?Now Hiring for the 2024 Season? Up to $700 sign on bonus!
We have been training people just like you to be professional river guides for over 20 years. We have a team of 30 guides during the summer dedicated to having fun on the river and sharing that excitement with our customers. Many of guides that we have trained have gone on to have long careers in outdoor recreation and other have taken these skills to life away from the river.
We raft near Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Sevierville areas in Tennessee, and Asheville, Cherokee, and Maggie Valley areas in North Carolina. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is in our backyard with hundreds of miles of backcountry trails and there are more classic whitewater rivers within 2 hours of our outpost than anywhere on earth!
About Raft Outdoor Adventures
Now Hiring for the 2024 Season! Come be a part of our 22nd year on the river! We train a select group of candidates each year to become river guides. Our Raft Guide School is designed to be affordable, with full-time guide positions offered to those who complete the course. The cost of the 10 Day course is $150. ? All applicants from CoolWorks will receive a $100 discount to help you purchase the few pieces of equipment you will need to complete training. We always welcome applications from experienced guides but you do not need any experience on the river, just a super positive attitude and a taste for adventure! ?
Job Details
Season: Memorial Day - Labor Day
Schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday (average 3 trips / day)
Pay: $25 per trip + TIPS + Up to $700 sign on bonus!
Experience: No Experience Necessary
ONLY 12 SPACES LEFT FOR THE 2024 TRAINING CLASS!
The first day of guide school is May 13th, 2024!
Our main season is Memorial Day to Labor Day but we continue to raft through October for those interested.
Our guide training program includes:
Technical skills
River safety
River etiquette
Basic rescue training
Guest service
Risk management
First Aid/CPR training
We will provide all of the river equipment you need during training with the exception of shoes and base-layer clothing. You will need secure footwear, old tennis shoes or river sandals and a pair of wool socks just in case. In addition, two sets of base-layer undergarments (not cotton) will increase your comfort level a few notches should the weather be cooler.
As a part of this course, you will be housed at our outpost. Housing is a shared bunkhouse with bathhouse facilities You must provide your own foam twin mattress and linens for bed and bath.
We are also hiring for our support staff positions, Office Staff, Maintenance, and Bus Drivers. To see the full list of available positions click the link in the top right corner of our profile ↗️
The Employee Experience
We have a fun, fast-paced environment. We work 4 days a week during the summer. Workdays are usually 9:30 am-4:00 pm, ⏰ first-year guides should expect 2-3 trips a day some days will be 4 trip days.
You will help with the basic appearance of the outpost in the morning, prep the equipment for the day, participate in daily staff meetings to set the goals for the day. As the guests arrive you will get them geared up, provide basic safety instructions, give instructions about the trip during the bus ? ride and take your assigned group on a 5-mile whitewater rafting trip.
Every trip will have a Trip Leader that will give you directions on how to best fit into the trip (most trips have 7-8 rafts). Then do it again and again till we are done for the day when we put everything away and enjoy the beautiful summer evenings that we have here in East Tennessee.
Ideal Candidate
Fun, friendly and team-oriented individuals that enjoy working with the public. ? Folks that love the outdoors and want to share that passion with others. Being a raft guide is a hard, demanding but rewarding job. You must be outgoing, self-motivated and a team player. You do not need to have an experience on the water, just a super positive attitude and taste for adventure!
Room and Board
Bunkhouse lodging and tent camping is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Both have access to restrooms, showers, internet and pavilion. Housing is $25/week to cover utilities. ⚡️
Employee Perks
- Periodic staff dinners and field trips (Lake Day, Zip Lines) are planned throughout the season.
- Pro Deal discounts on equipment.
- Discounts on some attractions in town.
- Free wifi on property.
- Free rafting trip for your family/friends
- Super Cool Co-workers
Getting Here and Getting Around
We are located in Hartford, TN, a very small town surrounded by thousands of acres of public land, including The Cherokee National Forest and The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ⛰ The closest bus station is in Morristown, TN and airports ✈️ are in Asheville, NC, and Knoxville, TN. Our little town has two small stores/gas stations for necessities, a local riverside cafe, winery, and postoffice. Newport, TN is the nearest town for grocery shopping, laundry, and other services, about a 15-minute car ride. It is normally very easy to share rides into Newport.
For Fun
Working 4 days a week gives plenty of opportunities to enjoy the area. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park offers hundreds of miles of the best backcountry hiking in the country. The staff visits the other rivers in the area on off days or maybe travel to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for the day and visits all of the attractions there including Dollywood and Ripleys Aquarium of the Smokies.
How to Apply
Fill out our application, include a resume and tell us a little something about yourself. After your application is submitted, we will schedule a phone interview and if accepted into the program we will provide the enrollment link to register.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Thanks!
Danny