Eight Good Jobs That Require Room and Board
The median weekly income for Americans this year is about $1,165 , or roughly $60,580 per year. That’s not much, especially considering the fact that the average rent is now $1,748 (about $21,000 per year) and the minimum recommended grocery budget is about $421 per month (about $5,052 per year). Thus, more than a third of your gross income will simply disappear.
You can find a second job to help cover rent or groceries, but another way to make these numbers more manageable is to find a job that includes room and board. Getting free room and board is an incredibly valuable benefit, and the good news is that you don’t have to join the military to get it (though that’s certainly an option). While many jobs that provide room and board are not ideal because they are seasonal or temporary jobs typically staffed by travelers or nomads, you can find some full-time jobs that offer room and board.
Park Ranger
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast who likes the idea of living outdoors (and you don’t mind fairly limited access to the Internet or even regular phone service), then working as a park ranger usually entails room and board. For example, working at one of the Yellowstone National Park lodges includes accommodations, and while meals are not free for regular employees , they are available for managers . You can learn more about becoming a state or national park ranger at Park-Ranger.org .
Au pair
One of the classic live-in jobs, working as an au pair (essentially a live-in nanny ), usually means living at home with meals. This also means having to be on call almost all the time to look after children at home, and typically a lower salary than a nanny due to the whole room and board situation. Of course, a lot depends on the family you’re staying with—it could be a dream home with amazing roommates or a nightmare. Either way, at least your rent is covered.
Cruise ship staff
If you’ve ever been on a cruise , you may have noticed that these ships have a ton of people working on them, and all of their jobs include room and board for obvious reasons (even though we’re looking at hundreds of people). helicopter on and off the ship every single day will certainly be interesting). Depending on the job you can get, the pay may not be very high (about 40% of cruise ship employees earn less than $2,000 a month ), but in addition to room and board, you usually also get free medical care, and you can usually Organize a few free shore excursions if your work schedule allows.
Live-in caregiver
Those caring for the elderly or infirm are usually offered room and board as compensation. The upside is that many of these jobs don’t require much in terms of education or experience other than a high school diploma, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to pass a basic background check . On the other hand, this work can be demanding and tiring, both physically and emotionally: it involves everything from helping people bathe, preparing and serving food, helping people with transportation, to simple communication.
Ranch worker
Ranch work is very physically demanding, whether it is a guest ranch or a cattle ranch, but the work usually involves providing room and board . Some ranches operate only seasonally, but others may offer year-round operation. If you’ve never been around a horse or cow in your life, there are still opportunities: ranches need maintenance staff, laborers, and even office staff, so if the idea of ranch life appeals to you, there’s likely an opening somewhere , what you are suitable for.
Hospitality Jobs
Many jobs in the hospitality industry, especially those located in remote areas, offer room and board as part of the compensation package simply because there are not many housing options nearby. These jobs cover a wide range of positions, from maintenance and storage positions to front desk workers and concierge positions, but if you’re not afraid of public customer service or moving to a place like Alaska, you can get a job in the hospitality industry that offers accommodation and meals. .
Foreman
Most cities require large residential buildings to have superintendents , and although some smaller buildings will have “visiting superintendents”, many of these positions receive free housing (but usually not free food), although in some cases they receive only reduced rent. While it doesn’t hurt to have a degree or certificate in building management, many superintendent positions only require a high school diploma and relevant experience—usually in a professional field, since one of your primary responsibilities will be repairing and maintaining the building’s infrastructure. If you’re a bit of a jack of all trades, you can probably find a superintendent job that offers free or reduced housing as part of the job.
Housekeeping
Yes, people do hire live-in housekeepers (and butlers still exist ), and the job by its very nature provides room and board. These jobs often require more than just cleaning, cooking, and laundry, requiring you to act more like a personal assistant, running errands, making travel arrangements, and even providing child care from time to time. Typically, no formal qualifications are required for this job, but many people are looking for experience in hospitality or professional cleaning, and may also have their own list of requirements, such as first aid certification or experience preparing food in a professional kitchen.