There are plenty of people who shiver at the thought of working inside all day (myself included). Luckily, today we live in a world where a typical nine to five office job isn't the only career opportunity available.
If you love being outside and are interested in making it your office, a job in the outdoor industry might be right for you. There are plenty of outdoor job opportunities available, you just need to know where to look!
Below I've listed 10 different job boards that can help you find outdoor work. Keep in mind that the jobs listed can differ in many ways. You'll have to dive deeper to see what is the right fit for you!
Let's jump in!
1. CoolWorks
CoolWorks is a job board that features seasonal job opportunities in different National Parks. The website is laid out nicely and allows you to browse opportunities by location (state, region or national park), season, job category, or jobs that provide housing.
The website also offers a blog for resources, a guide to finding the right job for you, and the ability to join the community. Categories of positions include everything from jobs in administration, food industry, camping, content creation, general labor, spa and resort, skiing and more.
CoolWorks has a LOT of job postings on their site. If you're beginning your research into what kind of seasonal opportunity interests you, this website would be a great place to start.
PROS: Plenty of resources and job positions available, great options if looking to work in a National Park
CONS: Can be overwhelming to begin with, no long term opportunities
Occupation Wild categorizes their job board as "outdoor, adventure, and travel," so it's a little bit broader than CoolWorks. Occupation Wild also includes a year-round category for your job search, which may be helpful for those looking for something longer term.
This website also has a blog, podcast and membership program as a way to hear about other peoples experiences. They also offer the ability to browse by category, and you can find jobs by season, national park, or conservation/trail guide opportunities.
One thing that's cool about Occupation Wild is that they also have international opportunities listed, although they're limited.
Like CoolWorks, Occupation Wild serves as a job board that has multiple job listings spanning across the US. This would be another good platform for beginner research, although the site is less organized than CoolWorks.
PROS: Includes seasonal AND year round job opportunities, includes international work
CONS: Platform is not super organized
The best thing about Outdoor Industry Jobs is that it has plenty of opportunities and allows you to narrow down your search. On the homepage, you're able to choose from drop-down lists of industry sector, job category, state, and job type.
Industry sector categories include action, bicycling, fishing, fitness, hunting/shooting, lifestyle, outdoor, snow and water sports. Job category ranges from all the way from accounting to warehouse, depending on what you're looking for.
It seems that the majority of the jobs that are posted are actually full time jobs with slim pickings for seasonal work. They also offer a section on commission based jobs for independent representatives.
This is a great site to browse outdoor opportunities while applying what you specialize in.
PROS: Ability to narrow down search effectively, lots of category types, great for those who know what type of job they're looking for
CONS: Not a ton of seasonal or temporary opportunities
4. WanderJobs
WanderJobs is an "adventure jobs" platform that is fairly easy to navigate and has a rather groovy webpage. On the top of the page, you can locate jobs by clicking on "map." This site offers plenty of international gigs mostly in Europe, the US, and Australia.
The category section is a little unorganized, but they offer some job categories such as Lodge & Resort, Hostel & Inn, National Park, Outdoor Adventure, Travel Jobs, Work Exchange, etc. It's a little bit harder to find job listings because the category section includes blog posts as well as postings.
The menu at the top of the page also gives you the option to check out their blog and podcast. I probably wouldn't recommend using solely this site to do research on outdoor careers, but it's still a good resource for research nonetheless.
PROS: Blog and podcast resources available, good site for supplemental research, plenty of international gigs
CONS: Hard to navigate where jobs are offered, category section is unorganized
Adventure Job Board makes the job hunt easy on the reader and provides up to date listings on the homepage. The website even provides the deadline for applications on the job listings.
One of the benefits of this site is that it offers upcoming employment that is timely and relevant. The downside is that you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page (which takes a while) to browse by category.
Some categories I saw on the site were Outdoor Education, Outdoor Recreation, Environmental Conservation, Maintenance, and Food and Beverage Service. The postings are listed all throughout the US, but aren't organized in alphabetical order. Many categories also had zero listings. It seemed as if there was an unequal distribution in the types of jobs that this board offered.
This is a great site if you're looking to find employment outdoors within the next few months... if you're willing to sift through the postings, that is.
PROS: Updated and timely job listings, provides application deadlines on job listings
CONS: Category section located far down on bottom of page, unequal distribution of types of jobs, not a ton of filtering ability
This website promotes Wilderness Inquiry jobs. The website doesn't seem very reader friendly, but once you get accustomed to it, it has a lot to offer.
You're able to search directly for a job, or you can use the drop-down menu to find adventure jobs by location (US, Worldwide, or by state), or job type. Job categories included are: Wilderness Therapy Jobs, Sustainable Living & Farm Work, Camp & Ranch jobs, Resort & Hospitality, and more.
Whenever you click on a category, a list of employment opportunities are displayed alongside the business that is hiring. Each listing provides a description and some even state compensation rates. At a glance, this website provides helpful information on companies that are hiring so that the reader doesn't have to do all the research on their own.
Unlike other sites, backdoorjobs.com only provides information on short term employment. While the website interface is a little challenging at first, this is a great resource to use for looking for outdoor careers.
PROS: Plenty of filtering options and job categories, businesses listed, great job descriptions
CONS: Interface is not super reader friendly, only provides short term opportunities
The Conservation Job Board narrows down a job seekers search by displaying only job opportunities in conservation. On the homepage, relevant job listings are posted, but you can also filter them by date or deadline.
On the left side of the page, job categories are listed to showcase variations of positions within the conservation field. Some of these include: Admin & Leadership, Fisheries, Forestry, Marine Biology, Policy & Law, Wildlife, and more. If skimming these categories doesn't do it for you, you can also search by state or job type (internship, short term, long term, etc).
Underneath the job categories, you can also click on "Graduate Programs" to find schools that have conservation programs.
This job board serves as a great starting point, but I noticed that there were postings that weren't listed. If you're interested in conservation work, other great sites to search are Conservation Legacy and American Conservation Experience.
PROS: Focused on conservation work, a few good filtering options, categories displayed, graduate programs resources available
CONS: Doesn't list all of the conservation work available
The Camber Outdoors website is beautifully displayed and easy to navigate. On the top of the page, select "Job Board" all the way to the right, and you'll be directed to company and job listings.
What makes Camber Outdoors stand out among other outdoor job boards is that it places companies that are hiring at the forefront. This is especially helpful if you're the type of person that wants to know company culture before beginning a position. Better yet, under the company listing, it displays how many jobs are available for hire.
If you'd rather search by job title, you're able to do that as well. You have the option to filter not only by company, but also job functions, topics, and location.
While you can find jobs on this site where you would be working in the field, you can also find office jobs working for outdoor companies. By picking a job description you're interested in, you'll be directed to the companies webpage for the direct application.
PROS: Easy interface readability, provides information on companies that are hiring, plenty of filtering options
CONS: Not a lot of positions that are offered are working directly in the outdoors - just for an outdoor related company
This website posts job opportunities by companies with goals to diversify the outdoor working industry. You're able to search by industry and employment type to narrow down your job search. You're also able to search by keyword or location.
One benefit to this site is that it breaks down job offerings into bite size pieces, so at first glance you're able to see the company, salary, employment type and application deadline. You're then able to click the job posting to view more details. Some postings offer the "Quick Apply" option, and for others you'll be directed to the company site to submit an in-depth application.
Job listings range from entry level to multiple years of experience, so you'll need to look at the fine print before deciding whether or not to apply!
PROS: A job platform that is centered around diversity, great filtering options, provides all important information on a job listing right away, sometimes offers "Quick Apply" option
CONS: Doesn't clarify experience needed on job listings
10. OutdoorEd.com
On the home page of OutdoorEd.com, featured jobs are posted and categorized by region, company, employment type and starting date. You can also use the Job Search button. If you'd like to search for a company instead, the site also offers that as an alternative.
One thing that I dislike about this job board is that at first glance, you're only shown the region in which the position is located instead of the city. That means you'd have to click on every job title that interests you within the region in order to see if it's located within your vicinity.
However, you have the ability to click on a region and display all of the job listings. Still, the listings are brief and you're prompted to click on the posting to get more details.
The website does offer plenty of resources, such as their blogs, events, news, and an outdoor orientation community. You're also able to search by map and specific job categories if you wish (camps, associations, conservation organizations, etc.)
This site provides plenty of job opportunities, you just have to do a little digging!
PROS: Good categorization, browse by region, good resources and community
CONS: Difficult to find specific locations for job listings, takes a lot of time on the interface to find a job that fits personal needs
So there you have it! 10 job boards that provide job listings in the outdoor industry. Each site differs a little bit, but each offers their own advantages and disadvantages.
Hopefully this list gives you some ideas on where to look for job postings! There are an abundance of opportunities available to you to work in the outdoors and escape the nine to five work week.
If you have any suggestions for this post or would like to learn more, please leave a comment or send us a message on our site!
Good luck on the job hunt! You got this!
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