|
We regret to inform you that this is not the best of times for finding work as a lighthouse keeper. The U.S. Coast Guard has automated almost all of the working light stations in this country or replaced them with rotating aerobeacons. In fact, folks are more likely these days to pay for lighthouse accomodations than endure the loneliness, isolation, harsh weather, and dangerous conditions of lighthouse living for pay. We learned from the United States Lighthouse Society that many non-functioning U.S. lighthouses have been leased to local civic or non-profit groups and serve as museums, hostels, or bed-and-breakfasts. We began our search in Yahoo!'s Lighthouses
category. There we found resources created by lighthouse enthusiasts from around the world, including photo tours of lighthouses in coastal Maine and New England, the Great Lakes, the West Coast, Florida, the Gulf Coast, Canada, the U.K., and Australia. We perused the list of lighthouses known to offer guest accommodations, some of which function as youth hostels. If you want to get a feel for lighthouse life, you might plan a trip to one of these rocky seacoast or lakeside lodgings. Next, we narrowed our search by typing "lighthouse keepers," which led us to histories of keepers like Ida Lewis, famous for 39 years
of heroic rescues on Rhode Island's Lime Rock. Eventually we located a Lighthouse FAQ from the National Park Service's National Maritime Initiative, and an answer to your specific question: Boston Harbor Light Station is the only remaining light station in the United States to have an official keeper... Many lighthouses, however, rely on volunteers for everyday management, maintenance, interpretation, etc. Finally, we headed over to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, created by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's a great resource for career information. We
followed their advice and used the "Search by occupation" box at the top of the page. We tried keeper, lighthouse keeper, lighthouse, but with no results. So, if you love lighthouses, you can certainly be a beacon in the effort to keep these monuments alive, just don't expect to get paid for it.
|
