Open Position:
Field Assistant
2025 Pennsylvania River Trip Ground Team
Sunday, April 13 update: We’re still considering applicants, but the application window is closing soon. Don’t delay. Apply today!
Ground team field assistants run the check-in process, camp kitchen, gear truck, portable toilets, and on-land support for our Pennsylvania river trips. Field assistants do the work that allows our adventurers to show up to their trips and never have to think about the logistics we manage behind the scenes.
As a Bad Adventures field assistant, you’re a self-directed team member. You pitch in with a variety of camp and trip operation tasks, and have opportunities to put your own touch on the experience we give our adventurers. You make decisions on how camp is arranged, in what order tasks are performed, and how a trip’s discretionary budget is spent—maybe surprise ice cream sandwiches for everyone on a hot day?
This is a contract position for part time employment in April through June, 2025.
Dates
These are the dates of the trips we’re guiding. It’s not automatically disqualifying if you have schedule conflicts and are unavailable on specific dates. However, your application will stand out if you’re available to work most—or all—of the trips. There may be additional opportunities to work dates between trips.
- Thurs, April 24 to Sun, April 27
- Thurs, May 2 to Sun, May 4
- Sat, May 17 to Sun, May 25
- Thurs, June 5 to Sun, June 8
- Thurs, June 19 to Sun, June 22
Locations
River trips operate in Central Pennsylvania and Southeast Pennsylvania. You’ll report for work as far west as Curwensville, PA, as far north as Williamsport, PA, and as far southeast as Reading, PA.
Responsibilities
- Check-in adventurers when they arrive to their trips
- Prepare and serve hearty camp meals and delicious picnic lunches
- Set up and pack away the camp kitchen, wash and sanitize dishes, and dress picnic tables with tablecloths
- Ensure hot drinks, coffee, drinking water, pink lemonade, and snacks are available for adventurers
- Reprovision potable water, ice, and fresh produce
- Clean and organize equipment, supplies, coolers, and provisions
- Set up, disinfect, and pack away portable toilets, hand wash stations, and privacy shelters. Empty portable toilets at dump stations.
- Load and unload adventurers’ camping gear on the gear truck
- Help carry canoes and kayaks at portages
- Coordinate operations with our partners, including municipality employees, landowners, and resource managers
- Continuously work to ensure the safety of adventurers and teammates
- Share your passion for the outdoors and help adventurers have the time of their lives
Requirements
- A genuine sense of satisfaction when serving others’ needs
- A sincere love of adventures, outdoor recreation, and natural environments
- Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to sustain a sunny disposition in the face of challenges, including working outdoors in inclement weather
- An ability to work as a self-directed team member; we operate with a shared understanding of our goals, each proactively identifying priorities and completing tasks without prompting
- A heroic work ethic and the physical ability to work long hours
- The ability to repeatedly lift and carry 50+ lbs over uneven terrain
- Reliable personal transportation
Desirable Qualifications
We consider candidates with a variety of experience levels. However, your application may stand out if you have:
- Availability to work all dates of the Pennsylvania river trip season
- Personal experience in camping, paddling, and other outdoor activities
- An interest in pursuing a future Junior Guide or Guide position with Bad Adventures
- Prior outdoor industry experience—particularly in paddlesports
- Wilderness medicine certification (WFA, WAFA, WFR, WEMT), CPR certification, Leave No Trace certification, ACA or BUC instructor certification, and/or swiftwater rescue training
- Experience speaking in front of a group
- Cooking experience
- A valid driver’s license and a clean driving record
- Experience driving a vehicle towing a trailer
Compensation and Perks
- For each day of a multi-day trip—other than the first and last day—you’re paid a minimum of 14 hours per day (even if you work fewer than 14 hours). You’re paid for the actual number of hours you work on the first and last days of multi-day trips, as well as on any day that you work more than 14 hours.
- You receive generous gratuities from adventurers. Our hard-working team is frequently rewarded with tips. Gratuities are never guaranteed, but—historically—have sometimes exceeded base pay from Bad Adventures.
- Meals and camping are provided during trips. You’re free to use a tent and inflatable sleeping pad from Bad Adventures, or pack your own.
- You work in a fun environment with incredible, like-minded people. Bad Adventures team members—as well as the adventurers we guide—are some of the most interesting humans you’ll ever meet. The job is hard work, but it’s also extremely fun and rewarding.
