check out all the volunteer opportunities that offer RV hookups in Florida State Parks, and keep your eyes peeled for more states getting added very soon. Happy camping!