Guide with Butterfly Tours
Butterfly Tours is currently accepting applications from certified assistant sea kayak guides who are interested in working on Haida Gwaii during the summer of 2013. Prospective guides may also be interested in our apprentice program.
We specialize in providing multi-day guided wilderness trips in single kayaks. Butterfly Tours assistant guides generally work four to eight weeks each summer, while enjoying the unique benefits of paddling a single kayak on every trip. Our tours operate in the most remote regions of Gwaii Haanas. This is a guiding experience like no other in British Columbia.
We operate within Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve & Haida Heritage Site. Parks Canada requires all Gwaii Haanas licensed sea kayak guides to hold valid certification. Butterfly Tours prefers guides who are certified by the Association of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides (ACSKG).
Butterfly Tours will consider applicants who currently hold, or are in the process of obtaining, ACSKG assistant sea kayak guide certification. We may also consider guides who are certified by the Canadian Federation of Ocean Kayak Educators (CFOKE), or the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Columbia (SKGABC). These three professional associations provide the only guide certifications recognized by Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.
- The ACSKG's certification process requires:
- Restricted VHF radio operator's certificate (maritime)
- Completion of a certified leadership course
- Recognized wilderness first aid certificate
- Preferred course providers:
- VHF radio operator's certificate: Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons
- Certified leadership course: Evolution Guide School
- First aid course: Wilderness Alert
The assistant guide position with Butterfly Tours involves long hours of work with little or no time off during the guiding contract. Daily tasks include chopping wood, cleaning fish, cooking over a campfire and doing dishes. Successful applicants will be courteous, personable, physically fit, highly coordinated, well organized and willing to attend a one-week training trip before paid work begins.
Apprentice and assistant guides are provided with three meals a day plus the use of a kayak, sprayskirt, paddle, spare paddle and PFD during the trips. Guides are required to provide their own tent and between-meal snack foods.
The assistant guide position requires excellent communication skills plus an ability to pay consistent attention to details. Successful applicants' resumes will reflect these qualities.
To apply to Butterfly Tours, please email Gord a PDF file containing your resume. Gord appreciates receiving concise resumes; one-page PDF files are preferred. Correct spelling and grammar, as well as an attractive page layout, help make a document appear as if the author took some time to pay attention to details. Please include in the body of your email a brief cover letter outlining why you wish to guide with Butterfly Tours specifically. Please mention in the cover letter that you have read this employment web page. Thank you.
There are numerous additional prerequisites and qualifications. Parks Canada requires guides to become registered, please contact Gord to receive the Parks Canada application.
Thanks for your interest in working with Butterfly Tours.
Please contact Gord for more information.
Invest in a Lifestyle
Under the right circumstances, Gord would consider selling Butterfly Tours. Purchase options include a one-year training period, to ensure complete and successful transfer of all aspects of the business.
For more information, please see: Invest in a Lifestyle