In Episode 158, Aramark’s Lindsey Jaroszek and Josh Butler describe jobs working in western national parks

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Today I’ll be speaking with an employer who is seeking Workampers for jobs at several national parks and recreation areas this summer.

Last June, I spoke with Lindsey Jaroszek, the talent acquisition account manager with Aramark Hospitality, about Workamping opportunities at the company’s Lake Powell location, which sits at the border of Arizona and Utah. She makes a repeat appearance this week to describe jobs available yet this summer at several national parks in western states.

Aramark contracts with state agencies and the National Park Service to provide guest services to people visiting various parks. This year, Lindsey is specifically looking for people to work at Lake Powell as well as Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, Olympic National Park and Forest in Washington, and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.

Workampers are needed in gift shops, restaurants, hotels and campgrounds. Some are also hired to rent boats or other equipment, lead hikes and conduct guided tours on land and water.

Most of the jobs are seasonal starting at the end of April or early May and continuing through September and into October, depending upon the location. There are some year-round Workamping jobs available at Lake Powell.

Workampers will put in 40 hours a week with five days on and usually two consecutive days off. It is possible for couples to enjoy the same days off if they work in different departments. For example, one person might work in a retail store and the other in a restaurant. A couple might work together in the same gift shop, but Lindsey said it’s harder for both people to have the same days off.

All the jobs are paid at rates that vary depending on the position and location. Workampers will have to pay for their RV site, but at bargain rates considering the locations. Lindsey said that is often just $20 to $30 per week. However, Workampers also get discounts in retail shops and for food and beverage purchases as well as recreation opportunities, like boat rentals. Some locations even include an employee meal plan.

Later in the interview, Josh Butler describes his experience Workamping at Lake Powell for several years. He started by performing seasonal jobs and worked his way up to a management position.

Josh first started working for Aramark in 2013 by performing seasonal jobs at Lake Powell. In fact, he started as a bellman at the hotel. But, he fell in love with the area and kept returning every year. When he got married in 2019, Josh and his wife moved to Lake Powell permanently so he could become operations manager at the property.

Not only did Josh like the scenic views he got to enjoy as a Workamper, but he also liked all the activity he could enjoy when he wasn’t working. The ability to work his way up from a hotel bellman to operations manager says a lot about the scope of opportunity available to Workampers through Aramark.

Not only can they spend one season working at a park in Arizona, then get a job next year in Colorado, Washington or Oregon, but people can actually work their way into full-time jobs if they wanted to pursue that route.

No special skills are needed to work most jobs for Aramark. Bus drivers will need a commercial driver’s license, and it’s helpful that people performing maintenance are skilled for the jobs they’ll perform. But, for most of the other positions, Aramark provides on-the-job training.

The first step to getting a job is to go online and visit careers.aramark.com. That lists thousands of positions around the country. If you want to narrow it down to Workamping jobs available to people with RVs, then search for Aramark Hospitality. People can complete an application online or send an email to [email protected].

It may take a week after receiving the application to set up an interview, but Workampers are likely to receive a job offer within 48 hours after that. Because Aramark is a federal contractor, all Workampers will need a background test and, perhaps, a drug test, too.

The most helpful thing Workampers can do to get their applications to stand out is to note they are traveling by RV near the top of their resume. Lindsey said that generally pushes applications to the top of the stack for jobs in Aramark’s Destinations division. But apply soon because the company is looking for people to start as early 12 weeks from now.

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That’s all I have for this week’s show. Next time I will speak with a couple who landed a job Workamping in Alaska. They’ll tell us all about it on the next episode of The Workamper Show.