Today we wanted to talk about how to recruit and retain guides in the adventure and travel space. These are people who could be hiking guides, paddleboarding guides, backcountry guides etc.

As we are sure you are all aware, there are a lot of skills required of adventure guides. Not only do they need to have the hard skills and certifications but they are expected to know so much more. They are nature interpreters, skilled survivalists, local historians, teachers, customer service reps, salespeople and well, the list goes on…

There is a lot that goes into hiring and recruiting guides, it is certainly not an easy task BUT we believe now is an exciting time to be hiring because there are a lot of talented guides out there.

Guiding is such a fulfilling role in many ways: you get to guide, educate people about the area, teach outdoor skills, impact people and possibly even change lives. It’s an extremely fun role and it’s great to see so many people getting involved and wanting to be a part of the action.

So as a Tour Operator How do you Recruit Guides?

As a tour operator, it’s important to get in front of people so they want to work for your business this season. We are going to be discussing the things that have worked for our clients when hiring guides and what impressed and worked for recruiting Katie when she was a guide herself! 

Make an effort with your job descriptions.

We see a lot of job descriptions that are not very good. Regardless of how busy you are, if you are trying to hire good people, you need to create an entire page full of expectations, qualifications, and a full outline of the role. Your potential guide needs to have a full understanding of what is going to be required of them. A good idea is to show a mini day in life so they can get a full grasp. 

Put a price tag on people’s time.

You are more likely to get people applying if they know what their time is going to be valued at. More often than not we see things like pay is a base rate plus commission. This is not expectable. People need to know exactly how much they will be making in actual dollar terms. For example $300USD per day or $600USD per trip or $15USD per hour.

Set expectations.

Be honest with the rate of pay, the conditions they will be working in, the tasks they will be required to perform, the hours of work etc! Our clients are experiencing the new generation of guides that are normalized with the 9-5 job working role.

New guides may

• not expect to be working on back-to-back trips and only having time off after six to ten days.
• may think they dont have to work on weekends
• not expect to be working on evenings
• believe they will be paid extra to work outside of ‘normal working hours’

Be clear with what you are willing to train.

Explain in the job description the things that you require them to already have in place whether that be certifications, skills or experience. Then go on to explain what you are willing to train them on, if training is paid or not and how they move up the ranks post-training.

For example – As a hiking guide maybe you want people who have guided alone before. That might be an essential criterion for you. Or they may have a lot of personal hiking experience and you feel as if you can teach them how to lead and guide. 

Explain the living situation.

More than likely your business will be either in a small town that will be bursting at the seams during peak season OR a big city. Either way, accommodation can be expensive for your guides to stay in. Find a way to give them affordable accommodation options or suggestions. 

Things we recommend
– Reaching out to universities that are empty in the summer.
– Recommend Facebook groups where they can rent a room.
– Provide parking for trailers and vans if guides are living in mobile homes.
– Buy a second home if possible and ask your guides to pay rent when staying in it.

Accommodation can now be one of the biggest hurdles in tourism. We are and seem to be in an ever-evolving housing crisis. People are making more money from Air bnb than from long-term rentals. This means these small towns are struggling to find accommodation for their guides. 

Guides who are invested in working for you will find a solution to solve the accommodation issue but it’s your responsibility to be upfront in the beginning. 

Best Places to Advertise Your Job Listings

Once you’ve got your job listing locked in with all the required information now you need to list it so guides can be applying. 

Indeed – A traditional place to advertise jobs and known worldwide.

Basecamp: Outdoor Jobs & More – A Facebook group run by two ladies. This group has rigid guidelines and posting requirements but it’s a highly engaged group with lots of postings and traffic. You can also sign up for their newsletter which we recommend!

Location-specific Facebook groups – For example – “Tour Guides of Newfoundland”

LinkedIn – the trusty networking platform we all know and love.

Travel Massive – Jobs for guides, travel pros, digital nomads and creators. This platform is worldwide. 

Adventure Travel Trade Association – This is where the bigger organizations are posting jobs. For example the ATTA themselves.

Posting on social media and advertising your jobs makes sense. Most millennials these days look to social media for jobs and postings so post in the local groups in your area and see what bites. Plus its super low cost! 

Best Practices to Retain Guides

From Katie’s experience as a guide, helping hiring guides and from the OBM perspective of things, there are a few things she wants to point out in regards to retaining your guides. 

Pay your guides well.
These are not minimum wage jobs so they shouldn’t be paid like one. If possible add some incentives such as bonuses for staying the whole season or a commission if they upsell clients on additional tours etc.

Give and show your appreciation.
If someone is doing something well, acknowledge it! Let them know they are valued and that you appreciate their efforts.

Encourage your guides to ask for reviews.
For every 5* reviews left on Trip Advisor offer them a bonus of $X amount. This not only gives them an incentive but also improves reviews for your business.

Walk a path to promotion.
Explain what you see for them in their future, this is not only encouraging but lets them know they have an opportunity for growth within the business.

Make an offer.
You’ve invested in them for a whole season so offer them a job for next year before they leave for the season. For example – “I’d love for you to come back next year either in the same role next year or I think you’d be great for this other role. I haven’t worked out the exact fees but I guarantee what you earned this year”

Get organized.
An unorganized workplace can be exhausting and exhausted guides and office staff most likely won’t return. There is nothing worse than being a guide and walking into chaos. They shouldn’t have to be putting out your fires. So do try your best to be as organized as you can. Set the expectation that they need to be organized also to work with you. 

Invest in them.
Training and qualifications are expensive. If possible invest in them or offer to subsidize some of their expenses if possible. Covering re-certification fees can be negotiated into a return contract, for example, providing guide stability for you and free training for your team member.

Useful Resource

We hope you find this blog post beneficial but if you want a visual look and to listen to Katie discuss what she found best for her when she was a guide herself then we definitely recommend checking out the live session she did over on the Business of Adventure page below.

Join the Conversation.

That is it from us in regards to recruiting and retaining guides! If there is something that we may have missed or something that you do as someone who hires guides or a guide yourself please let us know in the comments. 

Many ideas and tools help us move forward, faster, better and smarter. It’s important to all learn from each other. We cant wait to read what you have experienced on the front line. 

If it’s your first time hiring guides or you are looking to fill a specific role we expect you have questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and join our Business of Adventure Facebook group. Our members are extremely friendly and you never know they may just have a job description they are willing to share! 🙂