SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The New Jersey State Park Service has hundreds of job openings, and officials are encouraging anyone who is looking to make a career change to give them a chance.
“It’s challenging recruiting folks. There’s a lot of opportunities out there,” said John Cecil, state park, forest and historic site assistant commissioner.
He said they have desk jobs available as well as jobs out in nature.
“We seek to bring on hundreds of seasonal positions of all types,” he said. “We have such a diversity of job opportunities — maintenance staff, naturalists, folks working in more administrative or office positions, greeting and engaging the public, trail stewards positions, and again, all of those much-needed lifeguard roles that we want to see get fully filled.”
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Many of these positions start at $15 an hour for people with little to no relevant experience. Seasoned professionals in some areas can get close to $30 an hour.
“We have really tried to boost our rates to meet the need and meet the competition that’s out there,” Cecil added.
While most of these jobs are seasonal, he said there is certainly an opportunity for good workers to be brought on permanently.
“It can change your life. You may find yourself years down the road looking back and saying, ‘Wow, I never thought that seasonal job would have me in this role and responsibility.’ ”
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More information on open positions is available on the park service’s website.