Pay and Benefits

10 Darn Good Reasons to join High Trails

Nobody ever got into Outdoor Education to get rich. However, we've all got to survive, pay off our bills, buy a couple of toys, and maybe save just a bit. Believe it or not, outdoor education can be an affordable pastime. Here's what we can offer you to come work with us:

1. Single Duty Starting Rate of $60 a day: if you have residential outdoor education experience we will credit you days towards progressing though levels and pay increases. PLEASE NOTE; our positions are designed to give you time off, so you can still have a life. Single duty is Cabins (5pm through 10:30am) or Field (9am through 6:30pm). There are places out there that pay more, but also require you to work more on a daily basis; this is a recipe for burnout. We want you to love your job and truly enjoy your time with the students, so the most common week at High Trails is singe duty. Don't get your hopes up too much, though -  there is a healthy amount of time and a half and double duty available.

2. Time and a Half Starting Rate of $90 a day: available on average 1 out of every 4 weeks. This one is for you if you like sharing both kids and time off. Here you have a cabin group and share a field group with another instructor. One person would teach the morning classes and the other the afternoon classes, or whatever you work out with the other instructor. Pay is one and a half times your daily rate each day of the program.

3. Double Duty Rate Starting at $120 a day: available on average 1 out of every 4 weeks. Take this one on if you are resilient and keep begging the kids to dish out more, and if you want to earn double pay. Here you would have a cabin and a trail group all week to teach.  Pay is double your daily rate each full day of program, one and a half times your rate on the last day of program.

4. Move Up Levels and Earn More: we have a detailed level system that encourages you to learn and push yourself, and rewards you accordingly.  See our Levels here.

5. Environmental Incentives: carpooling, recycling, biking to work, and getting out on the weekends. We try to back up what we believe in, and are super proud of this program! See the plan here!

6. Room and Food: we cover the rent. You've got to cover utilities of gas, water and electric; this forces to you to walk the talk and conserve your recources. See more about living arrangements here. With Food, we'll feed you all through the program week. Pretty darn good food, for carnivores and vegetarians alike.

7. PRO-DEALS: lots of them as you progress through the levels. 

8. HEALTH INSURANCE: we require all of our instructors to have some kind of health coverage and will assist them financially in this endeavor; see Health Insurance for more details.

9. Full Disclosure: ever take a job, show up for your first day of work, then look around and say "ummm....this isn't what I thought it would be...."? We have, so our goal is to let you know the entire picture before you come out here. It's a big step getting a job without ever actually seeing the program and facilities in action, so through this website you will see pictures, details and everything else that we can think of that will give you an accurate picture. If you don't see something you want to see, please let us know!

10. A Quality Small Business with Fantastic References: we can espouse forever about how much work we've put in to make this the best possible experience for both you and the students, but you shouldn't trust us (or anyone else out there) without solid references from actual staff that have worked at the program. We ask you for references, so it's only fair that we give you some as well. Check OUR references out here!

Health Insurance

Health Insurance is a tough issue these days. It used to be, years ago, that people would hire on with a company, and one of the incentives to stay with the job for a long period of time was the "group" health insurance that was offered. As people tended to not only stick with the same job for quite a while, but also have families early in their lives, this health insurance was a very important factor in their compensation.

Group health insurance, the type of insurance traditionally offered by employers, is a very expensive type of insurance. It is based on the premise that everyone in the company is covered by the insurance, regardless of any preexisting conditions they may have. Because of this the healthier people end up paying the same premiums as the not-so-healthy people. The same concept is true, to a lesser extent, when families are involved. It often occurs that those without families or dependents subsidize the insurance of those with families. Both of these factors mean that "group" health insurance is a pretty expensive option.

Group health insurance is also only available while you are employed through the company that offers it. This is great you work at the same position for 10 years; if, however, you will bounce back and forth between jobs searching for your niche in life, it will mean that you will be in and out of health care coverage a whole lot. Or, like many people, you will forsake insurance all together.

Today's job environment is a little bit different; most of us will have multiple careers and work for multiple companies during our life (often even during the course of a single year...). We will wait longer before we get married and have families. This, coupled with the ever increasing cost of group health insurance, means that we've got to find a better, longer term solution for the people that come work with us as instructors.

We want our instructors to be healthy, and when they are sick, to have inexpensive ways to get better. We also want to help set them up for their future years, so they can keep teaching students, wherever they are at. Because of this, we REQUIRE our instructors to choose from these three health options:

1. Get "Individual" Health Insurance. On average, this option offers the same benefits as insurance offered through group plans at half the cost. Individual health insurance is obtained by and through the individual, and is based on age and health factors; it is possible to be turned away if you have preexisting conditions. Once you sign up for this policy, it is yours, whether you work with us or not. If you choose this option you must visit the website http://www.ehealthinsurance.com or http://www.tonik.com (or another reputable agency) and do some research on a good health insurance plan. You can decide whether you want a high deductible, lower cost insurance, or a co-payment, higher cost insurance. There are many choices, and only you can decide what is best. You are responsible for signing up for this plan and for paying the costs associated with it. We will add to your paycheck your non-taxed health insurance stipend, based on your current level.

2. Sign up for a Health Benefit Plan: this is an inexpensive, not insurance option that gives you discounts when you go to the doctor or pharmacy, and offers $5000 in emergency room coverage. This is the bare minimum of what we will let you have while you work at High Trails. The greatest benefit of this plan is that if you break your leg on a weekend adventure you can go to the emergency room and have some peace of mind. You can sign up for this plan through High Trails, and we can deduct the cost of the plan from your paycheck. See all the details here!

3. You already have Health Insurance: if you already have health insurance, whether it is through your college, your parents, or yourself, you are set and ready. 

Bear in mind that any accident or injury that occurs in a workplace setting is covered by a Worker's Compensation insurance policy. Because of this policy, we know you will be safe and protected while you are at work. We require you to have some kind of health coverage so that you will be safe and protected outside of work as well.

During staff training we will provide time to discuss and choose your health option. Whichever option you choose we will require you to provide us with current proof of health coverage. You cannot elect to take the health insurance stipend without choosing one of the above options, and you cannot work with us if you do not choose one of the above options. Our hope and goal is that you get a good individual health insurance plan and keep it through the years, so that you are always protected and healthy.

The health stipend we provide you depends on your current level at High Trails.
Please see details of the levels for complete information.