[circuit]

Quite a few of these "opportunities" are asking a LOT of volunteers, implicitly asking for unpaid labor. These are not your typical "volunteer a few hours a week helping fix up a school/sorting at a food bank/helping the homeless" to give back to your community.

Look at this[1] particular ask:

> Applicants must be available to work a minimum of 32 hours per week.

> [minimum 3 month commitment with possibility to extend to a year] ... Weekend and holiday work is required.

> shovel snow for extended periods of time, hike-ski-snowshoe in extreme weather conditions with a 35-pound backpack at 7,000ft, live in remote locations with regularly snow packed roads.

> Groceries and shopping facilities are approximately 60 miles away; reliable personal transportation is required.

[1] https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a093d00000...

[arrakeenrevived]

Some of these postings are indeed asking a lot, but I don't think this specific one is that crazy. It's essentially an opportunity to live out in the wilderness and go hiking regularly, with free housing provided in exchange for maintenance and rescue work. I know a lot of outdoors enthusiasts that would love to do that. Hell, I know a lot of outdoors enthusiasts that would probably do it without the free housing, or even pay out of pocket to do it (see also: PCT or Appalachian Trail hikers).

[waveBidder]

not exactly what I'd describe as volunteering though.

[GavinMcG]

These full-time positions are fairly common at National Park Service (or other agency-managed) public lands, and are attractive to retirees. I was a paid (and housed) intern at one site, but I lived alongside three or four couples in their RVs. Some used it as a way to vacation, while for others it was more of a lifestyle, volunteering for four months at one location, then traveling for a couple months before volunteering at another location.

[dragonwriter]

> Quite a few of these "opportunities" are asking a LOT of volunteers, implicitly asking for unpaid labor.

Its not implicit, "volunteer" is the word for a non-coerced unpaid laborer.

[karaterobot]

This feels like making something into a problem when it's not a problem. These are volunteer opportunities, no money is being offered and that's made very clear. People volunteer because they want to do something, or feel like it needs to be done. That's what volunteering is, that's the opportunity that's on the table, this website lists those opportunities.

[constantly]

Where exactly are you drawing the line before using scare quotes around volunteering? Is 10 hours a week too much? Is requiring transportation too much? Would working at 5,000ft vs 7,000ft be ok?

For what it’s worth: if I were at a time in my life where I could do the linked opportunity, I absolutely would. Even better would be an Antarctica opportunity for a winter season.

[no_circuit]

Some people may see the use of the word volunteering as virtue signaling, it depends on the audience. IMO, if you assist at the local blood bank during a donation drive after a disaster -- that's volunteering. If you are retired and/or rich and can afford to go do Antarctica to assist with research for three months as an essential role or not -- that's free labor.

A person living paycheck-to-paycheck may view the Antarctica opportunity as pompous, but environmental-club peers may view it as volunteering to save the planet and deserves a round of cheers with drinks in hand.

[circuit]

Depends on the person, but requiring anything over 30 hours a week to me is part-time work commitment, and compensation is deserved

[ourmandave]

Ah, you're looking for USA Jobs.gov.

https://www.usajobs.gov/

[efd6821b]

Don't worry about it, son; you're not the kind that the National Park Service nor Search and Rescue is looking for.

[Rebelgecko]

Most of the volunteer SAR people around me are still able to have full time jobs.

[michaelmrose]

It's asking a lot because the vast majority of folks can't not work unless they also want to stop eating or become homeless after the end of the season not because they implicitly lack the commitment. It's also unpaid labor for a government with a 6 trillion dollar budget.

Most of the old folks retiring at 70 aren't doing any of these labor intensive affairs so its mostly a task for the idle children of the upper middle class to rich. Are we feting people for being born on third base again?

[giantg2]

Those last 2 are just business as usual for anybody who already lives in those area.

[l33t7332273]

Isn’t asking for volunteers _explicitly_ asking for unpaid labor?

[mistrial9]

somewhat similar to unpaid internships for adults who have finished an expensive 18 month MBA program? slightly worse?

[stephenr]

I'd wager the volunteers are less annoying to be around.

[stephenr]

I think you missed out this part:

> Housing is included

[abluecloud]

does that include food and drink?

[circuit]

You missed the last half of that sentence. It's a room, not a house, that you will be likely be sharing with someone else.

> room in a shared apartment or house.

[kjlkjlkjkj]

healthcare too? and food and pension?