Naturalist Guides

We are seeking qualified naturalist guides who possess Alaska experience in the expertise fields of

  • Fly-fishing
  • Glacier trekking
  • Backcountry guiding
  • Sea kayaking
  • Maritime interpretation
  • Flora and Fauna of Kachemak Bay

and with other Alaska backcountry and natural history skills.

Lodge-Based Staff

We are seeking qualified lodge-based staff who possess expertise in hospitality, wellness, horticulture and culinary arts.

  • Housekeepers
  • Lodge assistants
  • Gardeners
  • Foragers
  • Chefs
  • Dishwashers
  • Yoga instructors
  • Wellness Coach

Thank you for your interest in our company!

We accept applications throughout the year for our summer season. Please send along your interest to us at employment@withinthewild.com. Send along a current and relevant resume and perhaps a photo or two of yourself, your cuisine, and your work style if appropriate. We request three work and three personal references.

Our guests join us from around the world and choose us because we’ve earned a reputation for excellence thanks to the natural beauty of our locations and our talented and dedicated team.

To be part of the Within the Wild team, you’ll need to demonstrate your ability to provide an exceptional level of customer service and you must have a true passion for the environment.

Please read the following paragraph for a brief description of our company. It explains what life is like “in camp,” and what to expect for the summer season. We look for charisma, experience and initiative.

Working for Within The Wild

Our Work Week

Due to the limited number of days (essentially 90 work days) in our summer season, all Within The Wild Adventure Company employees can expect to work a 10 to 12-hour day, 6 days per week. Please think of our work as a “full-immersion” that requires you to be dedicated to the the values and mission of our lodge life. With one day off per week, it is possible to leave the lodge settings for your day off. Often, many people remain in camp for the duration of their contract. If you choose to fly out or boat over to Homer (from Tutka Bay Lodge), there is a nominal fee for employee travel.

All lodge-based employees are offered a monthly salary that’s calculated on an hourly wage in compliance with the State of Alaska’s wage and hour requirements to include a ten or 12-hour workday.

We have plenty of fun, and employees leave with new friends and lifelong memories. We really need a committed team member who can fully focus on the lodge and the work at hand. This is not a good job for someone who wants to tour Alaska or have a great deal of private time.

Camp Life

Camp life can be a transition for those who have never lived in a rustic environment. There is limited employee housing at our lodge, and employees are potentially required to share a room with another staff member of the same sex. There is the occasional compelling exception to offer an employee a private room.

As with any small community, the lodge requires rules and regulations so that we can remain organized and professional. We go over an employee manual at each lodge site together. All Within The Wild Adventure Company employees who begin the season with us will undergo a complete orientation. Employees that join us into the season will be given an orientation by their direct supervisor. We try to make lodge life as comfortable, easy-going, and fun as we can. Some rules are strict and will be absolutely enforced, as with our no-drug policies. We do not center our social activities on alcohol. We enjoy mentally and physically challenging ourselves to explore new areas of the backcountry and learn new skills. We are passionate collectors of music and particularly enjoy bluegrass.

We try to create off-time social opportunities. Some individual and team sports activities, such as ping pong, have been popular. Employees take meals together at regularly scheduled times. The lodge chefs prepare food for the staff as well as the guests.

Commitment

It is very important that employees remain with us for the duration of their contracted period, as it is critical to our success to employ a full staff for the entire season. If you are a student and need to return to school before the season ends, or you find that you may have other obligations, we request that you discuss them prior to accepting a position with us. We desire to say farewell and send our seasonal employees into the autumn season with good memories and the satisfaction of knowing that they have fulfilled their commitment and have pride in a job well done.

Brief job overviews:

At Within The Wild Adventure Company, we believe in quality, especially in our kitchens. In our award-winning fine-dining kitchens, we prepare our foods from scratch. We use local Alaska products when possible, grow seasonal gardens, and serve innovative and exciting cuisine to both our guests and to our staff.

Chefs in our kitchens are professionals who work closely together as a team to create seasonal menus that are some of the most innovative cuisines served in Alaska.

Our chefs are part of our leadership and management teams. We look for chefs at Tutka Bay Lodge who can contribute to our guests’ Alaskan adventure through insightful cooking demos, inspiring cuisine, and a passion for infusing the local food narrative into each dish. A strong candidate can work in a remote environment, exhibit advanced professional skills, and take pride in “at-the-stove” work. Lodge chefs must prepare three meals daily for guests and staff and be proficient in catering to specific dietary restrictions.

We operate a small 5-table cafe in the seaside village of Homer. We are looking for one chef manager who can oversee day-to-day cafe operations, manage employees, order and manage food inventory, and cook. We hire several cooks, servers, and dishwashers to fill our daily 5 AM to 4 PM work schedule. Our cafe serves organic local cuisine.

 

Housekeepers work 10-12 hours per day, with one day off per week. During your day off, depending on which lodge you are assigned to, there are opportunities for local recreation or perhaps trips in to town.

We are looking for mature, responsible self starters who take pride in their work, are interested in interacting with our guests, and have the ability to be good team members. Housekeeping candidates should be able to lift 50 pounds. For more information please contact us at employment@withinthewild.com

We own a 35-acre farm in Homer where we primarily grow flowers such as peonies. We also grow vegetables and other agricultural products at the farm.

We hire garden and harvest assistants for the farm, we hire culinary help as well to assist Kirsten with cooking classes held at our private event center.

Our naturalist guides interact with guests and guide them in various adventure activities: hiking, heli-hiking, glacier travel, and rafting – and sea-kayaking, hiking, and interpretive skills at Tutka Bay Lodge.

All our guides are expected to be Wilderness First Responder Certified, competent in outdoor skills, demonstrate exceptional people skills, and exhibit leadership abilities. Helicopter and dog mushing experience is a plus.We are interested in remarkable outdoor guides who have the compassion and communicative skills to inspire and entertain our guests.

All our employees are expected to contribute to some of the chores of daily life at camp. It is important to us that you understand the full scope of life in an Alaska remote lodge. Our hours are long (the sun doesn’t go down for the majority of the summer), our workload can be intense, and our guests are incredible. It is adventurous and rewarding work for the right candidate.

Positions are available May 1 to Sept 30 for Tutka Bay.