The Truth About Working for Seasonal Tour Operators…
Some names and titles have been changed for privacy and confidentiality purposes.
Trust me, I understand the allure of leaving everything behind for a couple months, staying in a foreign country on someone else’s dime, and getting paid to be there. That’s the marketing of seasonal tour operators and end suppliers to hire new crew.
And that was part of my thought process for accepting a position as Tour Guide in the Arctic Circle in Lapland, Finland. My contract was from November 22 - December 29, 2023, and I led families on coach tours to find the elusive Santa Claus in his real home of northern Finland.
I did, indeed, find Santa (many, many times over the course of that month), and I also found a plethora of gossip, betrayal, backstabbing, substance abuse, and overall disrespect. It was… eye-opening, to say the least.
I’ve thought a lot about whether or not to share these words, and I believe it’s worth it to give a heads-up. For anyone considering a seasonal tenure abroad, it’s not all fun and games.
Hear me out.
What is seasonal work?
In the field of tourism, seasonal work refers to jobs that hire only for a busy period of time. If you’re working a seasonal job, you are “on season.”
There are also longer contracted jobs (eg. year by year) that aren’t necessarily seasonal but still maintain the same base structure as seasonal work. Think theme park performers.
Most seasonal workplaces abroad offer free accommodation, meals, and/or a daily stipend in addition to work wages. Round trip airfare and company insurance are usually included, with possible bonus incentives.
For these reasons, seasonal work is extremely popular with dancers, actors, and performers. They can save money where the performing arts economy is so threadbare elsewhere.
A lesser-known incentive is that seasonal work provides unique opportunities for long-distance couples to spend time together. They’ll share the same accommodation if requested. Even couples who aren’t long-distance go the mile (literally) to share these jobs.
However, seasonal work also has extremely high turnover and dropout rates. Many applicants are students waiting for college acceptances. Though you may be put on a waitlist, there’s a very good chance you’ll make it in if you stick it out.
