Position Descriptions

We hire approximately 30 people each season for various positions ranging from Raft guides to Reservationists.  No experience is necessary.  We train for all positions.  Applicants should enjoy the outdoors and be eager to convey that enthusiasm to other people. This is a service business, so people skills are essential!!

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Position Descriptions

Guide

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What?
Guides are the heart of our business. You are the reason that people enjoy the trip (or not!), and come back to see us year after year. This is a very physical job, involving carrying heavy rafts and guiding the raft down the river (while providing an enjoyable experience for the guests). Cuts, scrapes, and bruises are common. You are outside in all kinds of weather, and responsible for making people who are accustomed to air-conditioning and umbrellas that it is ok, and in fact enjoyable, to be out in the heat and/or the rain.
Who?

People who are outdoor oriented, who like being outside in all kinds of weather and showing customers that heat, rain, sun and cold are all part of life! Dependability is crucial, including a willingness to work when sick and hurt. The rafts are heavy and must be carried 1/4 mile, in addition to actually guiding them down the river, so people who are physically active and have stamina do much better as guides. Please note that this in no way excludes females! We are relatively flexible on start dates, but we expect you to work through the entire summer (mid-August). The ability to work week-ends through September or October is a plus.

Training
It takes about a week full-time to train to become a guide. Guides without prior commercial experience must complete guide training school. Candidates for Guide at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort are given a discounted rate of $140 for the school. Once you have successfully completed the training, you are a Junior Guide and are given your throw bag and a carabiner and put on the schedule. You will need to complete a Community First Aid/CPR class, River Rescue training, and Customer Service class (and have the approval of your Trip Leaders) to become a Full Guide (G1). These classes are offered free of charge to our staff. You may have some of this training already (your certifications must be good for the entire summer) and/or or you may complete these courses elsewhere. There are higher grades of guide as well as Assistant Trip Leaders and Trip Leaders positions for those who return and who are willing to take on additional responsibility.

Equipment
We will provide the equipment that you need during your training. After you have started working, you will need to start to accumulate your own equipment. You will need a PFD, paddle, helmet, throw bag and carabiner. These last two items are provided at the end of the guide training. You can purchase these items through us at cost, or purchase them elsewhere. Returning guides who are upgrading their equipment are good sources of cheap gear.
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• Minimum age:  18
• Very physical job
• Approx 1 week to train
• Open April through October, but mid-June to mid-August is main season
  

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Rainbow Mist Guide

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What?
Guides are the heart of our business. You are the reason that people enjoy the trip (or not!), and come back to see us year after year. This is an extremely physical job, involving carrying a heavy raft from the lock box up near the stairs, rowing people up to the base of the Falls and back a number of times throughout the day, and then carrying the raft back up the lock box at the end of the day. In addition, you need to be able to row while talking to your customers about history of the area, and the local geology.

Who?
Dependability is crucial, including a willingness to work when sick and hurt. This is an oar-frame raft, so you will be paddling your customers up to the base of the Falls and back a number of times throughout the day.

Training
It takes about a a half-day to train to become a Rainbow Mist guide. You are expected to self-study to learn the history and geology of the area. Materials will be given to you.

Equipment
We will provide the equipment that you need to be a Rainbow Mist guide (PFD), although you are encouraged to purchase your own and most RM guides do. You can purchase a PFD through us at cost, or purchase them elsewhere. Returning guides who are upgrading their equipment are good sources of cheap gear.
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• Minimum age:  16
• Very physical job
• Approx half-day to train
• Wed-Sun from mid-June through Labor Day weekend

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Zipline Guide

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What?
Zipline Guides are responsible for the safety and enjoyment of our guests participating in the Zipline activity. You will be hooking people on and off the zipline, adjusting harnesses and other safety equipment. You may need to 'rescue' participants who have gotten stuck on the zipline. Although there is some actual zipping required, that is not the main part of the job.

Who?
People who do well at this job enjoy working with people, and can stay focused. You need to be comfortable with heights. You must be able to communicate well with all types of people. You must be able to climb several flights of stairs multiple times/day. You must be comfortable with rappelling (lowering yourself down from a point with a rope). We will train on this procedure.

Training
It takes about 2-3 days to train to be a zipline guide.

Equipment
No special equipment is needed for this position.
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• Minimum age:  18
• Physical job
• Not afraid of heights
• Approx 2-3 days to train
• Opening April through October (at least)

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Canoe Driver

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What?
Shuttle Drivers on the Big South Fork generally leave headquarters in the morning with their schedule for the day, and return at the end of the day having moved canoes, driven, picked up people, done sign-ups, collected money, driven, done safety talks, moved canoes, driven, moved canoes, driven, repeat over and over through the day. Many of our trips meet at the river itself. These people never come to the Outfitters, so for them, you are Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort. Their interactions with you and your vehicle determine how they view the entire company, so maintaining a good presence for both you and your vehicle is important. There is often down time while waiting for people to finish their trip, so a portable hobby is a good thing to cultivate (fishing, reading, computer chess). Trips on the Cumberland River are similar, except there is more support available from our staff, as the trips meets at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort. There is also less down-time.

Who?
People who do well at this job enjoy working with people, but also enjoy having time to themselves. You should be able to keep to a schedule, and be able to function with a good amount of autonomy. Shuttle drivers often start early in the morning, so being an early riser helps. You need to be physically fit; you can move a lot of canoes in a day. Canoes vary in weight from 50 to 75 lbs. You need to either feel comfortable scrambling around a trailer or be tall. As with most rafting companies, our vehicles are not new, so some familiarity with basic maintainance would be very helpful (be able to change a tire, jump-start the engine, fill brake fluid). At the very least, you should know how to listen to and feel a vehicle (engine running rough, brakes feel soft). We start running shuttles as early as March, and continue through October, but the busiest season is mid-April though mid-August.

Training
It takes about 2-3 days to train to be a shuttle driver. You must pass a Medical Exam. Training time can be shortened somewhat by working on your own outside of the training. You must know where all the access points are, and be able to give the safety talks before you can be released to work as a shuttle driver. The office staff will help you determine your daily schedule, balances due, and van/trailer needs. Once you start working as a shuttle driver, you are considered a Junior driver until you have taken the First Aid/CPR and Customer Service classes (these are provided free of charge to our staff), and are able to work (correctly!) with a minimum amount of help from the Office Staff. We encourage our shuttle drivers to take the River Rescue class as well, but this is not required.

Equipment
There is no special requirements for gear for shuttle drivers, but most drivers will want their own set of tie-down ropes to keep with them (ropes are precious commodities around here). After you take the River Rescue class, you may also want to purchase your own PFD, helmet, and throw bag for river rescue situations.
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• Minimum age:  21
• Physical job
• Must have good driving record and valid license
• Must pass DOT physical
  
• Approx 2-3 days to train
• March through October, with the busiest season bring mid-April through mid-August
• CDL helpful but not necessary
  

Reservationist

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What?
The brains of the operation, the Reservationists give out information about the trips that we run, take reservations, collect deposits and balances, run the retail store, take and give out messages, and are generally the center of activity of the resort. They check people in for trips and lodging and generally answer any questions that might come up. They stock and maintain the retail store, as well as occasional cleaning of bathrooms, camp-inns and anything else that needs to be done. If you like knowing everything that is going on, this is the place to be!

Who?
This is a mentally demanding position, as there is a lot of information going out and it has to be right all-the-time. Excellent customer skills are essential, as is the ability to do more than one thing at a time. The office staff is generally the first contact that our customers have with our company, and you will set the tone for their experience. We want it to be a good experience so that they will actually come and do a trip with us! We strive to project a fun but competent air. You must be detail oriented, not distracted easily, and able to pick up a lot of information quickly.

Training
Applicants for Reservationist must pass a written test prior to hire. This test covers basic mathematical skills and english/grammar skills, as well as specific material designed to test your memory and learning capabilities. You will be given a study guide in advance. Training for office staff takes a minimum of 2 days, although they are not full days. After your initial two days, we will bring you in to give you one on one practice until we can leave you alone on the phones. Our first concern is with our rustic cabins and campsite options. Training after that is more informal, as you pick up information on additional trips as you are ready to add them to your repertoire.

Appearance Code
Because this is a front-line position, we do require you to look "nice". This means you should be properly groomed and wearing appropriately-sized clothing. Clothing cannot have any crude or offensive sayings on them. Because we are a rafting company, we have a certain amount of latitude in what our customers will overlook, but we don′t want to be too far past their comfort zone.
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• Minimum Age:  Generally 18, but will consider exceptional applicants down to age 16
• Must be very comfortable with computers
  
• Requires standing for long periods of time; some light physical labor
• Approx 2-3 days to train
• Beginning of March through end of October, but especially from mid-May through mid-August

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Cumberland Star Lunch Crew

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What?
The Cumberland Star Lunch Crew workers are responsible for a number of different tasks here at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort. These include making lunches and packing up the coolers for the rafting trip, helping take the customers down to the raft trip (includes climbing a number of stairs), helping to keep the bathrooms clean, and occasionally helping out with the White Dog snack bar. Lunch crew duties include driving the guide van to the docking area; helping with loading, docking, mooring the riverboat; and running the buffet table on the riverboat. And, as with all positions here at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort, you have direct customer contact and need to be able to handle customers with a smile and helpful demeanor!

Who?
We are looking for people who are honest, pleasant and friendly, have a good sense of cleanliness, and who can work without a lot of supervision. You will be moving a lot of coolers around, as well as helping with docking and mooring the riverboat, so a general fitness level helps tremendously!

Training
It takes about a day to train to make lunches and a day to train on the riverboat. Applicants without a Food Handler card must pass Food Service training before employment (available through the local health department).

Appearance Code
All food service workers must wear closed-toed shoes, shirts that cover their stomach and armpits. Hair must either be worn up, in a hair net, or under a hat.
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• ​Minimum Age:  21
• Moderate physical labor
• Must have good driving record and valid license
• Approx 2-3 days to train
• mid-May through end of September

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Snack Bar Worker

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What?
Snack Bar workers are responsible for a number of different tasks here at the resort. These include making lunches and packing up the coolers for the rafting trip, occasionally keeping the bathrooms clean, and running the White Dog snack bar. Snack bar duties include everything from running the meat slicer, taking orders for the snack bar, preparing the food and handling money. A little bit of everything! As with all positions here at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort, you have direct customer contact and need to be able to handle customers with a smile and helpful demeanor!

Who?
We are looking for people who are honest, pleasant and friendly, have a good sense of cleanliness, are comfortable in a kitchen and who can work without a lot of supervision.

Training
It takes about a day to train to make lunches, a day to train on the White Dog. You may work one position before being trained on the others, depending on when you start. Applicants without a Food Handler card must pass Food Service training before employment (available through the local health department).

Appearance Code
Food service workers must wear closed-toed shoes, shirts that cover their stomach and armpits. Hair must either be worn up, in a hair net, or under a hat.
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• Minimum Age:  18
• Moderate physical labor
• Approx 1-2 days to train
• mid-May through end of September

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Maintenance

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What?
Grounds maintenance includes all those things that make a resort run smoothly, including jobs such as fixing toilets and sinks, replacing/repairing doors, handrails and other building parts, repairing/replacing light fixtures and other electric items, trimming trees, moving mulch, painting, etc. Applicants should have a basic diagnotics and repair skill set in plumbing, electric, and light construction. Ability to run a tractor and a chainsaw is a plus.

Who?
Although technically not a front-line position, we still expect our grounds crew to have good people skills and a general knowldege of our business and the area. Grounds crew are often the people that customers will stop and ask questions of, rather than coming inside a building to the Reservationists.

Training
Training: We expect the Grounds Maintenance person to be able to start being productive immediately.

Appearance Code
Since this is mostly an outside position, we expect you to dress for comfort for the weather that day. However, you should have appropriate clothing for tasks such as cutting or splitting wood (heavy closed toe shoes and work gloves). In all events, as an employee, it is never appropriate to wear clothing with offensive or demeaning messages. We also expect all underclothing and private parts to be covered. In other words, watch where the holes are in your jeans and no sagging pants!
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• Minimum age:  18
• Physical job

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Cleaning Staff

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What?
Cleanliness, in both the cabins and bathrooms, is critical to a resort. The cleaning staff will be responsible for cleaning bathrooms and cabins, doing laundry, preparing cabins for check-in and any other odd cleaning jobs that arise.

Who?
The cleaning person should be self-motivated and detailed oriented. They should be able to follow our cleaning checklists, as well as spot any areas not mentioned that might need sprucing up. Our campground is open year round, but our busiest season is Memorial Day-Labor Day

Training
It takes about ½ a day to train on bathrooms, ½ to train on Rustic Cabins and ½ day to train on Star Falls.

Appearance Code
This job involves climbing up and down bunk beds, handling bleach and other cleaning chemicals and traveling between buildings in all kinds of weather. So you should dress with those things in mind. In all events, as an employee, it is never appropriate to wear clothing with offensive or demeaning messages. We also expect all underclothing and private parts to be covered. In other words, watch where the holes are in your jeans and no sagging pants!
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• Minimum age: 16
• Self motivated and able to stay on task
• Morning/early afternoon hours
• Busiest Memorial Day-Labor Day

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​Ready to apply? Click the button below to download the application and return to us via email! 

Apply Now!

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Not sure if you're ready to apply? Submit the Job Interest Form and someone will contact you back to answer any questions you may have!

Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort does not discriminate with regard to sex, gender or gender expression, race, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, creed, religion, or disability. Many jobs, such as shuttle driver, CDL driver, and raft guide may have minimum age requirements.

All applicants are subject to pre-employment drug testing before employment and random drug testing throughout the season.​