Employment with Oregon River Experiences

How to apply if you have worked elsewhere as a guide

We expect to have openings for both full-time and part time guides, and in January 2010 we will begin accepting applications for the 2010 season from both new and experienced guides.

Experienced guides are encouraged to submit an employment application. Click here to download a PDF version of O.R.E.'s river guide application form. (Print out this form then complete and mail, fax or email it to us. Click here if you need to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.)   Or contact our office to request that a form be mailed or emailed to you. 

O.R.E. will contact selected applicants to arrange for an interview. Interviews begin in February.

How to land a job if you have not worked as a guide

If you are not already a river guide you’ll need to attend a guide training course (often termed a guide school or guide training workshop). We recommend our own guide school (of course), but a number of other outfitters offer good training courses as well. Feel free to contact us for recommendations. Follow this link to learn more about our program.

Guide school participants learn a great deal in a relatively short time. Still, for those who want to become professional guides, additional training will be necessary. For this reason O.R.E. offers post guide school on-the-job training opportunities for course graduates. Designed for those who've completed a guide school and are interested in employment with O.R.E., our assistant guide program provides valuable work experience. As an Assistant Guide you will work alongside our experienced crew on our regular commercial trips. This on-the-job training is an excellent way to develop the skills and gain the experience that leads to employment. There is no charge (and usually no pay) for this work experience training.

Please note: If you’re looking for employment as a river guide you’ll need to complete a First Aid and CPR course. Basic First Aid is the minimum requirement. Advanced First Aid or Wilderness First Responder courses are recommended but not required.

How difficult is it to find work as a guide?

What are the chances you’ll be able to find work as a guide? At O.R.E. we believe that an individual’s personality and social insight are the most important elements in the making of a truly superior  guide. While excellent river skills are indispensable, when we hire guides we look first for people who have a high degree of personal sensitivity and social perception. So if you have strong people skills, if you have a good work ethic, and if you’re on the way to developing competency on the river the answer is that your chances at O.R.E. may be good.

Guiding is a seasonal job for most people. For some, the demands of career and relationships make seasonal work difficult to stay with after a time, and they move on to other pursuits. As a result, outfitters – O.R.E. included – periodically seek to hire new talent.

Beginners should generally expect to spend between at least 2 and as many as 4 weeks in post-workshop training before graduating to a paid guide position. How long you spend as an assistant depends partly on your own skills and also on whether you are training for day trips (a shorter training period in most cases) or multi-days (a longer training period). During this training period assistants may still earn pay when driving shuttles, assisting in the shop, or (in some cases) rowing baggage boats on multi-day trips.

O.R.E.’s pay scale is based on seniority, river, and other factors, and runs from $75 to $150 per day (not including tips). Industry pay scales vary widely, ranging from $45 to $150 (or more) per day.