The National Park Lodges is looking for part-time employees to work between four and eight hours per day starting this September until mid-October. Your job will be whatever is needed for the day: room attendant, kitchen crew, and the like, so workers need to be flexible. The salary is only $10 per hour, but the perks are amazing.
You will be housed inside the park and are encouraged to spend as much time outdoors as possible during your downtime — you’ll have free access to the park, of course. This means you’ll have ample time to explore Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, the rainbow-colored prismatic springs, and the rest of America’s first national park. You can go out and forest bathe. Or take in some of the lesser-known attractions in the Lone Star backcountry. Or gaze up at the mountains from seldom-visited Trout Lake. The program runs during the shoulder season, too, so even the regular spots will leave you more time to appreciate the wilderness. You will also be automatically included in the free employee recreation program, where you’ll have special access to hiking, photography, camping, and wildlife watching.
According to the Helping Hands program, you’re encouraged to bring your spouse, partner, or friend along for the ride.
If selected, you can expect to spend your days working at either Old Faithful, Canyon Village, Mammoth, Grant Village, or Lake Yellowstone. You’ll be staying in dorm-style accommodations, complete with glacier-paced WiFi and no TV. You’re living in nature, so be grateful to unplug. Meals are prepared by the lodges’ chefs and served cafeteria-style, so while the rooms may be spartan, the food will be fantastic.
Helping Hands isn’t limited to recent grads, or graduates at all. Pretty much anyone who can cut away from life between September 5 and October 15 is encouraged to apply. Assuming they’re cool to live out in the middle of nowhere with limited contact and few creature comforts. To view available jobs and apply, visit the Helping Hands website. Applications are now open for the fall season, which begins in early September. Helping Hands will also be looking for short-term, part-time workers in the spring. Additionally, Yellowstone National Park has positions to fill for full seasons, including this coming summer, as well as year-round.
So no need to rush that job search now. Just fill out an application, shop REI online for some new work clothes, and prepare to experience Yellowstone like no one else you know. It might not be the high-paying job you’d imagined when you got your diploma, but for five weeks, it’s anyone’s dream. 