Our “Baggage Master” job is the “less sexy” of our two itinerant jobs. Long hours on trains, lots of hard, physical work, less social interaction with our guests....
But you get paid, unlike the Trip Coordinators (whose pay comes largely in nice dinners). And this is a great way to discover Europe. Your time off is in places like Paris and the Austrian Alps, the trains show off the scenery out the window....
This is not a career, but for a summer or two, it can be a pretty good way to get by, and even bank enough funds to keep you alive for a couple of months when you get home.
A brief overview of the job follows, and the qualifications needed to apply can be found at the bottom of the page.
DESCRIPTION
Our Baggage Masters take care of most of the “behind the scenes” work necessary to keep our cycle trips running smoothly. The job has three essential components:
- Office work -- preparing trip materials, ensuring that Trip Coordinators receive the necessary equipment (bikes, tool kits) to run the trips, helping with miscellaneous paperwork, making copies, answering phones, running errands, some minor book keeping.
- Physical labor, including heavy lifting -- shuttling bikes to and from train stations and transporting clients’ luggage and trip materials by rail.
- Travel, usually by train, but sometimes driving a van (and often with lots of bikes and / or luggage), to and from our trip destinations all over Europe.
Additionally, a candidate who shows sufficient warmth, cultural awareness, and public relations skills may perform some guest welcoming and hosting functions.
This job includes generous travel benefits, and possibilities for time off in Europe, if desired.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS needed to apply.
In order to be considered for a Baggage Master position, you MUST...
- ...be a citizen or full-time resident of a country outside of Europe, the former Soviet Union, or North Africa (this allows you to be Eurailpass holder, an essential requirement).
- ...be available for at least four months (more preferred) in the period between May 15th and November 1st. It helps to be able to work at either the beginning or the end of this time span, if not both.
- ...possess a valid driver’s license, and be old enough to rent a motor vehicle (at least 21 in Europe, 23 is preferred). You must also be able to operate a manual transmission vehicle (generally a light truck, but of a size that can be driven with a normal licence).
- ...possess at least Intermediate French language skills. Other language training is a strong plus.
- ...have the physical ability to handle heavy lifting and carrying. This is the bulk of your job, and you should address it seriously before applying. If you weigh 120 lbs. but are “strong for your size,” your talents probably lie elsewhere.
- ...be willing to work flexible hours (late nights, early mornings), dictated by train arrival and departure schedules.
- ...submit your application in one of our accepted formats. It's not that we can't read your .doc resumé with the funny font and the endearing graphic attachment, given enough time. It’s that we are trying to figure out in the first 30 seconds whether or not you fulfill conditions 1 - 6. File conversion uses up those 30 seconds, and Blue Marble is a “Microsoft-Free Zone.”
We are looking for responsible, conscientious, reliable and well-organized individuals who can work well without direct supervision. Maturity as evidenced by prior experience is a plus. Applications will be considered from all candidates 21 or older. However, this job requires a high level of professional responsibility, generally manifested through past professional experience. We do not encourage applicants with little or no prior work experience.
In addition, this is not a job that will appear attractive to someone with an average suburban upbringing. It is a job for people who have spent at least one night on a bus station floor, and who have to think it over before saying that that night was their worst.
We apologize if this sounds harsh: we receive perhaps 200 carefully-prepared applications every year which do not meet these criteria. (Not counting, or even taking seriously, e.mail resumés sent to every company on some endless list.) Shortcomings on points 2, 3 and 4 are the easiest to identify. And youth, while beautiful, is not seen as such by rental car companies.
While we consider all applications received, we do not normally respond to those who do not qualify to apply, since doing so with any other than a curt rejection letter (worse than no reply at all, in our view) would occupy all of our waking hours. We beg for your indulgence.
TO APPLY
If you are qualified to apply, and would like to do so, please send an e.mail to info@bluemarble.org. The subject line should be “Baggage Master Application,” and your last name.
Please address points 1 - 5. Address 3 - 5 carefully, providing necessary detail. We assume 6, and you will have a chance to show your ability to understand 7. No other information is immediately needed.
If a position is open that fits your criteria, we will quickly forward a detailed application to you.
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