How can I find decent seasonal work?

March 29, 2005 6:03 AM

Lately I've been hearing from people who support themselves on a low budget doing seasonal work part of the year: ski bums in Canada who plant trees up north in the summer, punks here in Pittsburgh who work the cranberry harvest out east each fall. I'm curious about this sort of job.

I'd like to know about seasonal jobs that pay okay, hire outsiders, and are unlikely to get me hurt. (I don't mind being cold or tired or uncomfortable; I do mind seriously unsafe conditions.) Any suggestions? Places to look? Experiences you'd like to share?

posted by nebulawindphone to Work & Money (13 answers total)

One thing you might consider if you plan to do this sort of thing long term, is getting your cook's papers. Most of these jobs are remote, like tree planting, are remote and camp-based, and the camps need cooks. Something like fire fighting, which is seasonal and dangerous might not meet your criteria. But cooking in a firefighters camp is seasonal, and not particularly dangerous. Tree planting camps, and logging camps need cooks, as well.

Plus, if you ever decide you need money in your off-season, it's an employable skill.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:21 AM on March 29, 2005

I was a raft guide and kayak instructor, and then a cook to same, for several years. It was a good job, not too hard to get into, wet and cold for the spring and fall. There was really not much money to be had, but I was lucky enough to work for a company that provided things like health benefits and a meal plan etc. Most do not do these things. A lot of people sold christmas trees for six weeks in the winter, and that earned them a chunk of change.

The upside was some freedom (not as much as you'd expect), a bit of a fringe life, being outdoors, doing something I enjoyed.

Downsides: very little money, little enough that it could be hard to get together the funds to move on. Sometimes poor working conditions, including some long hours. In these jobs, having to deal with finicky customers.

I was a bike courier also for a couple of years, and that job was much better. It was more dangerous, but more fun. The pay was decent. It could have been easily a seasonal job if I had knocked off in the summer.
posted by OmieWise at 6:47 AM on March 29, 2005

Fishing boats in Alaska always need workers. Some are dangerous, but the big ones aren't. Actually, there are fishing boats all over the place that need workers. I worked on a long line fishing boat out of Long Island. I made $1500 in ten days at sea. You have to ask around at the docks. It wasn't particularly dangerous, but it was uncomfortable. If you happen to have a degree in biology, then you can be an observer on fishing boats and make even better money. www.afsc.noaa.gov/refm/observers/default.htm

The trick is to make decent money while having no expenses.

I've also heard of people that harvest wildflower seeds for the native plant industry. I think that they make good money. Check out www.prairiemoon.com

Oh, and then there's teaching english abroad. I know many people who have done that. The JET program in Japan seems like one of the better organizations--www.jetprogramme.org
posted by recurve at 7:18 AM on March 29, 2005

All through the 80s I worked summer seasons for the National Park Service and traveled the rest of the year. The trick is to work maintenance instead of interpretation or rangering, as the pay scale is significantly higher. You get to live in a beautiful place, housing is provided, and there is no where to spend your money. Plus you work with lots of interesting young people from all over the country. The concessions in the parks (restaurants, lodges, etc.) also hire a lot of people.

If you do this, pick up your firefighting certification if training is offered. There is a pretty good chance of ending up on what we used to call a pickup crew, an ad hoc fire crew that basically patrols parts of a big fire that has pretty well gone out so the real fire fighters can move on to more active fires. Tons of money.
posted by LarryC at 7:29 AM on March 29, 2005

I have a good friend who did as LarryC did. She spent 10+ years doing this. I would caution that she now has a really hard time while trying to adjust to the notion of working 49-50 weeks a year and getting only 2-3 weeks of vacation.
posted by FlamingBore at 8:23 AM on March 29, 2005

recurve: You have to ask around at the docks.

Ask who? Ask what? Which docks? Where? I've lived inland all my life, and I don't have the first clue about docks.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:49 AM on March 29, 2005

FlamingBore, I thought all people had a hard time adjusting to that. I know I did. In fact, I haven't yet "adjusted".
posted by knave at 9:05 AM on March 29, 2005

Getting a TEFL/TESOL certificate (teaching english) is a bit of an investment, but apparently it can pay off. With a college degree and the certificate you can teach just about anywhere, and even without a degree most places in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe will teach you. You don't really need to know the local language fluently either, which is a plus, and you get paid Western salaries in places like Southeast Asia where everything is ridiculously cheap.
posted by borkingchikapa at 9:08 AM on March 29, 2005

Ask who? Ask what? Which docks? Where? I've lived inland all my life, and I don't have the first clue about docks.

The docks will be obvious. You just go to those coastal alaska towns and ask around for whose hiring, i've heard its not as easy to land those jobs the last couple of years, but still possible. sounded like pretty depressing work.
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 9:51 AM on March 29, 2005

Fruit picking in British Columbia is a classic seasonal job , you can get many jobs around farm in the okanagan valley, late crops being the best ( apples / grapes ) averaging 100$ a day for a none lazy picker
posted by selfsck at 10:30 AM on March 29, 2005

Alaska Jobs explains about Seafood and Fishing Jobs
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 11:04 AM on March 29, 2005

New England style: work on a day-sailing schooner or 'windjammer' (meaningless name for boats that do 3-day to one-week trips) anywhere out of coastal New England. Winters, go to Florida or the Caribbean and do the same. You can make connections in either place that will get you all set up in your next spot; the commercial sailing community is small.

Upsides: should be obvious. Scenic, adventurous, fun, includes travel to very nice ports, interesting people, potential to clean up in tips.

Downsides: small personal space, little or no privacy, working on a schedule that may dictate how you spend much of your time around the clock, getting wet in bad weather.

Skills you need: Surprisingly, few. If you are a hard worker who presents reasonably well and are fairly easy to get along with, you can find a captain to take you on and train you. After one summer you won't be inexperienced any more.
posted by Miko at 1:25 PM on March 29, 2005

recurve: You have to ask around at the docks.

Ask who? Ask what? Which docks? Where? I've lived inland all my life, and I don't have the first clue about docks.

In any coastal city there are fishing boats. All kinds--lobster, tuna, shrimp ect.. They need hands. Ask whoever is standing on the boat. I worked out of a marina in Bay Shore, L.I. It's a smallish suburb with a great harbor. The fishing boats have lots of gear and crap hanging off of them. Pick a boat that looks like it won't sink. I'm being serious. Try to get on a boat with a professional looking crew and captain.

You can make good money, but know that it's not the most ecologically sound work.
posted by recurve at 2:18 PM on March 29, 2005