In a few months, Lucille Hamel’s life changed “accelerated” like she never would have imagined. Since 2022, this 26-year-old from Vendée has been working seasonal contracts in Lookéa holiday clubs, as a host: six months in Andalusia, six months in Sri Lanka, six months in Greece. She gave aquagym classes, created dance shows, hosted blind tests, organized games at the swimming pool… “ I have worked a lot, not counting my hours, but I have the impression of living intensely. I went bungee jumping on the Corinth Canal, saw elephants, visited Mikonos…”, evokes this holder of a master’s degree in communications, who had also taken the BAFA, when she was younger. For each of her fixed-term contracts, she earned “1,200 euros per month, room and board”, which allowed him to ” put aside “. She can see herself continuing this nomadic life for a few years, punctuated by occasional trips to her parents’ house. “I’m not specifically looking for a permanent contract. I don’t like feeling chained. For the future, there is training to become a village chief, to work for the group’s headquarters… I’m going with the flow, we’ll see. »
Thomas, 22, employed this winter for the first time in a ski store in Arêches-Beaufort (Savoie), is also one of the happy seasonal workers in the tourist sector – these young people, aged 18 to 30, who agree to lend to the precariousness of short contracts to live an intense experience and maintain a certain freedom. Holder of a professional license in boilermaking, Thomas could have easily landed a stable job in the industry. “I couldn’t see myself starting straight away with a permanent contract. I want to travel. Not in intensive mode, but taking my time”, explains the young man. He stays in his grandparents’ apartment, and his boss pays him overtime. “Around me, this is far from being the case for everyone”he admits.
Working in vacation land? The proposition may seem attractive. “You live in a festive environment, you travel, you meet new people, you put money aside”lists Regis Lord, director of Klaxon rouge, a school specializing in training leaders for holiday villages and campsites, in Loctudy (Finistère). “But these are not easy jobs”, he continues.
Positive, flexible, versatile
To succeed in these worlds, it’s all a question of “soft skills”: always being positive, flexible, versatile. Accept that professional life encroaches on your personal world, that being in a relationship often involves maintaining a long-distance relationship. “It takes a lot of discipline to keep up the pace”summarizes Régis Lord. “We can quickly become overwhelmed by the holidays”confirms Kory (she did not wish to give her last name), 21 years old, who worked over the course of two summers in campsites in Vendée and Lot. “The fatigue can be intense. We work a lot of extra hours, especially to rehearse shows. But, if there is good team cohesion, these are great moments”she says.
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