IS WORKING FOR LA VIDA EXPEDITIONS A GOOD FIT FOR ME?

Is my spiritual life at a point where I can encourage others towards a relationship with Jesus?
At La Vida, we play an instrumental part in the development of students in their walk with God. Trip leaders especially will be sharing devotionals and will often be asked for spiritual advice as well. Prayerfully think through your own personal relationship with God and if you are in a position to care for others physically, emotionally and spiritually.

What age group do I enjoy spending time with?
Regardless of what type of trip you went on, did you know that La Vida leads expeditions for more than just college groups? If you come to work with us, you’ll be interacting with participants ages 13 to 21. You may work with a parent-child trip, or with high school students, or church groups.

How do I deal with being out in the rain or around bugs?
Your participants are not the only ones who will need to grow through facing challenges in the outdoors! As a trip leader or base camp staff, you will be out in the elements working with the participants. So whether that’s rain, cold, or mosquitos, you’ll need to support each other through the difficulties of living outside!

Am I willing to be flexible and go with the flow when the work day doesn’t always look the same?
You may be hired for one position, but just because you were hired to help with trip food, you likely will still need to help cook a meal or belay at a rock climb. Or, depending on the number of trips per session, our trip leaders sometimes need to stay and work with base camp staff. We do our best to set expectations for the schedule, but there are often changes throughout our programming.

Can I think on my feet and problem solve?
Think through your ability to step up and problem solve when the situation requires some creative thinking. If you work for base camp, you will need to be able to see the bigger picture and help out where you’re needed.

Am I a good team player/co-leader?
Consider if you can take charge when given additional responsibility. At the same time, think through your ability to be humble and follow the guidance of others. We all will have specialties during our work at La Vida and we need to transition between taking charge and listening to others in order to do our work well.

Do I care about giving to an intentional community?
At La Vida Base Camp we are working, eating and hanging out together for most of the day. It can often be a lot more interaction than you might be used to in your day-to-day life. Consider if you are willing to step into a community that desires a lot of quality time together. Are you willing to step in and be engaged with a tight-knit staff? This often takes a willingness to be vulnerable and trust others.

Do I enjoy being outdoors?
As you may already know, La Vida is an experience built for the outdoors. Whether you’re leading trips or with the base camp staff, you’ll be outside for a lot of the time. Hopefully that is exciting to you and sounds like a good fit!

Am I able to work hard? 
Living in a community, especially one like La Vida, requires a level of sacrifice and effort that is different from most other jobs. As either a trip leader or base camp staff, you will be responsible for a lot of the students’ experience during their expedition. This requires focus and a clear work ethic.

Developing Relevant Skills

During your work for La Vida Expeditions you will develop and invest in the following long-term skills and certifications:

•  National certification through Wilderness Medical Association (trip leaders)
•  Practical leadership experience in a dynamic and challenging environment
•  Wilderness travel and camping skills
•  Introduction to outdoor education theories and philosophies
•  Belay training for both high ropes courses and outdoor rock climbing
•  Current best-practices for challenge course facilitation