Deck the halls with sweaty socks and used company tees, because tis the season of hiring for summer seasonal work! Whether you long for the wet world of raft or kayak guiding, or simply long to take your serving career somewhere more beautiful, there are businesses out there begging you to join them until mid-September to early October while they welcome guests from all over the world. So many of these businesses exist, in fact, that if you want a job there is someone out there who will hire you. But there are a few things you should know before you sign away your soul and run off to immerse yourself in nature.
1. It’s not summercamp
Every season, I set a mental timer until I hear the phrase “this was supposed to be the experience of a lifetime” or some variation thereof, and then I know I’ve found them. Baby, you are the weakest link. This person is either going to be the first to go, or they’re gonna stick around whining all season. I’ve nicknamed this, the summercamp attitude.
The summercamp attitude is deadly, not only is it impossible to shake but it rubs off on those around you and causes you to give up all the exciting plans you had when you were first hired. To put it simply, it’s a buzzkill. You didn’t sign up for summercamp, you signed up for a job, and seasonal jobs come with all the same trials and tribulations as regular jobs, but amplified.
When you start to feel the disappointment creeping in, remind yourself that you didn’t take this job because you were excited to be cleaning some half-rate tourist attraction. You took it so you would be able to live and play in a beautiful place that many people spend their life savings to visit. Now go out and do the things you want to do!
2. Seasonal bosses can be the worst bosses
Either you’ve had the pleasure to sign on with a large tourism conglomerate, or you’ve weaselled your way in to a mom and pop style business that boasts having operated wherever you are since 1970-whatever. Either way, I’m not gonna tell you to expect good management. Seasonal managers train often entirely brand new teams every year and their main goal sometimes is really just to keep the place afloat until closing time. In fact, often even the managers are new!
Being a manager in a seasonal establishment can also be stressful, you’re often expected to do more with less help, work longer hours, and have a comparatively short time to leave your mark on a business. And if you dont manage? You’re often not invited back next year. The whole thing works against creating well rounded, stable teams and managers, and as a result, the staff notice.
“That’s fine,” you say, naively, with a certain joi-de-vivre in your eye. “I’ll just work in some sort of family business, where my bosses are my owners, where they brag about having lots of returning staff! That way everything will be more stable and I’ll reap the benefits!” You think you have it all figured out, but I begin to laugh, the sound echoing off the walls around us.
You see, when the owner is the boss, you aren’t working at a company. No, no, you’re working at somebody’s baby, somebody’s baby that they’ve had to entrust to many temporary workers, some who suck. You don’t have a boss, you have a paranoid parent hovering over your shoulder, watching your every move, and heaven forbid you make a single mistake with their baby. And those returning staff? Well, every psych ward has it’s regulars.
3. You won’t become a granola girl the moment you leave the city
I get it, you’ve been on instagram, you have your favourite van-life influencers or your friend got a job in the national parks two years ago and now she seems like she’s living her best life. But that doesn’t mean that it’s your best life.
If you’re moving to the national parks to hike with mountain goats and play with bears (author’s note: please do not play with the bears) then make sure these are already the kinds of things you like to do, or at least make sure you’re willing to give it a real good try.
Likewise, if you’re a city person, moving to a remote town is going to require some adjusting. My first seasonal job had no cell reception and terrible shared wifi. Is that something that might bother you? What about if you’re a party animal and you hate the only bar in town? These are all things to consider when you chose where to apply. Some seasonal towns feel almost like cities (Banff, Alberta) while others are several hours from the nearest city centre (Jasper). Do your research because while you may find out things about yourself that even you didn’t know, I don’t recommend relying on a personality flip.
4. Pick the right job for you
Seasonal work comes in all shapes and sizes, from adventure guides to boat drivers, to park rangers, to bartenders. It’s important that you pick a job with an activity level that’s right for you. I love the outdoors, but getting a job outdoors means you have to be outside every day in all kinds of weather, with all kinds of people, sometimes doing the most dangerous things they have ever done in their lives. I think I’ll stick to waiting tables.
Keep in mind too that if you’re outside all day every day, then you’re likely not going to want to do much on your downtime. “That’s fine,” you say, with the hope and innocence of a child who still believes in Santa. “I want to be a kayak guide because I love kayaking, if I get to spend all day five days a week kayaking, I don’t mind having two days to rest where I don’t do much!”
“Really,” I say, my eyes narrowing, “You think you’ll get all your desired kayaking in doing the same two hour harbour tour with tourists from Oklahoma who will spend the whole tour with their paddle upside-down before finally requesting a tow back because they’re ‘too tired’? You think you’ll be satisfied on your day off when you’re too exhausted to do the six hour paddle you really wanted to do until the last week of the season when you realize it’s too late and you’ve wasted your summer?”
I should clarify that I’m not actually trying to talk you out of the more active jobs. What I am saying is that, if you aren’t already someone doing similar levels of activity, maybe ease into it.
5. Staff accom can suck
Most seasonal jobs will come with a place to live. These staff accoms, as they are lovingly known, can range from apartment-style living to a spot to pitch your tent. And they can make or break your seasonal experience, which is unfortunate because many of them suck.
I have never breathed in as much mold and mildew as I have in staff accoms. They see new tenants every year and rarely get a thorough clean. Businesses only invest in them when they absolutely have to and they will cheap out. They’re also tied to your job so if you quit, you better have a new spot line up immediately because you’re gone often within 24 hours. The good news is, they’re often cheap and close to your workplace and if you quit mid-season and head home you aren’t on the hook for rent.
If you’re someone who cares a lot about their home and is working close to or in a town then the good news is you can rent a spot of your own just like you would anywhere else. Regardless make sure you chose a living situation that is going to work for you. Personally, I don’t mind breathing in a bit of extra fungus for the social atmosphere of staff accoms, but the securicy and privacy of a personal residence is well worth the trade for some.
6. You’ll meet the best and worst people
One of my favourite parts of doing this for a few years is that I have friends all over the globe! People who have seen me at my worst and best, people who know me better than some people who were there when I was born. Seasonal workplaces bring people together and force them to spend all day solving problems and making memories, it’s the surest way to make quick friendships. However, when you meet a lot of people, some of them are gonna suck. People who wreck your things, don’t respect your privacy and overall have terrible personalities. You’re going to have to live and work with these people just as much as you have to live and work with your friends. My advice? Learn how to work with people you hate, fast. If people are breaking laws, use the tools you have at your disposal to take action and PUT IT IN WRITTING. If there is a written complaint, even if you don’t see action right away, it makes it easier for your workplace to take action if there are future infractions and it protects you against corporate retaliation.
7. Make the most of your downtime
Good times are like romantic partners, they’re not gonna find you if you spend all day locked inside. Even if you’re not a naturally social person, spend the first week or so being as social as you can be. People are gonna scramble to make connections and you want to be there when they’re scrambling. The people you meet are going to be connections you can invite on hikes, to parties, and to go do that really cool thing you’ve been wanting to do since you got the job, and vice versa. After that first week, go! Make the plans! Do the things! The season is going to go much faster than you think, so make sure you make the most of it! And remember, you can always sleep when you’re dead.
8. Party Culture
Seasonal workers are known for their partying, but that doesn’t mean you should lose your mind. You’ll quickly find that some people can party all night then get up and seize the day. Other people are true night dwellers and are happy going to work and going out drinking on an endless repeat. However most of us intend to do more than party, and can’t shake off that three am vodka shot to climb a mountain at six. I recommend restricting partying to one night a week plus special events, and to try avoid partying before days off or morning shifts.
Besides which, seasonal party scenes can have a lot of hazards, so know your limits, always carry naloxone, and watch out for your friends. Keep an eye out for people who aren’t acting right and when someone warns you about someone, listen to them.
9. The Mid-Season Quit
There are a lot of reasons people quit mid season, but no matter how close you may think your workplace is, I guarantee you someone won’t make it through the season. Sometimes a large chunk of the staff quit in a short period and morale will dip.
It can be hard to keep a good attitude when your friends are heading back home and you’re getting a case of the August blues, but there are some upsides. If you’re one of those people quitting then your work isn’t the only place losing staff. If all you need is a change of scenery, consider getting another seasonal job before heading home, I promise you that people are hiring. But if up until now you’ve been loving your experience, stay! Morale will improve again once people leave and good connections with your bosses might secure you a spot for next year.
10. For some people this is a lifestyle
I’ve been working in seasonal work for three years now, and the longer I do it the more I get used to it’s trials and rythmes. I’ve gotten to the point where I try and avoid befriending people who find reasons to be unhappy, and I’ve developed strategies to handle some of the less than ideal situations that often come up. Seasonal workers are usually always extremely ready to talk about the lifestyle and quick to make friends, but are rarely good people to complain to, because sitting around and complaining is depressing. We live this life all the time, and we do so because we love it, we don’t want to waste our time complaining about it.
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