Are you interested in joining the Avid4 Adventure Staff?
Applications are accepted year-round, but our main hiring season is February, March, and April. Please apply early to have the best opportunity to work with Avid4. Full-time (seasonal) positions begin in mid-April or mid-May and end in mid-August, end of September, or the end of October. This program is all about kids, so if you don’t have a passion for working with youth, please do not apply.
In 2012, we have the following needs:
PLEASE NOTE that we are currently fully staffed for the 2012 summer, however needs always arise once the season begins. Often we have registration surges once kids check out our awesome programs and want to do more or staff don’t work out as planned. So, if you are available between now and August 10th, please send in an application.
- CO Large (requires state certification) and/or Small (see bottom of page for education and experiences required) Child Care Center Director Qualified & Pre-K and K Specialists
- Whitewater Kayaking Specialists
- Rock Climbing Specialists
- Mountain Biking Specialists
- Free Ride Bike Park Specialists: Confident in slopestyle, dirtjumping, & pump-track terrain features. Bike park candidates will need to pass a Bike Skills Interview as well as our standard interview.
- Survival & Primitive Skills Specialists
- Multi-sport Instructors: experience in at least 2 of the following sports: climbing, biking, kayaking, canoeing
Avid4 Adventure Application Process:
1. Read the overview and staff application thoroughly. The application is long and detailed intentionally; we want to ensure that applicants have a complete understanding of our programs and have a deep passion to work with Avid4 Adventure. Our staff are our #1 asset, so we want to ensure a perfect fit between your goals and the mission of Avid4.
2. Watch the Avid4 Adventure applicant video.
3. Read the list of FAQs from applicants (at bottom of this page).
4. Learn more about the culture at Avid4 Adventure. Make sure you can meet our professional appearance standards.
5. Complete the Avid4 staff application completely. Incomplete applications will be returned. Please SAVE this document to your computer as “LastName, First Name_2012Avid4StaffApplication“ Email completed application to info@Avid4.com, fax to 303-265-9445, or mail to Avid4 Adventure PO Box 287 in Boulder, CO 80306. If you are unable to download the application in MS Word, click here for a PDF version. Please note that hand-written applications will be returned if they are not completely legible.
6. Questions? Email Sarah@Avid4.com or call her at 720-249-2412 X8.
Avid4 Hiring Process:
1. Once we receive your application, we will review it thoroughly. If we are not interested in moving forward with your application, you will receive an email. If we are interested in moving forward, we will follow up with a phone call.
2. We will spend 5-10 minutes on the phone with you answering any questions that you may have and further discussing the opportunities.
3. If we want to continue the process, we will follow up with a phone call or email to schedule an in-person interview.
4. In-person interviews are 45 minutes; you will spend 15 minutes each with David Secunda, Avid4 Owner, Kyle Littman, Avid4 Operations Director, and Sarah Pekala, Avid4 Director. Questions will range from experiences with children to technical skills in the sports we teach to behavior management scenarios. Please dress professional; business casual is fine. Please arrive 5-10 minutes early and wait outside of the interview room. Interviews generally take place in North Boulder.
5. Our team will do a thorough reference check with no less than 3 references. Two of these reference must be with previous employers or professors.
6. Once we gather all of this information, we will offer you a job dependent on the following conditions:
a. successful completion of all background checks
b. successful completion of a field interview in the Spring; the field interview is an opportunity for us to assess your climbing and biking skills; this is part of the interview process and you are not paid for this time
c. all of your new employee paperwork is submitted within 2 weeks of being offered employment (with the exception of the Dr. physical which at times can take longer)
Avid4 Adventure is committed to equal employment opportunity in all of its business dealings without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, physical disability or military status. Seasonal positions are temporary in nature to not provide vacation time accrual, etc. Seasonal employees working more than one month will be eligible for health benefits. Any applicant who knowingly or willfully makes a false statement of any material fact or thing in this application is guilty of perjury in the second degree as defined in Section 18-8-503, C.R.S., and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions from Applicants
How can I get my Wilderness 1st Aid certification? CPR?
Avid4 Adventure will be hosting a Wilderness Medical Institute (WMI) WFA course in Boulder on May 30th and May 31st. The cost of the course will be $200; courses are typically $225 (this course is subsidized by the instructor as a favor to Avid4 staff). The majority of new Avid4 staff will be taking this class together, so it would be great to register for this one. If you cannot make those dates, then please refer to Wilderness Medical Institute, Wilderness Medical Associates, or SOLO for other courses this Spring. Staff must have a WFA, WFR, or EMT before working with Avid4 Adventure.
CPR will be offered for Avid4 staff on June 1st in Boulder; the cost will be $40. Avid4 Adventure will also offer a Medicine Administration Course to interested staff for the greatly subsidized cost of $10.
How does transportation and carpooling work?
When there are 4 or more people going to the same place, we absolutely do our best to provide an Avid4 vehicle in order to reduce our carbon footprint. Generally the carpool vans leave from a location in Boulder, however a stop or two can be made en route if it is convenient for staff to hop on at a point down the road.
How many hours should I expect to work?
School program staff average about 37.5 hours per week in the Spring and Fall Monday-Friday. In the summer, wages are paid as a day rate and you work Monday-Friday. Occasionally, school staff and climbing or biking instructors will be asked to take a day off. Typical summer hours are 7:00-3:15 on Mondays (early for registration), 7:45-3:15 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and 7:45-4:15 on Wednesdays (staff meeting). In addition, there are numerous weekend opportunities to pick up extra hours. During Camp Eden, you will work from Saturday (training), through the next weekend, until the following Saturday (2 complete weeks), with 1.5 days off during that time.
Is my gas reimbursed?
If you are driving a personal car, you are responsible to cover your expenses to your first point of work and home from that point. However, if we ever ask you to drive a personal vehicle from your point of work to another work location (rare), then we will happily reimburse you at the government rate per mile for that distance and back to that point, assuming it is farther away from your home. For example, many climbing instructors have the opportunity to directly go to a climbing site in the morning as opposed to report to camp. If that is the case, it means your day is a bit shorter… you are not compensated for gas to drive directly to that site. However, if we then ask you to attend a staff meeting after camp, then we would reimburse your mileage from the crag to the camp location and back to the site, assuming that was your way home.
What certifications do I need to work with Avid4?
All staff must have the following certs by the start of summer camp: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, or EMT is mandatory. Wilderness First Aid is offered by WMI, Solo, WMA or the American Red Cross (cheaper, but not as quality in our experience). CPR is also required. If you want to take CPR with Avid staff, please let me know. In addition, for any staff interested in a Medicine Administration certification, we will offer that at a greatly subsidized cost. During training, you will also have the opportunity to receive American Red Cross Small Craft safety certifications in canoeing and kayaking and defensive van certification from Avid4 if you do not already have them. If you want to register for the Avid4 Wilderness 1st Aid, please email Kyle@Avid4.com
How am I compensated?
There are different rates set up depending on the program; these rates will be further detailed in your offer letter if you are offered a job. However, here is the general rundown: school programs are paid hourly, day camps are paid as a day rate, events are either paid hourly or a pre-determined flat sum, and Camp Eden and family trips are paid with an overnight rate. Training days are paid at a flat rate unless you are receiving a certification required to be employed by Avid4 (paddling and driving days), in which case Avid4 covers the cost of the certification but not your time.
Will I be working with a variety of children in a variety of different activities?
Yes, the majority of staff hired will be working with children 5-12 years old and have the opportunity to work our Mulit-Sport Day Camp, where the campers spend one full day one each of our core activities (climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking). Highly technical new staff will have the opportunity to work our single-sport camps, where children spend a full five to ten days on one activity (climbing, biking, paddle sports, primitive skills).
What other benefits are offered?
Our goal is that Avid4 Adventure will be the best job you ever have. From discounted staff weekend trips to afternoon climbs and happy hours, we want you to have a great time. As an added bonus, Avid4 will: reimburse 1st year staff whenever they use the bus for work, pay 50% of your health insurance if you join one of our plans while you are working full-time, have a pro deal program for basically any gear you want, and offer a performance-based bonus to eligible staff.
When will my seasonal contract end?
Summer contracts end the middle of August, however there is generally an opportunity to extend your summer season by about 6 weeks to work some off-campus school programs. In addition, Spring school program staff have first dibs on the Fall season that runs until the end of October assuming they performed well in the Spring and Summer. Any available Fall jobs will be made available to all staff midway through the summer.
Are there opportunities for growth with Avid4 Adventure?
Yes, we are growing bigger each year! We are always on the lookout for next summer’s directors, activity supervisors and specialists.
How do I learn more about Avid4 Adventure?
Any time I get a general question more than once, I put the answer on our staff page. Also, you’ll find lots of information regarding pro deals, payroll, medical insurance, staff roster, etc. on our staff page (you’ll be sent the link once you are hired). If there is anything you would like to see posted or ideas you have to make it better, please let me know.
Do I get any time off during the summer?
Mandatory training is May 20-25th. Camp is from June 4th to August 17th. Staff can expect to take 1-3 weeks off during the summer. Partial week requests are not given due to the nature of our activities and consistency we want to establish with children and families. Depending on site and registrations, rock climbing instructors may have a day off during the week periodically.
What’s next?
Thank you for reading this far down in the FAQs. Hopefully by now, you have also watched the video. In the next week you will hear from us. If we call you, it means we have some follow-up questions from your application that we would like to review. About ½ of you will be selected for an interview to take place in the next week or two. Interviews are about 45 minutes and will give you an opportunity to interact with David, Avid4 owner, Sarah, field director, and Kyle, Operations Director. Interview questions range from technical skills (show me a J-stroke) to behavior management responses (How would you handle the following situation…). From there, we will fully reference you and be in touch asap if we have a job for you.
What are the requirements to be State of CO Small Child Care Center Director qualified (only for applicants interested exclusively with our youngest campers?
Email List
Facebook
YouTube
Vimeo
