The Road Less Traveled operate's teen summer travel programs of varying lengths. Dates of employment can range anywhere from June 12 to the end of July or middle of August, depending on your trip assignment. A nine-day training conducted by The Road Less Traveled is mandatory for all summer staff prior to the start of our programs. You may lead one, two or possibly three sessions of a program over the course of a summer. We will make every effort to employ you for as long as you wish, but we request flexibility with trip assignments and dates, keeping in mind the students experience is a direct result of its leadership. Our commitment is to making the strongest leader teams possible. If you are a first year staff with RLT, it may be mid to late spring or later before final placement is determined.
The Road Less Traveled offers three field staff positions: Instructor, Co-Instructor and Intern (see below). Co-Instructors and Interns work in conjunction with the trip leader in a variety of supportive roles. Most first year staff are Co-Instructor. If, however, you feel you have the qualifications and would like to apply specifically for our trip Instructor position, please indicate that on your application.
Your salary with The Road Less Traveled includes all food, lodging and transportation from the beginning through close of your trip. We also offer pro-deals on outdoor equipment from a variety of well-known manufacturers. Salaries are based on qualifications and experience, and our goal is to hire as many returning staff as possible.
Our hiring season generally runs from October until early May. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
The following are characteristics/qualifications that each staff person is expected to match regardless of position:
Current Wilderness First Responder (WFR) or Wilderness EMT: Wilderness First Responder is an 80-hour nationally recognized curriculum that includes standards for urban and extended care situations. This course is offered all over the U.S. by a number of companies. SOLO, WMI, WMA, and Aerie are all great companies that offer this course. You must have at minimum a Wilderness First Responder certification by the beginning of staff training.
PLEASE NOTE: Though curriculum taught from the above companies is very similar, there are differences in vocabulary at times. The Road Less Traveled has adopted NOLS WMI terminology. It will be used at Staff Training for review of skills. If you do not take your course with NOLS WMI, we expect you to compare and familiarize yourself with this specific terminology here. In particular, we have found the AVPU Scale vs. A+O (1-4) causes confusion for those outside of WMI NOLS.
EXPEDITION INTERNSHIPS (SUMMER)
We also employ a small number of expedition interns during the summer. Interns are graduates of our courses and are outstanding individuals with an exceptional level of leadership skill and an innate understanding of our philosophy and mission. They truly represent the RLT experience. Interns have completed their first year of college and will act as a third staff member on programs and must be certified in Wilderness First Responder (WFR) before the start of the summer.
