Most RV park owners hit growth ceiling the moment they stop doing everything themselves. The transition from solo operator to managing staff is where many parks stumble—but it's also where profitability accelerates. Here's how to hire your first employees without derailing operations.
Identify Your Critical First Hire
Your first employee should plug the biggest operational hole, not fill a job that sounds necessary on paper. For most RV parks, that's a gate attendant or check-in associate. This role handles peak-hour registrations, payment processing, and guest questions—work that currently pulls you away from maintenance, marketing, or revenue management.
Secondary candidates include a maintenance technician (if you're handling all repairs yourself) or a part-time cleaner for common areas and facilities. Choose based on where you're losing money or sanity most visibly.
Know the Compensation Reality
RV park staff typically earn $28,000–$38,000 annually for full-time positions like check-in or maintenance roles. Part-time positions (15–25 hours/week) run $17–$22/hour in most markets, though rural parks sometimes pay less and tourist-heavy parks near national parks or coastal areas pay 15–20% more.
Your total cost per employee includes:
- Gross wages
- Payroll taxes (7.65% employer FICA contribution)
- Workers' compensation insurance ($1,200–$2,500/year for RV park roles)
- Potential health insurance (if offering it)
Budget realistically: a $32,000 full-time employee costs you roughly $37,000–$39,000 total. Part-time hires are cheaper per dollar but lack continuity.
Create a Job Description That Attracts the Right People
Write position descriptions specific to RV park operations. Generic "customer service representative" postings attract the wrong candidates. Instead, be explicit:
- Check-in/gate attendant: Knowledge of RV hookup systems, basic troubleshooting, ability to handle 50+ guest interactions during peak hours, comfortable managing payment systems (credit cards, checks, cash).
- Maintenance technician: Experience with water, electrical, and sewer systems; comfort diagnosing common RV issues (slide-out problems, power pedestal failures); ability to respond to emergencies.
- Cleaning/groundskeeping: Familiarity with pressure washing, pool or hot tub maintenance (if applicable), ability to work independently across large grounds.
Post on Facebook, Craigslist, Indeed, and local job boards. RV park experience isn't always essential for entry-level roles—trainability and reliability matter more.
Screen for the Traits That Matter
Phone screen potential hires on three things: reliability, customer temperament, and basic technical comfort.
Ask directly: "Tell me about a time you dealt with an angry customer" and "Describe your experience with basic computer systems or payment apps." The second question weeds out candidates who'll struggle with your check-in software.
For maintenance positions, ask about specific systems they've worked on (water pressure regulators, 30/50-amp pedestals, septic systems). You're listening for hands-on experience, not certifications.
Training Timeline and Expectations
Expect a 2–4 week ramp-up for check-in staff and 6–8 weeks for maintenance technicians. Build that into your hiring timeline. New employees need documentation: written procedures for gate protocols, emergency numbers, common troubleshooting steps, and your policies on partial hookups, refunds, and guest disputes.
Create a simple operations manual or checklist. You'll reference it constantly.
Where to Source Candidates
Beyond job boards, tap your community directly: post in local RV forums, ask for referrals from maintenance suppliers or neighboring campgrounds, and approach experienced RV owners in your park itself—they understand the guest base and operations from a user perspective.
Consider recruiting through local technical schools or community colleges that offer hospitality or trade programs.
Onboarding and Retention
Your first hire sets the tone. Invest three hours in week one showing them your systems, introducing key vendors, and clarifying expectations. Quarterly check-ins prevent surprises. Staff turnover in seasonal RV parks runs 40–60% annually, so clear communication and reasonable scheduling are worth the effort.
If you're stretched managing all this, platforms like Mercoly help RV parks list services and products to boost revenue—freeing up cash for payroll—while making it easier for guests to self-serve information that currently consumes staff time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I hire full-time or part-time first? Full-time is best for consistency and guest relationships, but start part-time (20 hours/week) if cash flow is tight—you can expand to full-time once you validate the hire's reliability.
Q: What if I can't afford a full-time employee yet? A part-time evening/weekend attendant during peak season (May–September) costs $6,000–$9,000 for three months and instantly frees you to handle operations outside busy hours.
Q: How do I know if someone's right before hiring? Give a 2-week trial period, paid at your standard rate, with an explicit review checkpoint before making it permanent.
Start interviewing this week—your first hire is worth the time investment.