Employment

Employment at Coastal Bliss Adventures
and Cowichan Bay Kayaking

• Who We Hire

  We hire people that really want to work outdoors and have a sense of purpose. We really look for the following qualities:
  ✔ Confident with people, easy with a conversation.
  ✔ Interested in people and want to help them experience the outdoors.
  ✔ Proactive to take care of problems and to find solutions with few resources.
  ✔ Loves to learn and pick up new skills.
  ✔ Has a real and driving reason to be a guide.
  ✔ Is looking for mutual commitment for the future.
  We have hired guides with little or no qualification, just experience outdoors and a real reason to guide. Of course, that is a rare find, but not being a fully qualified guide does not prevent you from working for us.
  We also look for local youth in the Cowichan Valley that want to be outdoors and are willing to build their skill levels. These junior leaders might take on smaller responsibilities within the things we do.
  We usually hire several full-time and several part-time people for our season that runs from mid-May into September.

• Qualifications

  We do multiple activities, so guides that have broader experience and qualifications are better suited to what we do, particularly for full-time work.
  Qualifications We Look For:
  ❤ SKGABC Assistant Overnight Guide (AOG) Certification
  ❤ Wilderness First Aid(40-50 Hour) Certification with CPR-C
  ❤ SKGABC Level 1 Guide Certification
  ❤ Class 4 Unrestricted Commercial Driving License
  ❤ Advanced Wilderness First Aid (80-90 Hour) Certification
  ❤ Paddle Canada Basic or Level 1 Instructor Certification
  ✚ Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) Assistant Hiking Guide Certification
  ✚ SKGABC Level 2 or higher Guide Certification
  ✚ Canoeing Instructor Certification
  There are some obvious overlaps in the listed certifications that we love to see. Certifications do not guarantee anyone a lead guide position. That comes with experience and trust. What we really look for on top of certifications is:
  ❤ Lots of experience outdoors and some experience leading and taking responsibility for others.

• What Working With Us Looks Like

  We have multiple tasks that must get done to serve our clients every day. Rarely do we have an employee or contractor that focuses on one activity only. The people we hire full-time will be doing all of the following over the course of the season, depending on qualifications:
  ➫ Renting gear and assisting clients for tours at our dock in Cowichan Bay
  ➫ Guiding short kayak tours in Cowichan Bay
  ➫ Leading or assisting on kids' camps in Cowichan Bay or Maple Bay
  ➫ Prepping food and gear for multi-day hiking and kayaking tours
  ➫ Assisting on multi-day hiking or kayaking tours
  ➫ Driving clients and kids to activities
  ➫ Creating posts and marketing materials
  ➫ Cleaning and maintaining gear and premises
  ➫ If fully trained and qualified, lead multi-day hiking or kayaking tours
  We have qualification levels that we call Guide & Outfitter I, II, III, IV, V, VI, or VII (GO-I through VII). We also have Technical Operations positions I, II, III, or IV (TECHOPS-I through IV). Responsibilities and advancement are based on these levels. Most people start at GOI or GOII, or TECHOPS-I or II. TECHOPS-I and II, and GO-I and II would be working mostly at our dock and doing prep work. GO-I and II are qualified to lead and assist on short kayaking tours, and may be qualified to lead day tours for birding (with interpretive knowledge), lead and assist on kids' day camps, and to drive clients (with proper driving license).
  
  Details of our positions and scales can be seen here.

  A View of Coastal Bliss

  This is what we do. Usually lots of fun, but not necessarily glamorous!

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• Jobs At Coastal Bliss Adventures

  For the 2024 season, we are looking to fill the following positions:
  ☑ Dock Technician 1 and 2, TECHOPS-I, II
  ☑ Operations Technician 1, 2, TECHOPS-III, IV
  ☑ Administrative Technician 1, 2, TECHOPS-III, IV
  ☑ Lead Guides: GO I, II, III, & IV (SKGABC AOG, Level 2 and 3)
  Coastal Bliss Adventures will also be looking for qualified hiking guides for multiday hiking tours, GO-V through VII.

• Covid-19 Message

  CBA Welcome & Abbreviated COVID_19 Policy (see complete document)
  It is well advertised and documented that the best practice to contain the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home and limit visits to public places. Our first priority is the health and safety of our employees, guests and communities through these challenging times.
  As our staff and management carefully watch the trends of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Federal and Provincial directives, we are monitoring the recommendations and precautionary measures of the World Health Organization, Health Canada, the BC Centre for Disease Control, and our provincial health officer. While we acknowledge that the best practice is to stay home, given the nature of the activity of kayaking, canoeing, SUP boarding and hiking, in wide open spaces, and with protocols in place, we are confident that the service of adventure tourism and tours that we offer can continue, whilst reducing the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus to customers and employees. It is acknowledged that participating in outdoor activities can offer health benefits to both the participants physical, mental, and emotional well- being.
  Management at Coastal Bliss Adventures are committed to the ongoing safety of customers, employees and local and indigenous communities. Various precautionary measures have been put in place to help reduce the risk of virus transmission. Safety will rely on the full cooperation of our customers and employees from the time we arrive at the facility / tour until the time we leave.
  

  A full list of the internal measures we have implemented can be found on our websites www.coastalbliss.ca and www.cowichanbaykayaking.com.
  We acknowledge that every customer will make their own decision as to whether it is in their best interest to participate in our water and land-based activities during these times or not. However, should you choose to join us, we will welcome you and require your full cooperation with regards to the measures that have been implemented for everyone's safety.
  Stay safe,
  Georgia Newsome
  Gary Ward

  COVID_19 Protocol (see complete document)

   

• Covid-19 Policies and Protocols

  1. GENERAL MESSAGING TO CUSTOMERS
  1. If you have underlying medical conditions, it is recommended that you take precautions when visiting any public facility. Anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19, which primarily displays as a persistent cough, will not be permitted to enter the facility, or participate in tours. If you do not feel well or have been in contact with others who are unwell, please stay home.  When in doubt, get tested!
  2. Online or over the phone booking and payment is preferred. If payment is required at the time of the tour (day and partial- day tours), only credit cards will be accepted. We can accept cash, but do not maintain any funds for change.
  3. PHYSICAL DISTANCING (minimum 2m/6ft apart) is still recommended while on site between groups who have not booked, traveled, and arrived together at our facility.
  4. The exception to PHYSICAL DISTANCING of 2m/6ft is within shuttle vehicles, water taxis or float planes and big canoe.  In these situations, masks, or appropriate alternate option (for those unable to wear a mask) may be worn at all times. (Please see Transportation).
  5. Following the recommendations of Health Canada, we do not require customers to wear a mask while present at the facility; however, we request that you bring a mask for use at times when physical distancing is not possible. This may be while on the kayak dock, or during a hiking tour and that on multi-day tours you have at least one spare mask. Parks Canada is still recommending masks in many areas.
  6. We recommend that you bring hand sanitizer and use it every time you touch a foreign surface (doors, doorknobs, seats, railings).
  7. Day and part- day tours: Please bring your own water as we will not be providing any and will have no place for you to fill up your water bottles at this time.
  8. Multi-Day tours: We will have strict protocol around use of water filters and treatment systems, and guests are encouraged to bring a 'Lifestraw' bottle or some other form of personal water filtration and sterilization system.
  9. The washrooms on-site at Cowichan Bay Kayaking are managed by Blue Nose Marina and typically not for client use. The marina facilities will be disinfected frequently. If you need a washroom at our facility, please ask our staff for the key.

   

  1. CHECK-IN POLICIES
  1. Online or over-the-phone booking is recommended, including payment; however, drop-ins are now welcome, subject to any protocols.

  COVID_19 Protocol (see complete document)