A Notch Above Traveler Service Rep performs a variety of tasks in our group tour business including a great deal of primary contact and correspondence with our traveler-clients; primarily via telephone but also including e-mail and U.S. Mail.  Assuring our travelers' satisfaction and well being is our highest priority. This position reports to NAT Director of Operations. This is a full-time position.  Occasional weekend and evening work may be required. 

Critical Skills required:

• Candidate must have excellent customer service skills
• Candidate must be highly organized with strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Candidate must have strong written communication skills and first-rate telephone skills
• Candidate must work well under deadline pressure
• Candidate must be able to work both independently and as a team player
• Apple MacIntosh computer experience is a plus
• Advanced geographical familiarity with North America is also a plus
• Candidate must have a high level of personal integrity

Duties & Responsibilities may include (but are not limited to):

• Telephone contact with customers (travelers), suppliers and other staff. 
• Enter traveler reservations on tour software system in a timely and accurate manner
• Responsible for the customer/traveler payment process including refunds, credits and accounts receivable as well as assuring that bank deposits are made on a regular and timely basis.
• Responsible for customer/traveler credit card payment system and contact with c-card processing
• Responsible for customer/traveler follow-up contact and confirmations
• Responsible for maintaining customer/traveler mailing list
• Responsible for customer/traveler insurance record keeping and reporting. 
• Accompanying some tours to meet and observe travelers, other staff and suppliers.
• Computer use including e-mail correspondence, reports and record keeping
• General Filing
• Support and implementation of company procedures, policy and guiding philosophy.
• Other operational duties to be assigned as needed

Qualifications

To perform this engaging and rewarding job successfully, a person must be able to perform each essential duty in a competent and satisfactory manner. The educational requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to succeed in this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• High school education or equivalent
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business information.
• Ability to accurately respond to inquiries from travelers, other staff, suppliers and others.
• Computer knowledge and typing skills
• Excellent and accurate speaking and writing skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent time management and organizational skills

Pease send hard copy of Cover Letter and Resume (with Educational Experience) to:

Careers at Notch Above
c/o Notch Above Tours
 P.O. Box 367
Jeffersonville VT 05464

Position: Office Assistant
Job Availability: No Current Openings

Assist with general office responsibilities in our group tour business. Report to the Director of Operations. This is a part-time position (12 – 20 hours per week). Some evening and weekend work may be required.

Critical Skills Required

• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Excellent customer service skills
• Strong written communication skills
• First-rate telephone skills
• Works well under deadline pressure
• Able to work both independently and as a team player
• Macintosh experience is a plus
• Familiarity with North America is also a plus
• High integrity

Duties & Responsibilities

• Assist other office staff with day-to-day office work which may include but is not limited to:
Telephone contact with customers (travelers), suppliers and other staff. Provide timely and accurate information
• Computer use including correspondence, reports and record-keeping
• Proficiency with tour reservation software enabling office assistant to enter reservations, produce reports and use financial/payment information.
• Update mailing list
• Filing
• Support and implement company procedures, policies and general philosophy.
• Other duties may be assigned

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, a person must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• High school education or equivalent
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business information.
• Ability to accurately respond to inquiries from travelers, other staff, suppliers and others.
• Computer knowledge and typing skills
• Excellent and accurate speaking and writing skills
• Strong interpersonal skills

Pease send hard copy of Cover Letter and Resume (with Educational Experience) to:

Careers at Notch Above
c/o Notch Above Tours
 P.O. Box 367
Jeffersonville VT 05464

Position: Tour Manager/Step-On Guide
Job Availability: Openings available

Tour Managers and Step-On Guides are Notch Above's “front-line” staff. They accompany our tours and are our official representatives on those tours. Our success is in large part attributable to how well they do their job. Notch Above Tours recognizes Tour Managers and Step-On Guides as "employees." The positions are part-time and involve weekday, weekend, day, evening and night work. Payment is made on a per day per tour basis.

The Role of the Tour Manager

The Tour Manager (a.k.a. Tour Escort, Tour Director) is a title that clearly expresses leadership and authority. This is a role of no minor responsibility and importance. The Tour Manager is responsible for executing and supervising all arrangements made by Notch Above’s home office. It’s like a stage show – we plan the tour and lay out every detail.  When the tour is launched and goes on the road, it needs an onsite manager to assure it remains the same in every detail.

“A good Tour Manager brings many skills to the job. Among these are hosting – creating a sense of inclusiveness and community; safety awareness – anticipating possible dangers and barriers and helping participants negotiate them safely; communication skills – the ability to clarify procedures, explaining the itinerary and providing educational highlights; entertainment skills – the ability to balance quiet time with information, humor and a time to mix; and ability to direct people firmly and fairly so that the itinerary is followed, the schedule is adhered to and the greatest number of needs are met. …a good Tour Manager will use his/her intuition to be sensitive to travelers. People travel for a number of reasons besides experiencing the tour. The tour manager should be aware of these reasons and try to meet these hidden needs, as well as provide a quality tour experience.” 
(from "Especially for Tour Escorts" by Fred & Sue Neuschel)

A Successful Tour Manager:

• Is friendly and outgoing in both attitude and actions
• Feels at ease with strangers and is able to initiate conversations
• Enjoys making new friends and can adapt to different personalities and backgrounds
• Can be discrete about personal biases, politics, religion and social issues
• Can make decisions using rational thinking and convictions
• Sees a person with complaints as a person to help rather than avoid
• Can accept criticism
• Can laugh at oneself or laugh off a mistake
• Reacts in a calm, steady way in the face of stress or controversy
• Is a good listener
• Ideally has an experienced background in personal travel
• Adheres to a an unwritten, professional code of conduct which includes ethics, proper dress,discretion, diligence to duty, and loyalty to both Notch Above Tours and the company's guiding philosophies.

Each Tour Manager has his/her own individual talents and personality. It is most important to be natural and sincere. Travelers respond best when they feel you truly do care about their enjoyment and well-being. Capitalize on your strengths and be yourself. Be as knowledgeable as possible about each area, but welcome shared information from other travelers. Let travelers know when local guides will be used to provide even more detailed and specific information. It is important to maintain positive thoughts and good feelings among all travelers. Avoid gossip and rumor. On tour, your efforts must be focused on the tour plans and our travelers. That is what makes all of us successful.

Step-On Guide

A step-on guide is hired to provide detailed commentary about a specific topic or region. Typically another tour company or group will contract with Notch Above to provide a guide for a specific amount of time (normally 2-8 hours) to introduce visitors to our region. The guide’s job is to do just that – introduce folks to our region.

If you are interested in being considered for either position, please send hard copy of Cover Letter and Resume (with Educational Experience) to:

Careers at Notch Above
c/o Notch Above Tours
 P.O. Box 367
Jeffersonville VT 05464