Compensation, Expenses, Benefits & Scheduling

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Guide Position Description
Compensation, Expenses, Benefits & Scheduling
Requirements to Apply
Application & Hiring/Training Process
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COMPENSATION:
The contracted rate for a Trek Travel Guide is $75.00 USD/Day. It is important for us to point out that the workday of Guide is rarely an 8-hour day; while on trip, Guides are usually up early in the morning before their Guests wake, and are often still working until late at night.

While most actual guiding work is paid at the above daily rate, there is some contracted work that Guides do that is paid at an hourly rate. This rate is the daily rate divided by 8 hours, so for a first year Guide it is $9.38 USD/Hour.

It is important to note that if you are a non-US citizen and are hired to be a Guide, you will be paid in US dollars, and that we do not adjust for currency fluctuations between the US dollar and your local currency during the length of your contract.

Guest Gratuities:
It is fairly common practice for Guests on a Trek Travel trip to give their Guides gratuities based on the level of service and support they received during the trip. It is important for anyone given a guiding contract be aware that tips are not guaranteed, as the decision to tip or not is at the sole discretion of our Guests.

All Guides are hired as Independent Contractors:
If hired, you enter into a contract to provide guiding services for Trek Travel, LLC. If you are selected to be a Guide for Trek Travel, there will be a contract given to you outlining your job, length of contract and compensation. You will be paid a fixed daily or hourly rate for your work, and you will be responsible for filing taxes as a contractor, therefore no taxes will be taken off of your pay.

EXPENSES AND BENEFITS
Meal Expenses:
Trek Travel pays for Guide's meals that we include in the trip for our guests. For example, on a typical trip all breakfasts, most dinners and most lunches are included in the price of the trip for our guests, so Guides do not have to pay for these meals. As an Independent Contractor, Trek Travel Guides are responsible for paying for all meals outside of their trips while on contract with us.

Guide Housing (On and between trips):
Trek Travel covers guide accommodations while guiding a trip.

When you are not guiding a trip, Trek Travel provides accommodations at a regional Guide house or hotel.

In many regions, Trek Travel has Guide Houses or apartments, and these are available to Guides in between trips to stay in free of charge. If there is no Guide House in a region, Guides are sent to the nearest Guide House to spend their time off. If this is the case, Trek Travel pays for all costs involved with getting the Guide to the Guide House.

If it does not make sense to send a Guide to a Guide House, Trek Travel pays for them to stay in a hotel. In this scenario, Trek Travel will either cover the cost of the hotel, or will provide the Guide with a per diem for this expense.

If a Guide has time off before they are scheduled to work again and they do not wish to take advantage of one of the Guide Houses, they have the option of travelling home, however if they choose this option they will be responsible for all costs associated with their transportation both to get home and to get to their next trip.

NOTE: Our Guides are roomed together while working, whether it is on a trip, at a Guide House or while staying in any other accommodation paid for by Trek Travel.

Travel Expenses:
Trek Travel pays for all transportation costs to get Guides to and from their home airport and the regions where they are guiding trips. We enjoy the services of a dedicated Travel Agent who books all of our Guides' flights, and also helps arrange European rail tickets. Guides are only responsible for their own transportation costs if they choose to travel home or somewhere else between scheduled trips.

Health and Travel Insurance Coverage:
As an Independent Contractor, Trek Travel Guides are responsible for providing their own Health Insurance that will cover them for the duration of their Guide Contract. This cost has been factored in to the wage we offer. In addition, if you are offered a Guide Contract, you will be required to obtain Emergency Travel Insurance valid for the duration of your contract.

Liability Insurance or Worker's Compensation Coverage:
Trek Travel provides all Liability Insurance and Worker's Compensation coverage for all Guides for the duration of your contract, at no cost to you.

Additional Benefits:
Beyond working in amazing places and interacting with an incredibly diverse group of both Guests and Co-Guides, there are many advantages to being a Trek Travel Guide.

Immediate access to near-wholesale prices on Trek gear
Generous discounts on purchase of Trek Bikes after 6 months of working for Trek Travel
Immediate access to leading outdoor industry discounts through our network of Pro Deals
Discounts on Trek Travel vacation for you and your family members
Ability to keep personal frequent flier miles from all work-related travel
Be apart of a dynamic, world wide Trek Travel family
Variety of opportunities within the growing company
Active work environment

SCHEDULES:
Full Season Guide Contract:

May through October
Approximately 100 - 150 days of work
8-15 trips

**You MUST have 100% availability during our peak season May through October.

Additional work for Guides:
In addition to guiding trips, Trek Travel Guides will be contracted to perform a host of other services. These include:

Bike and equipment maintenance and miscellaneous warehouse work as scheduled
Driving bikes and equipment between regions
Updating all Guide & Trip Documents with any changes as they occur
Researching new trips
Final Trip Preparation (FTP) conducted at the beginning of a season prior to running trips in a region
Familiarization Drives prior to guiding a trip for the first time
Training and Meeting sessions both in Madison and in Europe

Scheduling Guides:
Guides submit a schedule request and when creating the Guide Schedule for the year, we take all factors into consideration including previous experience in an area, language proficiencies, availability, team configurations, and Guide performance scores.

Where and when Guides are contracted to work is a function of what trips we are running and where our greatest needs are. All Guides are offered a contract based on the assumption that they are able to work in any of the regions we run trips, and any time during the length of their contract.

If you have specific foreign language skills at the intermediate level in French, Italian or Spanish, this will help you get work in those respective regions. By intermediate, we mean that you are able to carry on a two-way conversation with someone in that language.

Additional Opportunities:
At Trek Travel we believe strongly in helping our Guides to broaden and deepen their skills in the active travel industry. Guides who prove themselves in the field are often recruited to take on additional roles and responsibilities such as Trip Design & New Trip Research, Trip Experts, Logistics, Marketing, Sales and Customer Service. We pride ourselves on helping individuals achieve their goals and are committed to providing a fun working environment while using their talents to their fullest potential.