Office Assistant (linguist/walk organiser)

Outdoor days

Naturally, we want you to get out into the mountains and enjoy the area. At least twice a week (not including your day off), you will be timetabled to have an 'Outdoor Day', whilst another manager looks after domestic issues in the village. These days will hopefully be exhilarating and sociable. A busy resort-based day can be tiring and stressful and a day in these majestic massifs in good company will recharge your batteries and make life seem good!

Outdoor Days involve accompanying guests on our Organised Walks and helping in the evening at 'Office Hour' (and occasionally in one of the chalets at dinner). These are the days on which you can enjoy the breathtaking scenery that surrounds us in the Dolomites in the company of our guests, who, like you, are likely to have a passion for walking in the great outdoors.

Most of the walking we do in the Dolomites is very well way marked and straightforward to navigate without previous knowledge of the area. We tend to stick to routes we know are tried-and-tested winners, (occasionally our staff explore new routes on a day off, so that they might include it in our 'Organised Walk' programme). However, that said, you may occasionally find yourself with a group of 25 or more people, so confidence in navigation and familiarity with map reading in mountainous or wilderness areas are important.

• Eat a good breakfast in the staff kitchen before meeting up with the guests, who have subscribed to 'your' walk. We congregate for walks at 9am - you will be at the meeting point at 8.50am. (Some longer routes depart at 8.00 or 8.30pm).
• Pass on safety information about what kit and equipment to carry.
• After sorting out any transport arrangements you would normally ride in a guest's car to the start of the walk (one or two routes start from the village, but more often than not we drive to the starting points, normally between 20 and 50 minutes away).
• Before setting out on the walk we give a talk about how we intend to organise the day and to make sure everyone is aware of their own responsibility, reminding people gently that you are not a qualified guide etc.
• During the walk you need to be able to navigate confidently whilst keeping a discreet eye on the condition of the guests and progress of the party.
• Without intruding on your walking companions, try and talk to as many people as possible, getting to know them a little along the way. If you have walked or climbed with friends before in the mountains, you will know it is a great way to get to know people - barriers come down and people are happy to share a bit of life history or put the world to rights.
• At all times during the walk you would behave in a responsible and mature manner, putting safety first.
• At the end of the walk (or on the way home) a stop at a bar for a beer/coffee/ice cream goes down well and is normally well deserved.
• Back in resort you need to go to 'Office Hour' from 6.00 pm till 7.30pm, helping people organise their next day's itineraries and generally playing your role as a host within the village.
• After 8pm you would eat with the rest of the 'Outdoor Day' team in the staff kitchen/dining room, and whilst the occasional domestic job might need your input (for example meat gets delivered and needs unpacking after 9pm on a Friday), you would normally have the rest of the evening off.

Important: the 'Domestic Day / Outdoor Day' rota (with the various jobs they entail) is only the beginning of your responsibility to the job - not the end. Jobs can crop up unexpectedly and usually they need to be carried out immediately. We aim to recruit people who are prepared to 'go the extra mile;' people who will drop what they are doing (work or leisure) to help out when necessary.

Qualifications and Experience required for a 'office resposibilities'

To get the most out of this experience, we cannot over exaggerate the importance of having a keen interest in the alpine environment and mountain activities, especially walking or climbing. There is very little to do in the villages in which we are based unless you are an outdoor enthusiast. If you are looking for a lively nightlife, forget it! We tend to socialise in the chalets or in a local bar with our guests or other members of the staff team.

The following are absolutely essential:

• A good level of spoken and written Italian. You should be able to express yourself reasonably well.
• Efficiency and attention to detail. and to see a job through to its end.
• Common sense and willingness to see a job through to its end.
• Polite, responsible and helpful nature / Engaging personality / Well presented.
• Respect for and interest in people, places and local culture.
• Positive energy, hard work and a willingness to get stuck into a range of day to day domestic and menial resort chores.
• Team skills /compatibility - a tolerant, flexible and supportive attitude.
• The willingness to do jobs over and above a timetabled schedule.
• A keen interest in walking or climbing or general interest in the outdoors. Reasonable experience of walking in the mountains and navigating using a map in mountainous or wilderness areas.
• Focus on and interest in the well-being and safety of others.
• Availability from mid-May to early October.

Outdoor Experience Required:

• Reasonable experience of walking in the mountains and navigating using a map in mountainous or wilderness areas.
• You need to be relatively fit and confident in high level mountain terrain and happy to accompany groups of guests on any grade of walk, whilst enjoying the day yourself.

A bonus but not essential:

• Full Driving Licence (accompanied of course by safe and sound driving skills).
• A basic First Aid qualification - would you be prepared to take a basic First Aid course prior to joining Collett's?

Training & Awareness

We dedicate the first two weeks of the season to 'Staff Training & Awareness' and 'Local Orientation.'

All of our staff, especially our Walk and Via Ferrata Organisers, must offer accurate and suitable advice to our clients at all times and so, once in resort, everyone is required to nurture a good level of local information and to take an interest in the local geography.

Much of this 'Training & Awareness' period therefore includes an extensive familiarisation programme of the local area with a series of walks, talks and drives. It is essential that, within as short a period as possible, you can talk about the area with knowledge and authority.

Of equal importance are the procedures and techniques that apply to the safety, efficiency and success of both Outdoor Days and Domestic Days.

The following areas are covered - (With areas such as First Aid, Food Hygiene and Driving etc.. we cannot provide certified training as such, but we do raise your awareness of the relevant safety issues as much as we can).

• 'Organised Walks' - procedures and safety.
• Hosting, Hospitality and Guest Wellbeing.
• Local Knowledge, the Walks & Neighbouring Valleys.
• Office Hour.
• Cleaning, Changeovers & Chalet Kitchen Assistance.
• First Aid.
• Food Hygiene.
• Driving in the Mountains.
• Airport Transfers.
• Packed Lunches.