Join Our Team
Treeswift Wildlife & Nature
Treeswift Wildlife & Nature is a wildlife watching and nature organisation, committed to helping people connect with the natural world. We specialise in world-class wildlife and nature tours around Victoria, Australia, and Southeast Asia, offering a diverse variety of trips ranging from birdwatching and mammal watching, to spotlighting, photography courses, multi-day tours, and other unique nature experiences.
We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic and professional individuals who are passionate about wildlife and the natural world to join our team, both in Victoria, Australia-wide, and even overseas. Treeswift Wildlife & Nature is an equal opportunity employer where we welcome and recognise the diversity of our workforce and community.
Tour Guides & Photography Guides/Tutors
About the Position(s):
Treeswift Wildlife & Nature are looking for enthusiastic wildlife watchers and nature lovers who are interested in entering into the ecotourism and wildlife guiding industry. Interested applicants should have a keen interest in birds and other wildlife and already have some experience in either finding species in the wild or guiding. The role will include leading a variety of our events and tours, including our private bookings and group events, both on your own and with other members of our team.
The guiding will include a variety of different experiences but will be tailored specifically to your strengths and the availability of our team (ie. Birding tours, spotlighting events, photography workshops, mammal watching, plants/fungi, etc). Training will be provided and successful applicants will work and shadow our current team to help learn specific field skills such as leading a group, tour management, use of various field equipment, and wildlife finding/identification.
Photography Tutor/Guide focussed applicants should have at least 5+ years as a wildlife/nature photographer, be experienced and familiar with standard camera equipment/brands, have great people skills, be familiar with post-production software, and an interest in teaching and working with guests needs/requirements/equipment when leading our events and workshops.
Workload:
All successful applicants will start on a casual basis as we undergo training, with the intention of moving into either part-time or full-time roles over a 3-6 month period based on the performance and availability of the candidate. Flexibility is available for the right applicants that fit within the Treeswift Wildlife environment.
Key Skills:
- A key interest in wildlife watching and natural history
- At least one passion/area of expertise which may include, but is not limited to, birds, mammals, photography, reptiles, amphibians, plants, fungi, natural history, etc
- Leadership and people skills: whether one-on-one or in a group setting, all our team must be good communicators, able to work with our guests of varying ages and experiences, coordinate events, and strive to make our guests feel welcome, safe, and identify their needs/targets in the field.
- Keen field skills such as wildlife spotting, identification, use of binoculars, scopes, etc
- Guides must have a driver’s licence and a car, but not necessarily a 4WD or SUV (though this an advantage)
- Our team members need to be physically fit, outgoing, professional, and experienced in outdoor environments
- Guides are required to have basic First Aid Training (or be willing to undergo the training)
- A second language is an advantage, but not a necessity.
- We practice Ethical Wildlife Watching (no baiting, excessive playback, overkill/blinding spotlighting, etc) and expect our leaders to follow and encourage this practice
Other Responsibilities & Requirements:
- Our team will use eBird and iNaturalist to record the wildlife/etc they see whilst leading Treeswift Wildlife events
- Various & basic admin responsibilities such as invoicing, timesheets, emailing, tour management, itinerary preparation, etc
- Treeswift Wildlife & Nature is a Covid-Safe environment and we require all our team members to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
- Treeswift Wildlife & Nature will provide staff with some basic field equipment, though successful applicants will be expected to have their own optics, cameras, and similar.
Tour & Wildlife Experiences:
Leading or Co-Leading various Treeswift Wildlife Tours, Events, and Photography Experiences including, but not limited to the following. It should be noted that not all guides will be expected to take on all event/tour types – we will match you to yours strengths, availability and training experience.
- Nocturnal Spotlighting Tours
- Birdwatching for Beginner Outings
- General Wildlife & Nature watching events
- Pelagic Whale Watching & Seabird Trips
- Wildlife speciality tours: birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, etc
- Specialist Birding or Mammal Tours (for key often endemic/key/specialist species for our overseas guests)
- Wildlife Weekends: 2-days wildlife events with a small group
- Wildlife Photography Course: if photography skills are applicable
- Zoo Photography Classes
- Extended Mega Wildlife Tours: 5-10 day trips away to key locations such as Far North Queensland, Tasmania, Christmas Island, Kakadu, The Red Centre, etc
- And more…
How to Apply:
Applicants feel free to get in touch directly via email to [email protected]. Please ensure you include some form of introduction about yourself and your experiences, and an up-to-date resume.
This is an exciting opportunity to enter the wonderful world of professional wildlife guiding. Come and join a team which practices inclusivity, ethical wildlife watching, conservation, and education!
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions, otherwise, we look forward to hearing from you soon!
