retirement jobs

WayOutWestMom
Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:28:10 +0000

RE: seasonal employment in National Parks…my D is working in Yellowstone this summer and there are indeed two types of people who tend to work in the parks over the summer: college students and retirees. (NOTE: D has friends working at Yosemite and Denali…same is true there.)

At Yellowstone, ALL seasonal employees receive at least minimum wage, plus health insurance, and subsidized housing and meals. (D has a single “dorm room” with her own bath for $2/day; she can eat in the employee cafeteria for $9.25/day–includes three full meals/day.) All seasonals get 2 days back-to-back days off per week. Employees also have access to gym facilities, a canteen (with subsidized alcohol for employees over 21), discounted equipment rentals and other perks. As her boss told her, “we know you aren’t working here for money”.

While most of the seasonal jobs are service jobs ( food service, hotel), not all of them are. I interviewed for a seasonal job as an archivist, for example. (But didn’t get it. Damn!)

AFAIK, there is no special “program” for retiree employment. Those employees I talked to (students & retirees) applied through the vendors’ regular application process–and did so early in the year. Hiring was completed by D’s employer by mid-February, for example. There are lots of Park “gypsies” among the retiree crowd–they work a different Park each year.