Oakland House Bed and Breakfast - Brooksville, Maine

1-800-359-RELAX
jim@oaklandhouse.com

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Oakland House
Seaside Resort
435 Herrick Road
Herricks Landing
Brooksville
Maine 04617

Innkeepers:
Jim and Sally Littlefield

Email:
jim@oaklandhouse.com

1-800-359-RELAX
or
1-207-359-8521

SUMMER AND FALL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT
OAKLAND HOUSE SEASIDE RESORT - 2008

The Seasonal Positions We are Hiring to Fill Include:

Working Executive Chef

Dining Room Manager

(This is a professional level position)

Waitstaff:

(prior experience not necessary, we'll train the right individuals)

Culinary Staff:

Sous Chef

Line cooks

Pastry Chef

Bakery Assistant

Utility/Prep.Cook

Breakfast Cook

Front Office/Reservations/Hospitality Assistants

Cottage Housekeeping Team

Head Housekeeper/Seaside Inn

Laundry Staff

Maintenance

Maintenance/Grounds Assistants

Guest Attendant

Horticulture Intern (organic methods and aesthetics)

Most of our core staff works year round. Many seasonal employees love it here and return for yet another season.

Our Food & Beverage and Culinary Mentoring Program:

[The kitchen can be hectic at times. We all chip in.]

Our fine dining restaurant is a great place to polish your hospitality skills in serving the public. Good communication skills will make your job easier. The service is unhurried. Guests returning year after year are seated at their "own" table and are welcomed like family members.

Our Working Executive Chef is well rounded with years of experience. Culinary school students receive excellent mentoring opportunities. You'll find out first hand what it takes to run a kitchen in an upscale country inn. We've our own organic garden which will further expand your vocabulary in the use of fresh herbs, vegetables and edible flowers.

More about our Our Culinary Program which has openings throughout the season which runs from Late May to Mid-October.

Horticulture school students:

You will love this opportunity to work in the soil and climate of coastal Maine. Our organic vegetable, herb, and flower gardens support all of Oakland House Seaside Resort providing fresh flowers for table and rooms, as well as edible garnishes for use by the culinary staff. The duties of the horticultural intern are flexible.

More about our Horticulture Internship/Organic Gardening Programwhich runs from mid-May to late-October.

Application Form:

Download our Application Form in PDF format.
You must have "Adobe Acrobat Reader" software installed on your computer to open, read, and print this multi-paged form. You can download the software for FREE from Adobe.com.

About the Resort:

[The gardening internship is creative and rewarding.]

Oakland House is a family owned and operated seaside resort. It has been in the same family for more than 100 years. Located on the rural coast of Maine it offers a truly relaxing environment for its guests who often return year after year. It is old-fashioned and relaxed, yet the service and food quality is quite high, especially in this rural coastal setting. Our primary goal is to provide a friendly and welcoming environment. We strive to provide friendly and attentive service without appearing hectic, which we sometimes are.

Season:

Our primary time of operation is late May to mid-October with a full staff from mid-June until a day or two after Labor Day. However, we often need to hire people who can arrive before and/or remain after those dates. As the season progresses into summer and our guest level rises we expect to employ about 25-30 staff members. June is a training period for the staff and the workload is light. July is just warming up. August is our prime time and our guest counts are the largest. Our staffing needs are the greatest then. We usually hire extra staff in August.

[Staff members form lifelong friendships.]

[Staff members form lifelong friendships.]

Availability/desire to work:

We have many requests for seasonal employment at Oakland House. Since our season continues into the fall we must evaluate an applicant's availability as we go through the hiring process. Our staffing requirements do drop in early September so although we can overlap staff throughout the season, the longer an applicant is able to stay, the more likely we are to hire. We also hire spring or fall only staff. So if you plan to travel during the summer, secure your fall position early.

Qualifications:

Since our goal is to provide cheerful, excellent service to our guests we must hire individuals who are friendly, neat, and take pride in serving our guests. Prior experience in many jobs is not necessary although some experience or a strong interest is helpful. These qualifications apply to all positions not just those with direct guest contact. We are such a small resort everyone interacts with everyone else so a positive attitude and neat appearance are of the utmost importance. We provide on the job training as well as life/safety and hospitality training prior to beginning regular duties.

Hours/Compensation:

US citizens:

Our normal workweek is 40-48 hours, 6 days a week. We rotate days off and during any given day several people have their day off. All hourly US citizen employees are paid time and a half for hours worked beyond 40/week. Most of these employees receive merit pay based upon performance plus an end of season bonus upon fulfillment of their work agreement. Others have agreements based upon straight hourly wages. We provide perks anytime we can.

We are an Incentive-Based Employer.

Salaried Positions: We offer competitive salaries to our professional level employees. Some salaried positions merit an end of season bonus based upon performance during the season.
General Staff Positions: We offer our employees a base pay starting at $7.00/hour depending upon position and experience. We also award a weekly merit bonus of up to $40/week. When your date agreement is fulfilled you will receive this amount as a lump sum. Any tips guests leave for you are yours to keep.
Waitstaff Positions: Waitstaff hourly wage ranges from $6.75-$7.15/hour depending upon guest rating (this is a merit-based system we use to encourage great service). Tips that guests leave are yours to keep. Waitstaff receive an additional weekly merit bonus like the rest of the staff to be paid in lump sum at the end of your date commitment period. Any tips guests leave for you are yours to keep.
All wages are before State and federal withholding tax, social security, and Medicare. Reporting of tips may be required by the employee.

Information for Overseas Applicants:

The waitstaff sees to every detail of hospitable service.

We can NOT provide assistance in obtaining visas. U.S. law mandates that we follow certain guidelines when we hire overseas applicants and we adhere strictly to those guidelines. Please consult your schools. If we hire you we expect you to comply with US laws. Staff members must have good spoken English language skills. In the past we have hired overseas individuals who have had exceptional English language skills for positions such as waitstaff or office assistant. Those with less fluency may find positions where communication with guests is not so critical. Compensation for overseas staff members is usually determined by the program they come through. We normally hire overseas applicants through programs such as Resort America or other programs that pre-screen applicants and help process US Work visas.

Employment Guidelines for US Citizens:

US Law requires that employees prove their identity and their eligibility to work in the US. We require a US passport or a driver's license AND a social security card or birth certificate OR other documents that the US Federal Immigration laws specify. If you are a waitperson, you will be required to sign a document stating your age. Employees will be required to sign a document stating they have not been convicted of a liquor violation in the last 2 years.

Drug-Free Workplace:

Most of the staff lives in the 2nd and 3rd floor of the historic restaurant building-the old hotel.

Oakland House is a drug-free workplace. This will be strictly enforced. Some positions may require drug testing by law.

Dress code:

Staff members will be required to wear uniforms in the course of the performance of their duties. These uniforms are the property of Oakland House and must be returned upon departure. Since live-in employees are in the public eye most of the time, off-duty attire is important also. A neat appearance is mandatory at all times.

Staff Housing:

This is a staff room with one single bed and a sink.

The old Oakland House hotel rooms on the second and third floor accommodate live-in staff. The rooms are old-fashioned and basic, some with iron beds in the Andrew Wyeth style. Most rooms have single beds and sleep either one or two staff members. One or two rooms have their two single beds stacked bunk-style. There are shared bathrooms and half-bathrooms. One has an antique clawfooted bath tub, another has a modern tub and shower, sink, toilet, and hairdrier. The atmosphere is somewhat like living in a big, old farmhouse with the farmer's family close by. It is in no way like a college dorm.

Due to the age of the building, there is NO SMOKING, CANDLES (EXCEPT THE DINING ROOM DURING GUEST MEALS), OR INCENSE BURNING ALLOWED in the building under any circumstances. Anyone caught smoking, with candles or incense will be fined.

This is a staff room with two twin sized beds.

This is a staff room with two twin sized beds.

Rooms vary, some have vintage wallpaper. Others have new ddrywall and fresh paint. Some have their own sinks. US staff bring your own linens, thank-you. We have a phone in the hall and a room with internet access for staff use. On site housing is for employees during their term of employment at Oakland House Seaside Resort only. Employment elsewhere is not permitted as we are subsidizing cost of room and board. We do not rent rooms to other than staff. On site room and board are available.

Local housing rentals tend to be extremely high due to the high desirability of accommodations during the season. A car can be very helpful, as we are 10 miles from Blue Hill, farther from larger towns. Car-pooling may be available. The country store is within about a 20 minute walking distance (3 miles). A bicycle is very useful transportation.

Staff Activities:

It's a relaxed setting on the Maine coast, and plenty of fun, but plan to work hard when you're on duty.

We are definitely off the beaten path and suggest staff members come prepared for a rural experience. Hiking, swimming, boating, lawn games, volleyball and ping-pong are our on-site amusements. There are nearby nature preserves and spectacular beaches and mountains. There are few of the big events that may occur on large college campuses and there is very little "night life." Those who enjoy this location are those who are seeking just this type of experience. Many staff members love the experience and return for more seasons. Each season, the staff makes its own sorts of fun and most get to travel to larger cities in Maine and frequently to nearby Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Our community is small and staff come to know librarians, shopkeepers, and various local residents, as well as those we employ on a year-round basis. Each season ends with the innkeepers sadly saying goodbye to "family."

More Glimpses of Recent Staff Members:

Take a look at past staff members! Group photo here. The housekeeping staff, waitstaff, kitchen staff, culinary staff, maintenance staff, and more, and even more.

[Photo of table hockey by Bryan Whitehead.]

1-800-359-RELAX jim@oaklandhouse.com

SUMMER AND FALL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT OAKLAND HOUSE SEASIDE RESORT - 2008