Where do wanderers go to earn their bread?
March 8, 2011 8:45 AM Subscribe
Where can I go to work hard for quick money? For example, remote places that people go to work because it pays well? I've heard of working on fishing rigs in Alaska; does anyone have information about this or something similar?
I'm about to be free of all my obligations in June. I have academic experience in a scientific field I'm not at all interested in any more. I'd like to get a job that I could work for a brief period of time (less than 2 years) to put money in the bank so I can travel. I'd prefer not to work at a desk. I'd like to escape the conventional middle class working environment. I'm fairly able bodied and open to most anything. I've heard of planting trees in Canada, but that sounds like harder work than I'm capable of. Also this is complicated by the fact that I won't be free until June, and I suspect many seasonal jobs start earlier than that.
I'm interested in specifics, especially, like websites that I can go to apply for jobs or places I can travel to where I'll definitely be able to find work.
I'm about to be free of all my obligations in June. I have academic experience in a scientific field I'm not at all interested in any more. I'd like to get a job that I could work for a brief period of time (less than 2 years) to put money in the bank so I can travel. I'd prefer not to work at a desk. I'd like to escape the conventional middle class working environment. I'm fairly able bodied and open to most anything. I've heard of planting trees in Canada, but that sounds like harder work than I'm capable of. Also this is complicated by the fact that I won't be free until June, and I suspect many seasonal jobs start earlier than that.
I'm interested in specifics, especially, like websites that I can go to apply for jobs or places I can travel to where I'll definitely be able to find work.
I've heard of planting trees in Canada, but that sounds like harder work than I'm capable of.
Don't consider fishing boats in Alaska (or, for that matter, fish processing plants in Alaska, which also pay well and are incredibly hard work).
Most of the hard working, good paying jobs that I know of require a fair amount of physicality to them and some experience. For example, my neighbor has a fishing boat in Alaska, and he only hires people who have practical experience with doing hard, not fun work.
posted by arnicae at 8:55 AM on March 8, 2011
Don't consider fishing boats in Alaska (or, for that matter, fish processing plants in Alaska, which also pay well and are incredibly hard work).
Most of the hard working, good paying jobs that I know of require a fair amount of physicality to them and some experience. For example, my neighbor has a fishing boat in Alaska, and he only hires people who have practical experience with doing hard, not fun work.
posted by arnicae at 8:55 AM on March 8, 2011
I have a friend who used to go up to Alaska to work for 4 months or so, then come home and live off of it for the rest of the year. He started out working on a fishing boat, and by the time he stopped he was doing supervisory work in a cannery. Although he was able to make enough to effectively not work at all for the majority of the year, he lived pretty frugally. Also, now that he is in his mid-30s and in a relationship its harder on his body and his partner to do that kind of work. I don't actually think he's been for a few years.
posted by lilnublet at 8:58 AM on March 8, 2011
posted by lilnublet at 8:58 AM on March 8, 2011
There are several such jobs in Alaska. In the fishing, oil, mining, and timber industries. In fact, there are so many different employment opportunities in Alaska that the state government runs a web-site for potential job seekers.
Good Luck.
posted by Flood at 9:10 AM on March 8, 2011
Good Luck.
posted by Flood at 9:10 AM on March 8, 2011
Best answer: All of the crust punks, anarchists and weirdos I know go to the Beet Harvest to make fast cash.
(Also, I've been lurking for about 7 years now, and I finally made an account just so I could provide that answer.)
posted by jaksemas at 9:12 AM on March 8, 2011 [36 favorites]
(Also, I've been lurking for about 7 years now, and I finally made an account just so I could provide that answer.)
posted by jaksemas at 9:12 AM on March 8, 2011 [36 favorites]
Pretty much any quick cash you can make in Alaska is going to wear your body down extremely quick. Depending on the cash, it might be worth it, but it's still something to keep in mind.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 9:16 AM on March 8, 2011
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 9:16 AM on March 8, 2011
Boomtowns in general can put money in your pocket fast, regardless of what job you end up doing. Even the cab drivers make a killing. Last I looked, Fort McMurray (heart of the Alberta Oil sands) was just such a place ... but being a boomtown (ie: growing faster than required services can), it's also an incredibly expensive place to live (ie: bloody cabs cost a fortune), so you need to have a plan for living frugally once you do get there.
Good luck. Money ain't worth getting sick over.
posted by philip-random at 9:24 AM on March 8, 2011
Good luck. Money ain't worth getting sick over.
posted by philip-random at 9:24 AM on March 8, 2011
I live in Seattle, so I know a lot of guys who have done the MAKE MONEY FAST (on a fishing boat) thing. The money is outrageously good ($30K for two months' work isn't unheard of), but you have to understand that you're going to be on deck in freezing cold spray working as hard as you have ever worked in your entire life -- in a Newtonian sense -- for 120+ hours per week. Most of the guys I've known who have done it have made it through their stints by popping dexedrine and oxy for the entire time they were on board the boat, the former to stay awake and the latter to push off the effect of their injuries until later. That's OK as long as you can stop once you get off the boat, but if not, that $30K will get blown pretty fast on prescription opiates and meth.
So, yeah. The Alaska fishing money is insane, and pretty much there for anyone who's willing to do the work to earn it. But trust me, you will earn every penny.
posted by KathrynT at 9:31 AM on March 8, 2011 [6 favorites]
So, yeah. The Alaska fishing money is insane, and pretty much there for anyone who's willing to do the work to earn it. But trust me, you will earn every penny.
posted by KathrynT at 9:31 AM on March 8, 2011 [6 favorites]
The jobs in Canada are in the oil fields in north Alberta and Saskatchewan. (Fort McMurray, as mentioned.) A lot of skilled engineering and construction-type work. Pay is high, but so is cost of living.
posted by PercussivePaul at 9:33 AM on March 8, 2011
posted by PercussivePaul at 9:33 AM on March 8, 2011
Best answer: If you're a fan of the sea ... you can post a random link to a European shipmanagement company which, if you click enough links, will tell you that (like every other shipping company everywhere) they're looking for qualified and experienced engineering and electrical officers. Yeah, sure, if you want to spend a couple of years training as a marine electrician everyone will love you and throw money at you, plus you will have mad transferrable skillz 4eva, but that's not terribly helpful in the short term.
OP, why not consider the other way of doing the travelling - go and spend some time living in a strange and exotic place, working in a bar and getting paid peanuts, but meeting lots of other scruffy backpacker types. Or go WWOOFing instead of working in a bar, they're more likely to be used to people who want to do physical work but have no experience, then when you've got fit from that you can do the next season planting trees somewhere Northern, and will have useful experience.
posted by Lebannen at 9:38 AM on March 8, 2011
OP, why not consider the other way of doing the travelling - go and spend some time living in a strange and exotic place, working in a bar and getting paid peanuts, but meeting lots of other scruffy backpacker types. Or go WWOOFing instead of working in a bar, they're more likely to be used to people who want to do physical work but have no experience, then when you've got fit from that you can do the next season planting trees somewhere Northern, and will have useful experience.
posted by Lebannen at 9:38 AM on March 8, 2011
nthing the recommendation to avoid Alaska Fisheries. I have a friend that did it and he said it was the most hellish experience of his life. He made a decent amount of money but he wouldn't do it again.
posted by dozo at 9:43 AM on March 8, 2011
posted by dozo at 9:43 AM on March 8, 2011
Can you clarify the extent of your ability/willingness to work hard? If planting trees in Canada is harder work than you're capable of, then some other ideas might also be ruled out based on that.
posted by J. Wilson at 9:46 AM on March 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by J. Wilson at 9:46 AM on March 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
I live in Seattle, so I know a lot of guys who have done the MAKE MONEY FAST (on a fishing boat) thing. The money is outrageously good ($30K for two months' work isn't unheard of), but you have to understand that you're going to be on deck in freezing cold spray working as hard as you have ever worked in your entire life --
Actually no you won't. With no experience you'll probably have to start out working in the factory on a head and gut boat. You'll make half share at first- probably only $5K a month. To get a deck job on a high earning boat like the one described above you need experience, connections and the right attitude. If you think planting trees is going to be hard work you don't have the right attitude. I've worked on over 20 Alaskan fishing boats btw.
Similarly jobs on the North Slope are very hard to get. I know people who've been trying to get one for years and they have tons of experience in construction etc.
posted by fshgrl at 9:48 AM on March 8, 2011 [5 favorites]
Actually no you won't. With no experience you'll probably have to start out working in the factory on a head and gut boat. You'll make half share at first- probably only $5K a month. To get a deck job on a high earning boat like the one described above you need experience, connections and the right attitude. If you think planting trees is going to be hard work you don't have the right attitude. I've worked on over 20 Alaskan fishing boats btw.
Similarly jobs on the North Slope are very hard to get. I know people who've been trying to get one for years and they have tons of experience in construction etc.
posted by fshgrl at 9:48 AM on March 8, 2011 [5 favorites]
If you are a particularly careful and dedicated saver the military can be a possibility. The cost of living can be reduced to just about zero by never venturing off base or ship and only eating the provided food. There used to be the possibility of two year stints. You may even be able to travel to a combat zone and get more financial benefits. But you will also earn every damn cent there as well.
posted by The Violet Cypher at 9:56 AM on March 8, 2011
posted by The Violet Cypher at 9:56 AM on March 8, 2011
Merchant Marines. Pay is good but the work is hard.
Cruise lines pay cash and provide all food and living expenses. Zero cost of living and about $2K cash a month (plus some vacation pay.) If you want to work for 24 months you could take 6 to 7 month commitments with some time off (usually 4 to 8 weeks) in between and make roughly 50K cash. We put a lot of homeless guys we volunteer with who have little work experience into those kind of positions. Jobs are photographers, bar tenders, house cleaners.
posted by meta x zen at 10:18 AM on March 8, 2011
Cruise lines pay cash and provide all food and living expenses. Zero cost of living and about $2K cash a month (plus some vacation pay.) If you want to work for 24 months you could take 6 to 7 month commitments with some time off (usually 4 to 8 weeks) in between and make roughly 50K cash. We put a lot of homeless guys we volunteer with who have little work experience into those kind of positions. Jobs are photographers, bar tenders, house cleaners.
posted by meta x zen at 10:18 AM on March 8, 2011
Best answer: Working hard (to reiterate above commenter) seems to imply physicality for sure. Another option could be teaching in remote northern communities (again in Canada). Not sure what qualifications you'd need (outside of a teaching degree) and again the cost of living is absurdly high. (or also to reiterate another commenter...why not just travel somewhere insanely cheap?)
posted by bquarters at 10:22 AM on March 8, 2011
posted by bquarters at 10:22 AM on March 8, 2011
I worked on an oil rig one season and can't recommend if you're a bookish college boy. The labour is hard and potentially dangerous (you can kill other people if you're a klutz), so you need to know how to work in a team and hold your own with guys who'd push your head into a toilet back in highschool. I was with with pretty decent set of co-workers but the social atmosphere was about as close as I ever hope to get to prison life.
Also, there are plenty of able-bodied Canadians looking for work, so an unskilled American can't just walk into a job without at least having dual citizenship. I would expect this is the case for most countries.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:46 AM on March 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Also, there are plenty of able-bodied Canadians looking for work, so an unskilled American can't just walk into a job without at least having dual citizenship. I would expect this is the case for most countries.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:46 AM on March 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
My cousin was a rig pig and it's a job you really don't want. He did make a lot of money but he also broke his arm and has pins in it. Fort McMurray can also be pretty lonely for a single person as well as expensive. Another part of me fears that people who come out here never get to see the rest of the province and think the place is just one gaping hole :/ One really needs to have the right mindset to do well in the oil industry.
The cost of living in Canada is generally higher than the US too. The suggestion of moving somewhere insanely cheap sounds good to me :)
posted by Calzephyr at 11:39 AM on March 8, 2011
The cost of living in Canada is generally higher than the US too. The suggestion of moving somewhere insanely cheap sounds good to me :)
posted by Calzephyr at 11:39 AM on March 8, 2011
Even if you're somewhere insanely cheap, traveling is still an expensive resource. You have to be able to get there, and you have to be able to leave. If I wanted to go from the USA to, say, Malawi, and then back again, it would not be cheap.
The question of where to work hard for quick money is a legitimate one.
posted by aniola at 12:06 PM on March 8, 2011
The question of where to work hard for quick money is a legitimate one.
posted by aniola at 12:06 PM on March 8, 2011
I know a few people who have worked the blueberry harvest in Maine in late summer. Wyman's is one of the big companies. Check out their FAQ page. Scroll down to the section about employment - there's a number to call to apply for seasonal opportunities.
posted by messica at 12:18 PM on March 8, 2011
posted by messica at 12:18 PM on March 8, 2011
You don't have to go all the way to Canada and Alaska to find oil jobs -- the Bakken deposit in North Dakota and Montana is looking for roustabouts and other skilled laborers.
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:43 PM on March 8, 2011
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:43 PM on March 8, 2011
Even if you're somewhere insanely cheap, traveling is still an expensive resource. So start somewhere closer to home. Work split shifts for a few months. Are there shitty factory jobs that need people for the night shift? How much money could you save by picking up one or two shifts a week?
I know a guy who's just been promoted to a junior driller at sea. He got the job because his neighbour works for the drilling company, and knows that he's a hard worker with a background in the fishing industry and the military, and told him who to call and what to say, and made sure he went on all the safety courses (once you're employed they'll pay for some of the courses, but usually you have to do the basic stuff before they'll even consider you; not sure how that applies to shoreside drilling). A guy I was at school with is an ROV technician, mostly in the North Sea, which doesn't officially require any major qualifications, but it helps if you're a gamer. Again, shitloads of money, nice contracts, but you totally have to know someone to get that kind of job. On paper, it's possible to get an offshore radio operator's job after doing an eight-day course and having never used a radio elsewhere. In practice there are plenty of ex-military and other people familiar with marine and aviation radio to do those jobs.
That said, I also know someone who saved up the deposit on her house while working as a casino cashier on a cruise ship, which can apparently be done by anyone with reasonable attention to detail who doesn't just finish their shift and drink all their pay (and who doesn't mind sharing a tiny cabin for months with someone who might be doing just that).
posted by Lebannen at 1:58 PM on March 8, 2011
I know a guy who's just been promoted to a junior driller at sea. He got the job because his neighbour works for the drilling company, and knows that he's a hard worker with a background in the fishing industry and the military, and told him who to call and what to say, and made sure he went on all the safety courses (once you're employed they'll pay for some of the courses, but usually you have to do the basic stuff before they'll even consider you; not sure how that applies to shoreside drilling). A guy I was at school with is an ROV technician, mostly in the North Sea, which doesn't officially require any major qualifications, but it helps if you're a gamer. Again, shitloads of money, nice contracts, but you totally have to know someone to get that kind of job. On paper, it's possible to get an offshore radio operator's job after doing an eight-day course and having never used a radio elsewhere. In practice there are plenty of ex-military and other people familiar with marine and aviation radio to do those jobs.
That said, I also know someone who saved up the deposit on her house while working as a casino cashier on a cruise ship, which can apparently be done by anyone with reasonable attention to detail who doesn't just finish their shift and drink all their pay (and who doesn't mind sharing a tiny cabin for months with someone who might be doing just that).
posted by Lebannen at 1:58 PM on March 8, 2011
Possibly logging in northern BC? I don't know if it's still like this (the whining from logging companies about how bad business is suggests that it might not be), but yesterday a friend was telling me about how he used to work up there. He $25/hr, room and board, plus a $500/week nontaxable living allowance. OT was double-time straightaway and there's not much to do up there but work, so he worked 12-15 hour days voluntarily. He says 2 years working up there is what paid for 4 years of university plus some really nice investments (Google, before it hit the quite-as-big-time). He left because living there was boring as hell.
If you don't want to work the oil rigs in AB, you can still make plenty of money just working in some of those oil rig towns. IIRC a couple years ago McDonalds' employees in Fort McMurray were being paid $16/hr plus a moving allowance for starting employees with no previous experience. I imagine the pay just goes up from there for the "better" jobs.
Keep in mind these kinds of jobs pay well for a reason. Most of the jobs are hard and/or dangerous, and almost all of them require you to live in really soul-sucking places. Seriously, before you decide to take up one of these jobs, really research the living conditions and think about whether you can handle living in them for 2 years.
posted by purplecrackers at 2:48 PM on March 8, 2011
If you don't want to work the oil rigs in AB, you can still make plenty of money just working in some of those oil rig towns. IIRC a couple years ago McDonalds' employees in Fort McMurray were being paid $16/hr plus a moving allowance for starting employees with no previous experience. I imagine the pay just goes up from there for the "better" jobs.
Keep in mind these kinds of jobs pay well for a reason. Most of the jobs are hard and/or dangerous, and almost all of them require you to live in really soul-sucking places. Seriously, before you decide to take up one of these jobs, really research the living conditions and think about whether you can handle living in them for 2 years.
posted by purplecrackers at 2:48 PM on March 8, 2011
Actually no you won't. With no experience you'll probably have to start out working in the factory on a head and gut boat. You'll make half share at first- probably only $5K a month. To get a deck job on a high earning boat like the one described above you need experience
I think it's pretty case-by-case. A close friend got a job on a boat his first season out.
Consider field biology (the summer field season is high time for research) and the cruise ship idea.
Also, I hear there's a pretty good harvest season here in Northern Cali, ahem. You might try hanging out in Nevada City or Mendocino at whatever appropriate time of year.
posted by salvia at 8:03 PM on March 8, 2011
I think it's pretty case-by-case. A close friend got a job on a boat his first season out.
Consider field biology (the summer field season is high time for research) and the cruise ship idea.
Also, I hear there's a pretty good harvest season here in Northern Cali, ahem. You might try hanging out in Nevada City or Mendocino at whatever appropriate time of year.
posted by salvia at 8:03 PM on March 8, 2011
The Poster Job
From Aug 15 - Oct 1 you are on the road going to college to college setting up prearranged poster sales. Back breaking work to unload/load and you work nearly every day. Lots of bike punks from Tallahassee, Florida do it.
posted by wcfields at 11:36 AM on March 9, 2011
From Aug 15 - Oct 1 you are on the road going to college to college setting up prearranged poster sales. Back breaking work to unload/load and you work nearly every day. Lots of bike punks from Tallahassee, Florida do it.
posted by wcfields at 11:36 AM on March 9, 2011
I don't recommend the Wyman blueberry harvest. According to their FAQ, they still use a short hand rake for harvesting the blueberries. I'm guessing that it causes back problems similar to the short-handled hoe.
So if you're looking for something less strenuous than tree planting, blueberry harvesting may not be the answer.
posted by aniola at 7:21 AM on March 10, 2011
So if you're looking for something less strenuous than tree planting, blueberry harvesting may not be the answer.
posted by aniola at 7:21 AM on March 10, 2011
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posted by orange swan at 8:50 AM on March 8, 2011