Motorhomes and trailers are houses on wheels. You fix the plumbing, propane, electrical and chassis, all in one trade.
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What you earn and what it costs to get there.
Certified technician
$62,000
1st-year apprentice
$42,000
Senior tech or service manager
$83,000
Job Bank's national median is $30 an hour, about $62,000 a year full time. Job Bank pools RV (recreational vehicle) technicians with marine technicians in one group, so treat it as a close estimate. Big dealers in Alberta, BC and southern Ontario pay the most.
$20 to $22 an hour
First-year apprentice, about $42,000 a year
You start on pre-delivery inspections, sealing roofs, winterizing and hitches. Dealers are short of technicians and hire apprentices readily.
$38 to $40 an hour
About $83,000 a year for a senior technician
Flat rate plus a busy spring can push good technicians past this. Mobile RV (recreational vehicle) technicians who drive to campgrounds set their own rates.
Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel
This is a paid apprenticeship, so there is no tuition year to fund. The low end is the in school blocks at the cheap end, a starter tool kit and the exam fee. The high end is pricier blocks, a proper 3,000 dollar tool set and the Red Seal exam. The Canada Apprentice Loan is interest free while you are in class, EI (Employment Insurance) covers the wage gap, and an industry bursary of up to 5,000 dollars exists, so most people finish owing nothing.
Paid while you learn, so debt is rare. EI (Employment Insurance) covers school blocks.
Staff pricing on RVs (recreational vehicles), parts and camping gear
Health and dental
At larger dealer groups.
Manufacturer and industry training
The dealers' association runs technical clinics and certification programs.
Winter work
Storage, repairs and warranty work keep many dealers busy year-round.
The exact path from high school to qualified.
A Red Seal apprenticeship, about 3.5 years in Ontario.
High school diploma
Grade 12
Shop, math, physics and any electrical or plumbing exposure. OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) can start you early.
Find a sponsor
Weeks to months
RV (recreational vehicle) dealerships and service centres. Spring is hiring season. A lot handling or detailing job gets your foot in the door.
Register the apprenticeship
Days
Skilled Trades Ontario calls it Recreation Vehicle Technician (690H). Other provinces register it under the Red Seal name, Recreational Vehicle Service Technician.
Work and study
3 to 4 years
Ontario: 7,000 hours, 6,280 on the job plus 720 in school. Other provinces run 3 to 4 periods.
Certificate of Qualification and Red Seal
After your hours
Pass the exam. The Red Seal endorsement works across Canada.
Shop or construction technology
An RV (recreational vehicle) is a small house: framing, roofing, plumbing.
Electrical basics
12-volt systems, 120-volt shore power, solar and inverters.
Math
Loads, gas pressures and measurements.
Physics
Propane, refrigeration and electricity.
No province requires a licence to be an RV (recreational vehicle) technician, so the trade is voluntary and the Red Seal is the recognized ticket. The exception is propane: in most provinces you need a separate gas technician or propane fitter certificate to work on gas appliances and lines. Dealers pay for it because nearly every RV has a propane furnace, stove and water heater.
Things you don't need, but that help.
Propane or gas technician certificate
Required for gas work in most provinces. Makes you far more useful in the shop.
Solar and lithium battery systems
Off-grid camping is the fastest-growing request at dealers.
Chassis and automotive skills
Motorhomes sit on truck chassis. A second automotive ticket adds engine and brake work.
Industry certification
The dealers' association runs certification programs for service and parts staff.
Driver's licence with trailer experience
Moving 35-foot trailers around a lot is daily.
Comfort on roofs and in tight spaces
Roof sealing and underbelly work.
Basic carpentry
Water damage repairs are a huge share of the work.
Customer skills
Owners want their trip saved, today.
Some technicians go independent with a van and drive to campgrounds and driveways. Summer demand is intense and rates are high, and winter is your problem. It is a common path after 5 or more years at a dealer.
Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.
Spring: a lot full of trailers coming out of storage. De-winterize the plumbing, pressure-test the propane, check the furnace and fridge, reseal a roof seam, fix a slide-out that will not retract. Then a pre-delivery inspection on a new unit before the buyer arrives. Summer: warranty claims and roadside disasters. Fall: winterizing by the dozen. Winter: water-damage rebuilds and shop repairs.
The good
The hard parts
Things people don't tell you.
A single RV (recreational vehicle) carries a propane system, a 12-volt and a 120-volt electrical system, fresh and waste water plumbing, a fridge, a furnace, a roof and, on a motorhome, a truck engine. One technician has to understand all of it.
Recreational Vehicle Service Technician is a Red Seal trade, which puts it on the same interprovincial footing as electricians and plumbers. Ontario's apprenticeship is 7,000 hours, the same length as its automotive trades.
RV (recreational vehicle) sales jumped during the pandemic as Canadians holidayed at home. Every one of those units now needs service, and dealers across the country say technicians are their biggest shortage.
Last checked September 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students.