Guides Role

A Cultural Ambassador

Our tour guides are the most important part of our business. They are responsible for creating outstanding memorable travelling experiences for our passengers. This can be hard work, but it is extremely satisfying. Travel memories last a lifetime.

Our tour guides work with many different nationalities and personalities under ever-changing conditions. You will need to build trust and friendship with your tour group, so patience, empathy, and an open mind will be of great value .

Working Hours

While on tour you will be away for at least two days at a time, most likely more. We have 7-day a week departures so you will be required to work weekends and public holidays. But you do get days off between tours to relax and unwind!

Daily Duties

• Management and care of small tour groups
• Conducting guided interpretive walks (approx. 2-3 hrs) each day
• Cooking and preparing all meals in basic campsites/accommodation. Guests assist and participate in these activities (includes gas cooking, and camp-oven cooking over a fire).
• Driving one of our fleet of 24 seat Mitsubishi Rosa buses, 21 seat Toyota Coaster buses and 16 seat Mitsubishi Cantor 4WD trucks
• Collecting firewood and preparing small fires
• Camping in permanent tents, swagging out under the stars, or staying in rooms at accommodation venues.
• Basic cleaning & tidying of camp sites and vehicle
• Adhering to all Local, State and national legislation and OH&S.
• Interacting with domestic and international travellers, providing a high standard of customer service and communication.

Basic Tour Guide Kit

To kit yourself out, here are a few essential things you will be required to obtain prior to the commencement of employment:

• Small First Aid kit
• Basic toolbox
• Hands-free microphone
• iPod (or similar)
• Torch
• Hiking boots
• Akubra Hat (or similar wide brimmed hat)
• Uniform

      

Interview with a Guide

"TK" – Scott Russell - Tour Guide based in Darwin

What made you decide to become a tour guide?

I always wanted to see my country, and love working in the outdoors. Originally I was working full time as a tree surgeon, I was very happy doing that job but I broke my wrist and was unable to continue climbing trees. Looking through the internet one day for a new job I stumbled across an article about touring in Central Australia and the Top End. Sounded fun.

Why the Northern Territory?

I originally started in Alice Springs. I think I was attracted to the remoteness of the place. It was quite appealing to me to pack up and move to a place so different for where I had lived my entire life, in Sydney. The whole sleeping under the stars in the Outback just did it for me.

What kinds of training/experience do you have?

I studied Botany for three years at uni to be an Arborist so that gave me a good background with the Flora to be seen out there. Then after I was hired I went through a training course. That lasted for about 1.5 months during which we spent time with National Park rangers, anthropologists, and senior tour guides to teach us the finer details of the job.

In an average week, what does your schedule look like?

It varies quite a bit from week to week.In our busy season here, from May to October, I can be working up to 6 days a week. This is when all the tourists arrive and the weather is very comfortable.In the quieter season I'll be working 3 or 4 days a week. This is great as I can rest up after working hard during the busy times, and I can even fit in time to do fishing in-between my tours!

What do you enjoy the most, and the least, about your job?

The best parts of the job would have to be meeting so many people from so many different places and cultures and getting to show them this beautiful country. I learn as much from passengers as I hope they do from me. I don't really have a least favorite part though I really don't like doing any paperwork.

What are some common misconceptions people have about Australia?

The pure size of the country would have to be number one – it is so much bigger then most people can grasp until they visit. Then there's that whole thing that the snakes and spiders are everywhere and will go out of their way to get you!

Where are you from originally?

Born in Sydney and lived there until I moved to Alice Springs for this job. These days I live in Darwin though, been here over four years now.

 

Recruitment Process

APPLY NOW

1. Submit your online application form

• Please review the position information carefully. If you think you have what it takes to be a member of the Adventure Tours team please complete our enquiry form, which will be sent directly to our Recruitment Manager.

2. Company Presentation and Round One Interviews

• Successful applicants will be contacted via email and invited to our first round interviews. This will include a short presentation on the position and the company, followed by a short interview. During your interview, you will be given ten minutes to tell us about yourself, why you would make a great tour guide and why you would like to work for our company. Please prepare by looking through our website and our products. 
• Please bring a copy of your resume to your round one interview. This will need to include two professional referees who we can contact for verbal support of your application.
• Please also bring a copy of the following should you have them:                                     

• Current Senior Level First Aid certificate             • Current driver’s license

• For those who reside in or near a major city we will invite you to our first round interviews at the centre nearest to you.
• For those applicants who reside in regional areas, interviews will be conducted via telephone or Skype.
• Following round one interviews, candidates willl be advised via email whether they have progressed to the next stage.

3. Round Two Interviews

• Round two involves personal interviews. If you are successful you will be offered a place on the Adventure Tours training programme.

4. The Training Program

• If you accept the training placement our Recruitment Manager will forward your details to the appropriate Operations Department. They will assist you with final preparations and relocation to ensure a smooth transition into your new job.
• The two week comprehensive Adventure Tours Australia Guide Training Program must be completed before you can become a tour guide. Our training gives you the tools you need to conduct safe, informative and fun outback tours.
• During our Guide Training Program you will learn about Australian history, aboriginal culture, geology, flora and fauna; national parks and wildlife; camp-oven cooking, food hygiene and bushcraft; plus heavy vehicle driver training and basic diesel mechanics. Leadership, communication and group dynamics are also very important components of the training program.
• We are proud to offer a unique cultural training component. You will learn story-telling, bush tucker, and bush medicine first-hand from a local Traditional Owner.

NB:           

(1) You will be assessed throughout your training and employment is not guaranteed until you successfully pass the training program.

(2) You are not paid during your two week training course, but all on-the-road training will include meals, accommodation and associated costs free of charge.

5. Trainee Surveys

We take the responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of our guests very seriously. We are also committed to supporting and fully preparing our guides.

Between 1 and 5 of your first tours will be conducted with the support of an experienced Adventure Tours Australia tour guide. We call these “Survey Tours.” The number of survey tours each trainee requires differs from person to person. Survey Tours provide you with support and constructive feedback. When your manager deems you are ready to “fly solo”, you will spend three months as a probationary tour guide, after which you become a fully fledged professional tour guide.

NB: Survey and Probationary Tour Guides are paid positions

Reapplying:

Should you be unsuccessful at any of these stages, please do consider gaining further suitable life skills/employment experience and reapplying at a later date. We would love to hear from you again.



APPLY NOW

Job Enquiry: Guides Role

We're hiring!

TOUR GUIDE

PEAK Adventure Travel are one of Australia's premier touring companies operating iconic brands - Adventure Tours Australia and Intrepid Connections. We offer a huge tour product range that provides the opportunity for you to guide in Central Australia and the Top End. On our tours we emphasise environmental and cultural interpretation, as well as providing a fantastic social fun time for our passengers.

We are inviting you to be considered to join our team of expert guides and share your love of Central and Northern Australia with a bunch of enthusiastic travellers, taking them to our regions most exciting and diverse places.

As a Tour Guide, your responsibilities will include accompanying your group on 3-5 day tours, providing informative commentary, cooking, loading vehicles, and basic cleaning.

What we look for in a great guide:

• The ability to mix and interact with people
• Health and fitness levels required to engage in a range of activities, including packing and unpack vehicles and hiking
• Reliable, punctual and able to work unsupervised
• An excellent sense of humour and high levels of patience
• Knowledge of the areas visited on tour
• Basic mechanical knowledge

To qualify for this role you must possess a Medium Rigid licence. It is advantageous if you already have an MR or HR Licence. However, the MR can be obtained during our training program.A Senior 1st Aid Certificate must be obtained prior to commencement of training.

A fully comprehensive and interactive training program will commence on 12th August 2013 from our Operations base in Alice Springs.

If you feel you have the drive, charisma, commitment and knowledge to make our passengers' holiday of a lifetime - then apply now!

CARE TAKER DUO - OPERATIONS ASSISTANT AND TOUR HOST

The PEAK Adventure Travel Group operate the NT's leading touring brands in the Adventure space - Adventure Tours Australia and Intrepid Connections! We are looking to fill two Yulara-based roles. The two successful candidates will be accommodated in our Yulara company share-house. The roles are full-time, and will work on a roster of 3 weeks on, one week off.

Operations Assistant and Maintenance Hand

This person will be responsible for maintaining the campground at Yulara and providing support to the Tour Guides moving through with their groups. This will involve performing regular repairs, preventative maintenance and some construction work on the campsites.

You will also provide administrative support to the Operation in Alice Springs for the tours in your local area. The ideal person for this role has:

• some trade or handy-person experience.
• knows their way around a computer,
• has good admin skills and
• excellent interpersonal skills.
• We will require you to hold a current LR licence with H endorsement, and a Senior First Aid certificate.

Tour Host and Yulara Operations Assistant

This person will be responsible for preparing, cooking and presenting meals to our Yulara-based tours. The Host will also perform basic house-keeping duties for tours, including making up beds and cleaning on-site tents and kitchens.

You will also share responsibility for checking-in tours to the site, some admin duties and taking emergency calls from Tour Guides. Ideally you will have:

some experience in food handling and the hospitality industry.

• excellent interpersonal skills and
• be able to maintain a high degree of attention to detail, particularly around food safety and general hygiene.
• It would be beneficial if you held a current LR licence with H endorsement, and a Senior First Aid certificate.

If you (and someone you know!) are interested in taking on this exciting and varied lifestyle, mixing with people the world over, and becoming the 'heart and soul' of our Red Centre experience - we would love to talk to both of you!

Drop us a line or email for a set of more detailed job descriptions.