Join a team creating lifelong memories
Co-leaders are the heart of every trip. Working alongside a Trip Director and a fellow co-leader, you will guide a group of teens on a 10-20 day backpacking and fly fishing trip, spending your days on the trail and on the water with them. Our leadership model is collaborative: the three leaders plan each day together, share the teaching, and work through problems as a team, with the Trip Director making the final call when one is needed. As a co-leader, you will be teaching casting, knots, reading water, and Leave No Trace, helping cook meals and set up camp, keeping an eye on group safety, and making sure every participant feels like part of the group. You are often the person a quiet kid opens up to or the one who helps a frustrated angler land their first fish. This role is for guides who are 21 or older, hold a Wilderness First Responder certification by staff training, and have a clean driving record. We are looking for people who work hard, communicate well with their team, stay flexible when the day doesn’t go as planned, and genuinely enjoy spending time with teenagers. In return, you get a summer on some incredible water and the chance to be one of the most memorable parts of a teenager’s trip.
Job Description
Co-leaders do a little bit of everything. On any given day you might be teaching a casting lesson, untangling a bird’s nest of fishing line, navigating a trail, cooking dinner for a dozen hungry teenagers, or talking a homesick participant through a rough night. You will support your Trip Director in making decisions, managing risk, and keeping the group on track, and you will be expected to step up and take the lead when the situation calls for it. The best co-leaders don’t wait to be told what needs doing. They see it and handle it. When done well, your participants will learn from you, trust you, and remember you long after the trip ends.
Job Requirements
Successful co-leaders are dependable, hardworking, and great with teens. You should have solid fly fishing and backpacking skills, be comfortable teaching both, and be able to keep a positive attitude when you’re tired, wet, and the fish aren’t biting. Co-leaders need to be strong team players who can take direction, share honest input, and pick up the slack when a teammate needs help. Most importantly, you need to understand that you are a role model every minute of the trip, and be ready to make sure every participant has a positive experience.
Minimum requirements:
Have a Wilderness First Responder certification valid from the start of the summer through the last date of their contract.
Have a valid driver’s license and clean driving record.
Be 21+ years old at the start of staff training.
Dates
Mandatory in-person staff training begins June 7th at our base camp in Ennis, MT. Contracts typically last through mid-July or early August. You are responsible for getting to Ennis or Bozeman by evening of June 6th. If planned ahead of time, we can also arrange a pickup in SLC. All contracts end back at base camp. You are responsible for getting home from Bozeman at the end of your contract. LFFE will cover any travel required during your contract.
Compensation and Benefits
Our co-leaders are essential to the success of every trip, and we pay accordingly. If you find another outdoor education company with a higher pay rate than ours, please let us know.
Co-leader pay is based on experience. Starting pay for co-leaders with no prior experience and who meet minimum requirements is $700 per week. Weekly rate increases with prior experience in a paid position, leading trips for LFFE or other companies, and additional certifications such as EMT, Swift Water Rescue, etc. Additional bonuses are available for staff referrals.
We do send trip leaders’ Venmo info to parents along with the final trip update. Tips should never be expected, but leaders who take lots of photos and help their Trip Director with parent updates often receive them.
All your necessary expenses are covered from the start of staff training until the end of your contract. That includes all lodging (tents), food, flies, and terminal tackle for use with participants. The only times you will need to spend money while on contract are for personal fishing equipment or meals you choose not to eat at camp.
Access to pro deals with most well-known outdoor, fly fishing, and camping brands, including Orvis, Sage, Scientific Anglers, Patagonia, Smith, and more.
Gain the experience and skills to step into a Trip Director role down the road.
Work alongside like-minded new friends you will most likely still be fishing with 5, 10, and 15 years later.
