US Ghost Adventures – Sidehusl.com

What’s US Ghost Adventures?

US Ghost Adventures is a tour firm that focuses on the macabre — locations the place individuals have been murdered or websites which are believed to be haunted. It enlists freelance tour guides, paying $25 to $50 per 90-minute tour.

The way it works

People who wish to apply to be tour guides right here should reside inside 15 miles of a US Ghost Adventures location. (You’ll be able to check locations here.) You could be capable to cross a background verify and be keen to work at the least three days every week.

To “audition” for the submit, you’ll memorize a script and submit a video of you performing that “tour” on-line. These on-line auditions are geared toward seeing whether or not you possibly can relay the knowledge within the script in an attractive and animated manner.

Assuming you cross this take a look at,  you’ll be requested to signal a contract and study a script for one of many ghost excursions in your metropolis.

You aren’t paid to study the script. And won’t be supplied a paying job till after you full an unpaid “supervised tour.”

After that, you’ll submit your work availability for the next month. Work assignments are primarily based on that, so you will have some say in setting your schedule.

US Ghost Adventures assessment

For those who love drama and are good with individuals, giving ghost excursions with US Ghost Adventures may very well be a enjoyable option to earn a little bit cash. Nevertheless, like many appearing jobs, you’re not paid to study the script nor to excellent your supply. That’s finished by yourself time. And this unpaid “coaching” might take two weeks.

When you begin giving paid excursions, the location says it often pays guides $50 per 90-minute tour. You additionally get 100% of the client ideas. With massive teams, these ideas may very well be substantial.

However the firm will schedule excursions which have as few as 2 prospects, so you possibly can’t rely on ideas. And there’s a caveat concerning the per-tour pay, too. (See “Pay” beneath.)

The job

Excursions are usually strolling excursions that traverse a couple of one-mile circle. You have to be in good-enough form to deal with speaking loudly and dramatically, whereas strolling.

Most excursions are given at night time — sometimes between 5 and 9 p.m. That may make this a pleasant after-work facet hustle for individuals with a 9-5 job.

Guides are anticipated to be accessible to work at the least three days/nights every week. They usually sometimes work with a single script or tour. However guides who do properly might probably choose up extra forms of excursions in massive cities the place US Ghost Adventures gives a number of choices.

The excursions are year-round, and are usually not essentially cancelled for climate.

Pay

Guides are paid each two weeks through direct deposit. And pay is available in three components: Base pay; bonus pay; and ideas.

The bottom pay is usually $25 per tour.

The bonus is one other $25 per tour. In line with the US Ghost Adventures contract, the $25 bonus is paid for “attendance {and professional} conduct.” For those who no-show for any of the excursions throughout that two week pay interval, you don’t get the bonus pay for the entire excursions finished throughout the whole pay interval.

Certainly, whether or not a information will get the bonus pay is as much as the discretion of Zaal Ventures (US Ghost Journey’s mother or father firm). It’s not assured.

Ideas are usually not assured both. Nevertheless, the location encourages them by offering every information with a enterprise card that patrons can use to Venmo a tip to the information immediately, in the event that they don’t have money. The playing cards additionally encourage patrons to assessment the tour and the information.

The positioning doesn’t reimburse tour information bills, except they’re pre-approved by the corporate.

Necessities

Guides might want to cross a background verify; in addition to passing the in-person and on-line audition.

You have to be public speaker. And, US Ghost Adventures prefers individuals with appearing and customer support expertise. This isn’t a job for introverts.

You could additionally buy a $15 t-shirt and a $5 ID badge.

Considerations

Contractors present their work availability to US Ghost Adventures by the 18th of the month previous to the month that’s being scheduled. That’s roughly 45 days prematurely, which is a very long time prematurely to ebook your schedule.

And, in case you can’t work one of many days that you just’re scheduled, you’re presupposed to discover a alternative to fill in for you, in accordance with the contract. For those who can’t discover a alternative, it’s unclear whether or not this might have an effect on your “professionalism” and skill to gather the $25 per-tour bonus.

The positioning’s contract additionally says that guides could generally be anticipated to take a last-minute tour that clashes with their availability. In line with the contract: Contractor agrees to be accessible to present a tour when known as on in 24hrs discover, no matter their said availability, not more than twice a month within the occasion they’re wanted for a final minute emergency, together with on holidays.

Tour information opinions

Tour guides usually love or hate this firm. Some say they totally benefit from the alternative and earn nice cash — primarily due to ideas. Others say they’re mistreated and underpaid.

It appears doubtless that tour information experiences will differ markedly relying on town the place you’re employed.

In massive vacationer areas, resembling Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami, Boston and Honolulu, excursions are more likely to be extra closely populated and more likely to generate good ideas. In Kansas Metropolis and Omaha, Nebraska, there are fewer excursions and, doubtless, fewer prospects to tip. Furthermore, the year-round nature of the excursions makes it doubtless that you just’ll undergo in unhealthy climate for some lightly-populated excursions. And, provided that the one assured portion of the pay is the $25 base (for 90 minutes), that might make you are feeling mistreated and underpaid.

Suggestions

For those who’re an extravert who loves individuals, historical past, and the macabre, this may very well be a enjoyable facet hustle throughout warm-weather months. You’ll be able to sign up with US Ghost Adventures here.

You might also wish to take a look at ToursByLocals and Viator, which each mean you can create and checklist excursions on their websites in alternate for a portion of the income. However, bear in mind that US Ghost Adventures’ contract has a non-compete clause that lets you work for a longtime competitor, however doesn’t mean you can begin your personal ghost tour for at the least a 12 months after leaving US Ghost Adventures.

What their staff say (from Indeed)

I completely love being a tour information for US Ghost Adventures. The time dedication is low and I could make nice cash in just some hours. Additionally they gave me the choice to do extra excursions and develop.

An excellent job for the mature, accountable, self-motivated particular person. Most freedom to do your job properly; good communication and help from skilled supervisors.

I actually take pleasure in my time with US Ghost Adventures. There’s plenty of fantastic areas to discover, coaching alternatives, enjoyable props, and a supportive work surroundings. I like to recommend it usually.

That is actually a job for somebody who likes to work on their very own and with individuals. You’ll make most of your cash in ideas, so at all times have angle.

By no means boring

By no means a boring day touring a bunch of individuals! Strolling excursions allowed me to maintain bodily match and entertained. Watching my audiences’ faces react, as they find out about historical past and ghosts, is priceless.

If you’re going to think about this profession or job, an important factor is to be captivated with the subject material. You might be required to study a variety of data in a brief time period. Nevertheless, in case you love what you’re speaking about it is going to come simpler.

I’ve at all times needed to strive tour guiding as a profession. US Ghost Adventures allowed me to showcase my efficiency abilities and data of a metropolis I like. My ardour for ghosts and the paranormal have been inspired. Whereas the excursions I gave have been at night time, I often had sufficient superior discover earlier than giving a tour.

Climate

The toughest a part of the job is coping with the climate! Dangerous climate means no work!

They need you to present excursions even in a harmful thunderstorm as a result of they don’t wish to give refunds.

The excursions are given year-round so be ready to work through the winter. Administration is nice and does its greatest to work along with your schedule. They have been supportive and I felt like they did their greatest to make issues simpler for me when giving a tour.

Assistance is AWOL

If you’re on the lookout for a enjoyable and thrilling work expertise with this group, you may be extraordinarily disenchanted. They lack communication, group, and comply with by way of and go away us hanging in case of emergency on tour. They provide you a quantity to name “customer support” and nobody solutions. The HR division can be horrendous with pay. I’ve needed to submit my checking account numbers 3 times earlier than they correctly obtained the knowledge and I used to be paid.

Their contract for guides is horrible, please ensure you learn.

Working for this firm has been a nightmare. There isn’t any native administration, leaving you in an embarrassing bind every time a difficulty arises. The commonest concern is that the tour is about to begin in the course of a busy market, making it tough for visitors to seek out. This instantly makes issues awkward once you first handle to interact with visitors. Administration is conscious of this concern and has finished nothing to deal with it.

Disappointing

If the administration points are usually not unhealthy sufficient, the marketed pay and gratuities are additionally tremendously exaggerated. The concept of strolling away with over $200 an evening is laughable. I’ll be taking my go away from this firm quickly, and I like to recommend that everybody stir away from them. It has been a disappointing expertise from starting to finish, because it by no means got here near dwelling as much as what they promised from the onset.

(from Glassdoor)

Good pay, good ideas, enjoyable job