HOUSING FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Accommodations vary widely. Your best bet is to find out what is or is not provided when you are offered a position. Don't let your expectations run too high, because you'll probably be roughing it. Seasonal and summer employees are not provided with regular housing accommodations except at a few stations. Instead, tents, bunkhouses, or military-style barracks are the usual offerings. Most employees are charged a small fee for housing, which is automatically deducted from their paychecks. In certain cases, especially if there's a town nearby, seasonals must make their own housing arrangements. In such instances, the agency headquarters and the local Chamber of Commerce are usually helpful for finding a place to rent. One seasonal worker who spent six summers working for the same agency explains how varied the living situation can be:

"During my first season I was in a bunkhouse sharing a room and a kitchen with others. My next two seasons I was in a floating cabin on a lake, with an outhouse, no shower, and a propane stove. It was very rustic but it was also public domain—it served as my house as well as the ranger station. Then I worked two seasons as a backcountry ranger. One year I carried my house on my back—tent, stove, sleeping pad, and bag—everything I need to live. But the next year I lived in a platform tent with a large propane tank attached to a stove and a bear box to store food and cooking supplies. This past summer was probably the most deluxe of all. I lived with someone else in a two-bedroom, two-bath house with flush toilets and electricity."

Applying for a Federal Job >>>