US Ghost Adventures – Sidehusl.com

What’s US Ghost Adventures?

US Ghost Adventures is a tour firm that makes a speciality of the macabre — locations the place folks had been murdered or websites which can be believed to be haunted. It enlists freelance tour guides, paying $25 to $50 per 90-minute tour.

The way it works

People who need to apply to be tour guides right here should dwell inside 15 miles of a US Ghost Adventures location. (You’ll be able to check locations here.) You need to have the ability to move a background test and be prepared to work at the very least three days every week.

To “audition” for the put up, you’ll memorize a script and submit a video of you performing that “tour” on-line. These on-line auditions are aimed toward seeing whether or not you’ll be able to relay the knowledge within the script in an interesting and animated method.

Assuming you move this check,  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 provided 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 based mostly on that, so you could have some say in setting your schedule.

US Ghost Adventures overview

Should you love drama and are good with folks, giving ghost excursions with US Ghost Adventures might be a enjoyable technique to earn slightly cash. Nonetheless, like many performing jobs, you’re not paid to study the script nor to excellent your supply. That’s performed by yourself time. And this unpaid “coaching” may take two weeks.

When you begin giving paid excursions, the positioning says it normally pays guides $50 per 90-minute tour. You additionally get 100% of the client ideas. With giant teams, these ideas might be substantial.

However the firm will schedule excursions which have as few as 2 clients, so you’ll be able to’t rely on ideas. And there’s a caveat in regards to the per-tour pay, too. (See “Pay” beneath.)

The job

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

Most excursions are given at evening — sometimes between 5 and 9 p.m. That may make this a pleasant after-work aspect hustle for folks with a 9-5 job.

Guides are anticipated to be obtainable to work at the very least three days/nights every week. They usually sometimes work with a single script or tour. However guides who do properly may doubtlessly decide up extra varieties of excursions in giant 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. Based on the US Ghost Adventures contract, the $25 bonus is paid for “attendance {and professional} conduct.” Should you no-show for any of the excursions throughout that two week pay interval, you don’t get the bonus pay for all the excursions performed throughout your complete 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 dad or mum firm). It isn’t assured.

Ideas are usually not assured both. Nonetheless, the positioning 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 overview the tour and the information.

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

Necessities

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

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

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

Issues

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 upfront, which is a very long time upfront to e book your schedule.

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

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

Tour information evaluations

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

In huge vacationer areas, akin to 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, possible, fewer clients to tip. Furthermore, the year-round nature of the excursions makes it possible that you just’ll endure in unhealthy climate for some lightly-populated excursions. And, on condition that the one assured portion of the pay is the $25 base (for 90 minutes), that might make you’re feeling mistreated and underpaid.

Suggestions

Should you’re an extravert who loves folks, historical past, and the macabre, this might be a enjoyable aspect hustle throughout warm-weather months. You’ll be able to sign up with US Ghost Adventures here.

You might also need to take a look at ToursByLocals and Viator, which each let you create and record excursions on their websites in change for a portion of the income. However, bear in mind that US Ghost Adventures’ contract has a non-compete clause that permits you to work for a longtime competitor, however doesn’t let you begin your individual ghost tour for at the very least a yr after leaving US Ghost Adventures.

What their employees 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.

A perfect 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 great areas to discover, coaching alternatives, enjoyable props, and a supportive work atmosphere. I like to recommend it usually.

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

By no means uninteresting

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

If you’ll think about this profession or job, a very powerful factor is to be keen about the subject material. You’re required to study a number of info in a brief time period. Nonetheless, in case you love what you might be speaking about it can come simpler.

I’ve at all times needed to attempt tour guiding as a profession. US Ghost Adventures allowed me to showcase my efficiency expertise and information of a metropolis I really like. My ardour for ghosts and the paranormal had been inspired. Whereas the excursions I gave had been at evening, I normally had sufficient superior discover earlier than giving a tour.

Climate

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

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

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

Assistance is AWOL

In case you are on the lookout for a enjoyable and thrilling work expertise with this group, you can be extraordinarily disillusioned. They lack communication, group, and observe by and depart us hanging in case of emergency on tour. They provide you a quantity to name “customer support” and nobody solutions. The HR division can also 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 be sure to learn.

Working for this firm has been a nightmare. There is no such thing as a native administration, leaving you in an embarrassing bind each time a difficulty arises. The commonest concern is that the tour is about to begin in the midst of a busy market, making it tough for friends to seek out. This instantly makes issues awkward whenever you first handle to interact with friends. Administration is conscious of this concern and has performed nothing to deal with it.

Disappointing

If the administration points are usually not unhealthy sufficient, the marketed pay and gratuities are additionally drastically exaggerated. The concept of strolling away with over $200 an evening is laughable. I’ll be taking my depart 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 residing as much as what they promised from the onset.

(from Glassdoor)

Good pay, good ideas, enjoyable job