maintenance person

park ranger

attendant

caterer

lifeguard

Nova Parks

I worked at NOVA Parks for one summer season and felt that the whole experience was extremely informal and generally just disappointing. The waterpark where I worked (Pirate's Cove) was generally run by high school students (ages 14+) and I guess you can expect some disorganization with a group like that, but the pay was low, there was little to no employee communication, and I felt that it was a seriously disappointing experience for a first job. I do appreciate that the job gave me a little bit of experience in everything from concessions to front desk work, but it was an overall disappointing experience. 

This job should really be for college students to get extra pay. They purposely keep you under 30 hours when you are working part time to avoid giving you benefits. Sure it's inside a state park, but there is no real government benefit if you aren't working the hours needed to receive those benefits.

The irritating part was how management would actively give entitled people free food for their next visit when they would complain about anything about the Cafe. The state park itself would give them free food coupons if customers complained about the Cafe.

As a worker in the Cafe you had to also worry about park customers not paying Cafe customers. 

A typical day at work is tiring but not exhausting, a lot of scanning the water and staying alert. I have learned many things about life saving skills. Management and workplace culture is very good. The hardest part of the job is emergency situations, but you always have a team so you never handle anything alone. The most enjoyable part of the job is getting to make new friends with your coworkers.

I recently retired from NOVA Parks and overall it was a great experience. I learned some life lessons at the agency (mostly good) along with expanding my horizons and learning new skills which I can utilize at other agencies. It is an efficient organization with minimal red tape which stood out for me. 

The application and interview process was laid back. Training was more than adequate for the responsibilities. Mistakes that I made were forgiven. I was told it was okay to allow campers to drink alcohol (against policy) provided they are quiet at night and do not litter. I once assisted a patron who technically should not have been allowed in at night but they were looking for a teenage runaway, I reported having had done this and management was okay with it.

Part-time, seasonal employment but interesting and managers are understanding and supportive. Honestly doesn't feel like seasonal work.

Day to day: Prepping rental pavilions, roaming park for overall cleanliness, safety and patron enjoyment.

I work two part time job there since it was hard to get hours by working just one. Not much room for advancement and no benefits for part time employees but it was great pay and you could get the leftovers of food from the event to take home at night. I learned a lot there.

I had heard great things about working at nova Parks however when i got there and had gotten the jobs it wasn't all that great, the hours were bare and chosen by the managers and the pay wasn't good at all. You weren't paid well enough for majority of what you did. would not work there again

Excellent staff as well as camp hosts. Very clean park. Excellent place to be if you love the amazing outdoors! There is a lot of wildlife. I've seen quite a few bald eagles and deer and the squirrels are very friendly. The hiking trails are nice and can go from intermediate to difficult. 

An 8-5 job that has a volunteer board, lacks culture, leadership and organization, but provides park space to Northern Virginia. The most enjoyable part of the job was doing capital improvements.  The least enjoyable part of the job was the top down management, lack of financial standards and lack of culture.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Maintenance person 30 salaries reported	$15.60 per hour
Park ranger 24 salaries reported	$15.98 per hour
Attendant 25 salaries reported	$13.64 per hour
Caterer 12 salaries reported	$23.33 per hour
Lifeguard 9 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour

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