Growth Trends for Related Jobs

How to Become a Texas Park Ranger

Park rangers in Texas work for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Park rangers are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of Texas parks as well as some administrative work. Daily duties can include carpentry, electrical work and cleaning of park facilities. Park Rangers may also need to operate equipment such as lawn mowers, tractors or backhoes. As of 2010, Texas Park Ranger salaries range from $1,736 to $2,516 per month.

Complete high school. All Park Ranger positions require that you have completed high school or have a GED.

Volunteer or do a summer internship with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This step is not required, but could provide valuable experience and contacts to help you get a job as a park ranger. There are many volunteer opportunities at Texas parks, including park host, tour guide, trail maintenance and office assistance. Paid summer internships are also available to college students and you can apply for them through the TPWD website.

Search for park ranger job openings. Click on the “Doing Business” link on the TPWD home page to be directed to the jobs section of the website. Search for park ranger job postings. Any available park ranger jobs will be listed here.

Apply to be a park ranger. You must complete a state application and an Authorization and Consent for Disclosure of Criminal History Information. Both of these forms can be downloaded and printed from the TPWD website. You must include your personal information as well as your employment and educational history on the application. You must also include information from the job posting, including the job posting number and the closing date of the posting. When you have completed and signed the application and criminal history consent forms, send them to the office indicated on the job posting.

References
Writer

Richard Long is an English teacher in Toronto, Canada and has been writing for over five years. He has had work published in "Geist" and "Speak2Me" magazines and is currently completing a certificate in technical communication from George Brown College.