How Do I Become a Tennessee State Park Ranger?

There are two main requirements to become a Park Ranger, Interpretive Specialist, or Park Manager.

1.) You must be 21 years of age.

2.) You must hold a bachelor's degree (4 year).

Once these two requirements are met. You can apply for a position on the Tennessee Department of Human Resources website.

Department of Human Resources Website

The Department of Human Resources accepts employment applications for job title openings posted to their website from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday (except on State holidays). Applicants desiring to apply and who possess the required minimum qualifications for posted job openings are encouraged to submit on-line employment applications during these hours.

The first step in the Career Service employment process is to determine the job for which you wish to apply using one of the search options below.
  • Current Openings - A listing of Career Service jobs open to all qualified applicants. Click on any job title to view job details and access the link to "Apply" online for the job.
  • Promotional Openings - A listing of promotional opportunities open only to a specified group of Career Service employees.

These lists are for all state positions.  You will have to search to find the park ranger/interpretive specialist/park manager positions.  There may or may not be park positions open at the time you do your search. If you do not find any, try again at a later date.

Follow the steps outlined above to identify the job for which you wish to apply and view the posting for the job. Then click on the "Apply" link to access the login page for the online employment application. You will need to set up an online account before you can log in and begin completing your application. You will need to complete your personal profile, as well as your complete education and employment history. Regardless of whether or not you have previously submitted this information in an application to the Department of Human Resources, you must provide all of your education and work experience history in your online application.

Your application will be evaluated to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications (e.g., education, experience) required for the job. A score is calculated based on a rating of your education and work experience. You will be notified of your rating score usually within a few weeks (or approximately one to two weeks after the closing deadline for the job). You will be ranked on a list of eligible applicants based on the rating or examination score you receive. The list of eligible applicants will be used to fill one or more Career Service position vacancies. The position(s) must be filled from among the top five available candidates, or from among the top three available candidates when filling a position via promotion.

Tips:

1. Every point counts. Fill out the application with anything and everything you can think of that pertains to your experience. Some times a point or two decides who gets an interview and who does not. Be thorough but be honest.

2. There is no better experience then working in a Tennessee State Park. If you have the opportunity become a seasonal employee or volunteer at a state park.  Spend some time in a park. Get to know us. Let us have a chance to get to know you.  Most seasonal employees are hired in the spring.  If you are interested in becoming a seasonal please contact one of our Regional Interpretive Specialists.  West Tennessee, David Haggard ( david.haggard@tn.gov ), Middle Tennessee, John Froeschauer ( john.froeschauer@tn.gov ), or East Tennessee, April Welch ( april.welch@tn.gov ).

3. Be patient. There are only around 200 park ranger positions in the state. Positions don't come open that often. Currently, more than 30 percent of our rangers are within 1-5 years of retirement. There will be some turn over soon!

4. Keep in mind what you are applying for. This is a STATE position not a National Park position. 

5. You cannot replace the bachelor's degree with any amount of experience. If you do not meet the minimum requirements, the Department of Human Resources will not accept your application.   This includes military experience as well. If you do not have the degree, they will not accept the application. Military experience will help you with points on your application but will not replace the experience/degree needed.

6. Please feel free to ask any question or make any comment you feel necessary in our CONTACT US section. The Tennessee Park Rangers Association does not get to choose who is hired. We do try our best to point people in the right direction and assist in any way we can in helping them achieve their goals.

Thank you and Good Luck!