You could live near Denali all summer and get paid to do it!! This is not only a great opportunity to meet some amazing people, but also an excellent chance to get to do a lot of things you may not have gotten to do otherwise. Not to mention you are in beautiful Denali, Alaska.

As you are reading this it may seem a little overwhelming but you will be trained in everything listed here so don’t worry. We know it is a lot of information, but it is all very important to the job, so please read it through completely and take it seriously before applying. If you are the type of employee we are looking for you will appreciate all the up front information as well.

There are two main components in all available positions: Front Desk and Housekeeping. You will need to be great at both of these responsibilities, as your duties will alternate between these two responsibilities on a daily basis. You will either start out working the morning at the front desk and move to housekeeping in the afternoon, or else come in during the afternoon and start out housekeeping, then move to the front desk for the rest of the day, once the housekeeping has been finished.

The plan is for you to work 40 hours a week over 5 days, but things can change so you have to be open to changes. As an added bonus, we try to schedule you so you end your week on a morning shift and come back on an evening shift, so it's almost like getting 3 days off to go have fun.

Front Desk Responsibilities:

You work alone for the most part and you are responsible for answering all phone calls and emails, and for booking reservations and tours. You are also responsible for checking people in, and for driving the shuttle to and from the National Park. Therefore, you absolutely MUST be at least 21 years old, have a clean driving record (we will need a copy), and be willing and able to drive our 15-passenger van and trailer, and be able to lift 50 lbs, so you can hook up the trailer as needed.

In the office, we work mainly with Word and Excel, so knowledge of these programs is a must. There is a very specific order in which front desk operations must be completed in (don’t worry- we have checklists for everything, but you MUST be able to focus and pay attention to details and do things in the order that is required). We do it this way so there is no confusion when dealing with the guests and you or your co-workers can easily tell where you were on a task.

Since we are a vendor for most of the tours here, you will be required to take them yourself. It’s best to do this early in the season before they are filling up spots with paying customers and so you can speak to our guests from experience. Personally experiencing the tours is the best way to explain and sell them to the guests. Pretty awesome perk eh?

You will be dealing with people constantly, so good people skills are a must. You should be friendly and personable, and just enjoy other people in general. English is not a first language for many of our guests, so you need to have patience with them while talking on the phone or checking them in, etc. As with any place of business, you will have unhappy patrons. It is important to remain relaxed while dealing with them.

The front desk is also the information station, so be sure to read up on our web site and tours so you can answer the guests questions. Knowing what the park offers is also a necessary because we get a lot of questions about what people should do while there and how it all works.

There are two other qualities we hope you have. We hope you will enjoy meeting people from around the world, and visiting with them so they feel at home, and that you can keep in mind this may be their trip of a lifetime, so we want to make it perfect.

Of course you need to be honest and trustworthy and absolutely dependable. It is important that you are on time and ready to work. With such a small staff, you must be there when you are supposed to be, without fail, and there is little room for mistakes. We work as a team and we do everything we can to make the job as easy as possible, but you have to be sharp and DEPENDABLE! Flexibility is also extremely important. We try to keep the schedule as it has been explained above; however situations are bound to come up where the schedule and/or your responsibilities may change, either temporarily or permanently. You need to have a willingness to keep the best interest of the hostel in mind and try to go with the flow in the face of unforeseen changes.

During your shift, you are in full charge of the hostel. You must be able and willing to think on your feet and do what needs done. This may include kicking people out, so you have to have confidence. Don’t worry though. Help, advice, backup or whatever you may need during your shift is a phone call away.

Housekeeping Responsibilities:

Check out time is 10:00 am and check in time is 4:00pm. That gives us a solid six hours to get everything done. The most crucial part of this position is making sure that the laundry is getting done on time and efficiently. You are responsible for cleaning out the cabins and dormitories, making beds, and emptying the trash. You also are in charge of cleaning all of the restrooms and common areas. This means tidying up after people, doing dishes, emptying trash, and cleaning the showers and toilets. You are also responsible for answering the phone while cleaning and answering questions and taking reservations as needed.

There are certain things that have to be done everyday and some things done on a scheduled or as needed bases. It is a lot to remember so having excellent organizational skills is a plus if not a must. There is a detailed list of the daily things to be done kept in the laundry room at all times to refer back to.

All in all, your day is very busy and is over before you know it. We have a good system developed over the years to help you, but you need to bring your “A-game”. If you have a tendency to be lazy or disorganized, trust us, you won’t make it here.

The base pay is $9 per hour. In addition you get free housing and a $1 per hour worked end-of-season bonus if you work from the start and stay on to the end. The season is May 7th through September 22nd. If you can't make the whole season, apply anyway, we may be able to work something out. Preference is given to those who plan on having ONLY one job - this one.The pay is about the common rate for working in Denali. But in addition to the pay we also give you FREE housing with PRIVATE SPACE, and a bonus. We do this because we want to attract the BEST people.

Working at a hostel is fun and if you are bright and work hard is low stress. You don't HAVE to work the corporate giants to work in Denali. As an added bonus finalists will be provided the contact information of some past employees if interested.

One last thing, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, if you are offered the job and take the job, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE live up to that commitment. It is very hard to find good people after the season has started. If you don’t live up to your commitment, please think for a moment how you are hurting your co-workers, the people who didn't get the job but wanted it, the hostel, the guests, the owner, our reputation, and your reputation.

It will be a fun, action-packed year, with a fun and competent crew! Come on up! As always - No whiners, lazy-butts, lack-of-humor, lack-of-fun, lack-of-skills, hosers!!! I look forward to hearing from you.! If you have questions, just ask away!

Updated February 27, 2012

Contact Information Denali Mountain Morning HosteL & Lodge Stay(at)DenaliHostel.com Tele: (907) 683-7503 No FAX Mile 224.1 Parks Highway PO Box 208 Denali National Park, AK 99755 Copyright 2011 - 2012