Eight weeks into my disastrous camp hosting experience last fall, I came up with a list of camp hosting tips. Let’s look at them again and see how they apply to my current non-disastrous camp hosting experience.
1) Confirm the details of the arrangement before moving in and sign a written contract
That’s not how things are done in Yukon, so this tip was not applicable to my current situation. How things are done here is that you move in, get comfortable and caught up on your online stuff, have a brief discussion about arrangements, hit the ground running, and then smooth out the arrangement as time goes on. How well does that work? I was supposed to be here for three weeks. Three days into the job, I agreed to stay for three months and to come back next year.
2) Make sure you and the manager agree on what constitutes hours that qualify towards the minimum expected to cover your rent (or whatever you’re bartering for)
This time around, I decided to get hired as a ‘contractor.’ I was given a set daily rate for my rent and an hourly wage for all hours worked. How I decided to do my bookkeeping is that I invoice them every two weeks for the hours worked during those fourteen days minus my daily rent for that fortnight. This way I don’t have to budget for rent. It also makes it very easy to agree to extra hours because I’m going to get paid for them. Here, I work as hard as I did at the park in Oliver but what I get at the end of the week is at least four times as much as I got back there.
3) Get a bit of background on the people you will be working with (how long they’ve worked there, what they do, what their expectations are for temporary staff)
My arrangement is with the manager and if anyone has a problem, they go through her. This was the problem last fall; the manager did not know how to manage staff and she let the camp host with a stronger personality make managerial decisions that weren’t hers to make. A strong manager makes this particular point moot.
4) Don’t allow them to make significant changes to the contract without a new contract being signed
Again, this is not how things are done in the Yukon. One’s word is one’s bond. My staying on for the whole summer changed every single term of the previous arrangement (positively!) and my first pay cheque was all I needed to confirm the new arrangement.
5) Don’t assume that you and the manager speak the same language. Reiterate very instruction that you are told until you’re sure you know exactly what s/he means
This is not an issue here because the manager actually remembers most of the time what she’s told you and believes you if you say that she said something different. Another big difference here is that if I forget to do something or simply don’t do it because I didn’t know I had to do it, I am left a note as a reminder. If I don’t understand the instruction, I ask and it is explained to me and that’s that. I don’t have to listen to a lecture for a half hour about what a useless lazy slob I am and I am never faulted for not knowing something.
6) Be aware of just how much value you are being given for the number of hours you put in. Camp hosting can turn out to not be cost effective
Refer back to point no. 2. I know exactly how much money I am making in my day. It’s a fair wage and I even occasionally get a few dollars in tips for cleaning motel rooms. Moreover, this is a very pleasant work environment and I have a very varied workload. Add to this a town that closes very late and I rarely watch the clock. I was supposed to be done at 4 today, but finished at 5. Woohoo, an extra hour’s pay that will more than cover a drink if I choose to go out later. Another thing that makes working here so nice is that the manager and owner are appreciative and fully aware that, hey, people need lunch breaks, or breaks, period. I did two large days of housekeeping this week and was ‘treated’ to a morning in the office today.
7) Carefully evaluate the proposed schedule to ensure that it will not be damaging to your health
My schedule here is all over the place, but I never have to start early after a late night. There is also plenty of staff to cover the ‘off’ hours so there is no reason for guests to come knocking at my door in the wee hours of the morning, allowing me to have a life separate from the RV park and motel. Most important, however, is that I do not constantly feel belittled and devalued, so my emotional health is much better and I have more energy.
I guess it’s pretty clear that my current camp hosting position is working out just fine. 🙂
