We are now hiring for our 2024 season:

Sea Kayak Guides

Internship Guides

Base Crew

Office Staff

Commercial Bus Driver

Nordic Ventures is looking to hire key employees for our 2024 kayaking season, starting April 5th!  We request that you familiarize yourself with our website, tour program and client reviews before applying.

Our operational season runs from Early April to early October – available positions range from 4-6 months contract length. 

Positions Available/ Job descriptions

Sea Kayak Guide

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

You will be working as a Sea Kayak guide leading social group trips in the UNESCO World Heritage park of the Nærøyfjord. Trips range from 4 hours to 7 days and are all fully catered. We provide plenty of variation and some days will be spent working at our kayak base as well. You will work with our team of paddle professionals with a high passion for their work. 

Hourly rates for first year guides is NOK 165,-, plus 12% Holiday pay (GBP 14/ Euro 16/ US$ 17,5.  Overtime hours are paid with 40% extra.  

Location: Work is based out of Gudvangen: Most of our staff live in Voss – The Extreme sports capital of Norway and commute from there on our shuttle van.

Timeframe: April 5th to September 30th  (full season); June 20th to September 30th (peak season)

Number of positions available: No more guide positions available for 2024 but we accept applications for our 2025 season

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Preparing for kayak trips, including setting up kayaks and associated gear;
• Greeting clients, providing trip briefings and equipping clients with all sea kayaking equipment;
• Providing safety orientation for guests, including paddle technique and capsize briefings;
• Ensuring the safety of clients on trips through continual monitoring of potential hazards and observation of clients’ abilities;
• Monitoring tide, wind, and weather conditions;
• Providing an educational and enjoyable experience for clients through interpretation of wildlife, natural history, and social history of the Nærøyfjord and surrounding area;
• Setting up camp, instructing clients in camping etiquette, Leave No Trace principles and cooking great outdoor meals in the field;
• Preparing kayaks and gear and providing safety briefings for rental clients;
• Cleaning and drying of client paddling gear (wet suits, spray skirts, PFD’s, paddle jackets and neoprene booties);
• Drying and cleaning camping gear returning from trips (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats and rain tarps);
• Assisting other guides and base staff when required.

Qualifications required:

• Sea Kayak One, SKOANZ, NZOIA, BCU or similar Sea Kayaking Guide Certification or relevant work experience (you must have guided for at least two seasons commercially)
• European Passport allowing you to work in Norway – we assist qualified individuals from non EU-countries with Work Visa on a 50/50 shared cost basis.
• Current first aid and CPR certification;
• Excellent spoken and written English;
• A strong interest in learning and educating about local social and natural history.
• Reliable, self-motivated and enthusiastic with strong communication skills and the ability to converse with people from different cultures and backgrounds;
• Physically fit and enjoy being outdoors in all weather in a leading role.
• Driving license Class D1E and Code I95 passenger endorsement an advantage/ preferred but not a must.

Guides are required to provide the following personal equipment for their use:

• PFD; – Towline equipped and not worn out.
• Tow line;
• Water shoes;
• Tent;
• Sleeping bag;
• Sleeping mat;
• Hiking boots suitable for full-day hikes in sometimes wet terrain and on snow;
• Hiking day pack;
• Extensive guide First Aid kit suitable for use in wet environments;
• Warm, synthetic clothing suitable for outdoor activities.

Base Manager              ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Location: Gudvangen

Timeframe: Late April to late September

Number of positions available: Position Filled for 2024

Duties & Responsibilities:

The Base Manager is responsible for the day to day performance of the Sea Kayak base who supports our operation and work close with office staff, the guide team and the base workers. Overseeing all areas and keeping the base running efficient and tidy even at peak season

• Managing a team of 6+ staff members working at our base in a busy environment
• Working out staff rosters according to demand
• Working in a kitchen environment where food handling  procedures is required to be within Code 
• Creating and managing food orders for upcoming trips and co-ordinate with suppliers for pickup.
• Working with the base staff to get things done efficiently.

Qualifications required:

• Fluent in English
• Physically normally fit
• Able to work up to 6 days a week including weekends during busy periods.
• Team player
• Non-smoker

Base Crew

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Location: Gudvangen

Timeframe: April  16th  to September 25th

Number of positions available: All positions filled for our 2024 season

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Packing food and cooking gear for kayak and hiking trips – ranging from half-day through to 10 day trips. This often involves packing several trips per day within time restrictions and following checklists.
• Working in a kitchen environment where following procedures is required;
• Cleaning all cooking gear and food returning from trips – there are often multiple trips returning each day;
• Ordering and restocking food supplies;
• Creating and managing food orders for upcoming trips and co-ordinate with suppliers for pickup.
• Cleaning fridges, freezers and kitchen equipment on a daily basis.
• Receiving camping gear returning from trips (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and rain tarps) –  drying and cleaning, repacking meticulously, and storing for reuse;
• Repairing broken tents, rain tarps, and sleeping mats;
• Cleaning and drying wet suits, paddle jackets, spray skirts, PFDs and neoprene booties;
• Packing client gear bags for day trips and multi-day trips;
• Cleaning and repairing kayaks;
• Assisting with moving and preparing kayaks for guided trips and rentals;
• Assisting with the loading of kayaks onto trailers for transportation;
• Cleaning of Nordic Ventures vans.

Qualifications required:

• Fluent in English
• Physically fit
• EU Passport or must be able to obtain a Seasonal Work Visa for Norway at your own cost.

Office Staff 

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Location: Gudvangen

Timeframe: Mid-April to September 25th

Number of positions available: 1 

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Greeting clients and handling inquiries at the front desk;
• Booking trips and rentals over e-mail and phone;
• Entering confirmed bookings into our booking system and following up with clients;
• Processing trip and rental payments;
• Replying to e-mails continuously and keeping track of communication with clients;
• Answering phone inquiries;

Qualifications required:

• Flawless spoken and written English;
• Presentable
• Non-Smoker
• Positive attitude and outstanding customer service skills;
• Highly organized;
• Flexible, self-motivated and able to work without supervision.

Marketing Manager 

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Location: Gudvangen or remotely

Timeframe: January to September

Number of positions available: Position Filled

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Developing a full understanding of our business quickly and leading our marketing campaigns efficiently for the 2024 season
• Developing digital content, Ads, Promotions, and Web site management
• Manage Social Media advertising and updates
• Managing guide team input for content contributions
• Monitoring effects of campaigns

Qualifications required:

• Flawless spoken and written English on a text writer level, you have the ability to create content of high quality with matching text.
• Familiar with graphic design software, WordPress, Photoshop and similar
• References to work previously completed
• Excellent computer skills, including MS Office;
• Highly organized;
• Flexible, self-motivated, and able to work with or without supervision
• Non-smoker

Bus Driver 2024 season 

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Location: Based in Voss or relocating there

Timeframe: May 15th to September 20th

Number of positions available: 1

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Safe and Courteous transportation of our clients at all times:
• Responsible driving at all times:
• Meeting clients in Voss and transporting them to our Sea Kayaking Center in Gudvangen;
• Transporting clients back from Gudvangen to Voss;
• Transporting clients from Gudvangen to Undredal and return;
• Picking up clients from the cruise ship dock in Flåm;
• Driving frequent airport shuttles to and from Bergen Flesland airport;
• Complying with the Commercial Driving Regulations of Norway
• Daytime and occasional nighttime driving required.

Qualifications required:

• Clean criminal record – you will need to obtain a Norwegian Police Clearance (Kjøreseddel) prior to work start.
• Full Class D bus licence with Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC, also known as Code I 95) and proof of your driver qualification card to drive a 50 seater bus.
• European Code I 95 on your driving license.
• Good logistical understanding, – can manage airport pick-ups of groups un-supervised, speak up to groups and provide clear and concise information in English when needed.
• Team Player and able to communicate well with base staff, guides and clients alike.
• Good technical understanding of vehicles and trailers and the ability to perform basic maintenance as needed.

Internship Guide Trainee 

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM 

Current # of unfilled positions: All positions filled for our 2024 season – we accept applications for our 2025 season

Sea Kayak Guide trainee/ internships: April 23rd to September 12th 2023.

We have 6 internship guide trainee positions for the 2024 season. If you are burning for making a career in the outdoor industry, our Internship guide trainee course may be a great way for you to get started.

Becoming a good guide requires passion, dedication, hard work and a lot of time. Often you will need to work many days, weeks or months for free while building up your qualification and experience level. This can be a hard and frustrating process and you don’t always end up with guaranteed work.

At Nordic Ventures we don’t believe in unpaid internships as we respect your time and value your efforts.
At the same time, we are unable to offer fully paid guide jobs to people who do not meet our minimum requirements for the guide positions listed. We have therefore developed our own internship program which includes training, equipment and everything needed in order to get started with guiding, without having to invest a lot of free time and money prior to securing your first guide job.

Our Internship Program consists of the following modules:

• A Fjord Guiding module introducing you to Sea Kayaking, Hiking and the area we guide in.
• A White Water Kayaking module to greatly improve your kayaking skills in a short time
• An Open Water Kayaking module in exposed parts of the Norwegian West-Coast to further build your skills and group management skills.
• A First Aid Course and various lessons covering safety in the outdoors
• Kitchen, Base and Guide work at Nordic Ventures paid by an hourly rate – 800 hours of work guaranteed
• A Gear package that you will need to complete some of the modules above

How does it work?

Accepted candidates will be offered the Internship Guide Trainee package that are basically the training modules listed above. You pay a tuition fee and a gear fee for this course, which is then deducted from your salary during the season so that all in all you actually end up with quite a good deal:

Tuition/ Course fee: NOK 12.000,- ( 3 modules, various company training )

Gear fee: NOK 4500,- ( Guide PFD with towing line, Paddle Jacket, Neoprene Spray skirt –  yours to keep)

Total Course package: NOK 16500,- (if you have your suitable PFD and Sprayskirt that we can approve, you can save the gear costs of NOK 4500,-) The costs of the course package is not paid upfront but deducted from the first 2 months wages.

Work: In conjunction with/ following your training program, you will be offered work in our operation on a starting level. This will involve kitchen work, base work and guiding tours. All this work is paid for and will help you insure you can complete the Internship Guide Trainee program at no expense and still have a fair amount of money in the bank at the end of the season. A rough calculation shows that after paying for the Course Fee, Gear Fee, Taxation on your salary, House Rent and Food Expenses, you should still be able to save up to around NOK 60.000,- over the summer. We think that is a fair deal.

At the end of the season, you may want to pursue a certification process to have all your accumulated experience turned into a rating or certificate. We are able to assist you with documentation for your acquired skills but any certification costs are to be paid for by the Internship Trainees themselves as Nordic Ventures is not a certifying body or organization. The possibilities for this will be discussed with the accepted candidates as it may be beneficial to you to become certified in your own country depending on your future work wishes.

Our season runs from Mid-April to early October – The Internship Guide Trainee Course starts on April 23rd 2024 and will end by September 12th. You are required to arrive in Norway and complete tax office registration prior to works start  on April 23rd.

To express your interest in this program or apply to be accepted, please fill out our online guide application and select Internship. Please make sure to include a couple or recent and clear close up images when sending us your resume. Incomplete resumes may not receive a reply.

Personal Requirements you need to have to be considered for an internship

Internship Guide Trainee requirements:

• • European Passport

You can still apply if you don’t hold a European Passport but UDI processing fees will cost you NOK 6300,- for your Visa.

• Hold a valid driver’s license for a regular car, candidates with a minibus license + passenger endorsement preferred
• Fluent in English and strong verbal Communication Skills
• A good swimmer
• Great people skills and client-focused.
• Other keywords: Hard Working, Outdoor enthusiast, Team player, Fit, Neat appearance
• Non-Smoker