Working on the road is a challenge that young full-time RVers have to face. We at Freedom Rolling have always professed that our mobility is our greatest advantage. However, just like weather, you sometimes have to be ready to change work plans on the drop of a dime.
When we first began our RV adventure, we had lined up some work for ourselves. Just as it normally is when you are "entry level", it wasn't ideal, and only came with site for compensation. In fact, trips 6 and beyond may have looked drastically different. However, coupled with some logistical challenges with our arrival, the work we would have been doing wasn't fitting our internal compass. The good news is, although it's a fight for employment with other full-timers, the only limits we have with where to work is our ability to get there. So we head back to the job board, find an immediate opening with a good company with work that we felt would better suit us, and lo and behold, here we are, loving life and following our internal compass.
Finding employment, especially in the winter, can be difficult. In this industry, it takes months of pre-planning to even stay somewhere, let alone work. In the winter, you're pretty much limited to the southern part of the country, eliminating half the choices. However, don't despair, because if two new full-timers on the road for less than a couple months can find something, then so can you! Openings pop up all the time from cancellations and job turnovers. There are also plenty of new RV parks and park management turnovers where they start to realize that they need workampers to fill in the gaps. Best advice, if you're looking, is to stay as mobile as possible, don't get into too many long-term stay contracts, and be ready to work almost immediately. A good owner/manager will understand you have to be able to bring your home there, and just like a typical two-week start notice in the corporate world, they'll accept something similar.
Sometimes, when you get to your job, you may not necessarily enjoy your environment. No, we aren't to that point as of the time we write this. However, just like jobs in the corporate world, the same factors can arise in job happiness. The good news is that most work in this industry is seasonal, so you could choose to wait out the contracted time before moving on, leaving on generally acceptable terms on both sides. If that isn't enough, you can always go to the job board and find something else. Be careful when doing this, as just with retail, your desirability is based on reputation and potentially references. If you're traveling with a family, work it out with them and see what's best. Rash decisions are never a good thing, even in the RV life. With our trip 7 "escape", that was building for a while, and the change in terms was the perfect opportunity.
At the end of the day, never let work dictate your internal compass. Follow what your heart says, and opportunity will arise to help fulfill your needs.
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