Work With Apogee

Summer Positions

Our 2025 Staff Application is available! See details here.

At Apogee, we pride ourselves on attracting the very best leaders in the business. Through years of experience, we have found that applicants who are responsible, compassionate, and adaptable make the best trip leaders and staff members. Our leaders thrive on challenge, enjoy living in the outdoors, and love working with young people. Working with Apogee presents an outstanding opportunity to see the world, inspire young people, and realize your own leadership potential. For the 2025 Summer season, we are hiring the following positions:

  • Outdoor Trip Leaders
  • Summer Assistant Directors
  • Support Staff
  • Summer Housing & Warehouse Specialist
  • Summer Enrollment & Administration Specialist

To learn more about the different positions available, please click here to view our 2025 Summer Staff position descriptions and for more information about what it is like to work with Apogee, check out our Online Staff Info Session. For more specifics, select from the links below:

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Our 2025 Staff Application is live! We also require a copy of your current resume, which can be uploaded to your portal after completing the application.

We will offer interviews to a select number of qualified applicants either before or shortly after each application deadline. After first round interviews are complete, we will offer second round interviews to a small subset of the applicant pool (all to be completed virtually). We will make employment offers in each hiring season, and we will also offer the opportunity for some Fall and Winter applicants to remain in the applicant pool for the following hiring period(s).

2024-2025 Application Deadlines:

  • Fall: Sunday, November 3
  • Winter: Sunday, January 12
  • Spring: Sunday, March 2

Any applications received after the dates above will be considered in the subsequent applicant pool.

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INFO SESSIONS

Throughout the year, we will provide both in-person and virtual info sessions. Hosted by one of our Directors, please join us for 20-30 minutes of great pictures and lots of information about our program, the summer opportunities available, and what it’s like to be a part of our team. We are eager to answer any questions you might have, too.

We have recently completed our Fall recruiting events, so check back later this winter for future info session details. In the meantime, you can watch our Online Staff Info Session.

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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  •  Age
    • Trip Leaders & Support Staff: Age 20 or older by mid-June, 2025
    • Summer Assistant Directors, Summer Housing & Warehouse Specialist, and Summer Enrollment & Administration Specialist: Age 21 or older by mid-June, 2025
  • Responsible, motivated, adaptable, and hard-working
  • Excellent decision-making and risk management skills
  • Prior positive leadership experience
  • Prior positive experience working with young people
  • Eager to work and live in the outdoors
  • Dynamic, adventurous, and an outstanding role model
  • Meets Apogee’s essential eligibility criteria (see FAQ below)
  • Current, valid driver’s license is required for all Support Staff, Summer Assistant Directors, and Summer Housing & Warehouse Specialists
  • Minimum certification requirements
    • Prior to arrival at Leader Training, Apogee requires all staff members to be certified in CPR and either Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder, depending on the position. Certain positions will also require a Lifeguarding or Wilderness Lifeguarding certification, as well. Please note that you are not required to hold these certifications to apply. Apogee will provide certification opportunities during Leader Training or will provide reimbursement for required certifications prior to the summer.
  • Working with Apogee is a full summer commitment, beginning in June and concluding in early- to mid-August.

We work hard to take great care of our leaders before, during, and after the trip season. Your compensation will be in the top range of other teen-oriented outdoor adventure companies, and we will cover all of your food and lodging costs while you are working with us. You will also be able to take advantage of Apogee’s negotiated pro-deals with outstanding outdoor gear companies. Apogee provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. We especially encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color, and those from other underrepresented groups to apply.

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ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Our Additional Financial Support Application is now available!

Each year, Apogee sets aside a limited amount of funding to serve as Additional Financial Support for summer staff. This program is designed to provide additional financial support to make working with Apogee a viable summer employment option for more otherwise-qualified applicants. While we encourage applicants from historically marginalized backgrounds to apply, this need-based scholarship is open to all staff members. Your application will be reviewed when we are actively offering positions – you will not hear from us about your Additional Financial Support application until that point. Depending on each applicant’s needs, Apogee may award Additional Financial Support packages as supplementary salary in their first summer paycheck or through other means (e.g., purchasing a flight to Maine at the beginning of the summer or supporting your Wilderness First Responder certification if our base travel and certification reimbursements* don’t cover the entire costs). In most cases, we will inform applicants about any awarded additional financial support in conjunction with their job offer.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at staff@apogeeadventures.com with any questions. Thank you!

*Please note that Apogee offers a travel reimbursement to every staff member and also a partial or full reimbursement for required Wilderness First Aid/Responder Certifications.

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LEADER TESTIMONIALS

Kaelyn DeCorte – Wake Forest University ’26

“Working with Apogee has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. The bonds you form with other leaders, staff, and your students are truly invaluable, as are the skills and knowledge gained, both during training and on trip. I really can’t say enough good things about my summer with Apogee, the community that you will form here is unlike any other!”

 

 

Will Pittman – Washington and Lee University ’24

“I grew more as a person in my few months with Apogee than perhaps any other time in my life. The dynamic and the environment Apogee has fostered is really incredible; I think it’s a workplace like no other, and I will be lucky if I work somewhere in the future with a culture as good. As a leader, it is incredibly rewarding to realize at the end of a trip that you have given these kids a positive formative experience. This job takes you out of your comfort zone, puts you in new situations in which you are challenged and must adapt and improvise – this is the stuff that has a monumental effect on your growth and maturity. You can expect to have had an incredibly rewarding and meaningful summer experience and grow in more ways than you thought were possible.”

Maeve Dick – Oberlin College ’21

“A summer as an Apogee leader is no walk in the park, but it is one that will leave you ready for any challenge life throws at you, with laugh-filled adventure stories, with a new circle of friends, mentors and mentees. At Apogee, somehow, a tough occurrence becomes a memorable moment and you can’t quite tell if you had a better time at that sunny summit or teaching tent repair in the rain. As an Apogee leader you get to travel to beautiful places and paid to adventure, which is an amazing summer job summary on its own, but the thing that sets Apogee apart, and what keeps me coming back, is the transformative power of almost every moment throughout the summer. I have grown and learned so much thanks to each person that I have worked with at Apogee— every trip, every co-leader, everyone in the Apogee community has such valuable insight, all of which will stay with me even after my summers end. At Apogee, everyone is invited to dig in to difficulty and succeed together, and at the end of the day you’ll be proud— and glad— that it wasn’t just a walk in the park.”

Cat Bergland – Middlebury College ’26

“Apogee cares so much about giving their students and leaders an amazing summer. As a smaller company, they truly create a family among their staff and are constantly available to support you.”

 

 

 

Will Titus – Williams College ’23

“There is no better way to spend your summer than as a leader for Apogee. I went into my first summer not knowing what to expect and without much experience in this kind of work. I left with a deep sense of confidence in myself, lasting friendships with my co-workers, and the knowledge that I was more capable than I could have ever imagined. My only regret is not having started leading for Apogee earlier! Apogee will challenge you to grow as a leader in a way that few other experiences can. At times, an Apo summer can be a lot – but it is always a lot of fun. You will sleep less, laugh harder, and have better stories to tell than you ever have before. Every step of the way, I felt thoroughly supported by Apogee – the Directors truly care about your success, wellbeing, and growth, and they go above in beyond in supporting you. One of the best parts of Apogee is the way the organization buys into, and is fully committed to, you as a leader.”

Karlee Taylor – Macalester College ’23

“I learned so much more than I ever expected with Apogee! It can be really challenging at times, but I feel like I’ve come out of this summer a much more confident and capable leader, and made so many close and meaningful friendships that I’ll carry with me after this! Working with the kids was an absolute blast; they’re so earnest and have so much enthusiasm and such a great sense of fun. I had so many moments this summer where I thought, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this!” As a geologist, it was also super fun to be out in the field and to get to talk to kids about what they were seeing and get them stoked about earth science!”

 

Jocie Funderburk – Warren Wilson College ’24

“My summer with Apogee was a summer like no other. I made lifelong friends, many memories, and I learned so much about myself. The community that I found in the Apogee family is unlike any I have found before. If you want to spend your summer around people who really care, are incredibly funny and who will support you then Apogee is the place to be. Being a leader for Apogee means that you get to spend your summer adventuring with cool people in cool places. It also means you will be challenged, and forced to grow and learn. My summer with Apogee left me with a wonderful community to rely on, a new set of skills, and so many memories and stories.”

 

Kaitlyn Bieber – Hamilton College ’22

“Apogee is one of the most supportive, kind, joyful, and inspiring communities you can find. Being a leader is such an adventure — it’s not easy, and it will challenge you in so many ways, but what you learn about yourself and the world is transformative. Not only is it so valuable for your own personal and professional development, but you’re exploring some of the most unbelievable places and having so much fun along the way. Working for Apogee surrounds you with some of the most incredible people that encourage you to push yourself to be a better leader and individual every day, and you can genuinely tell that everyone is in your corner. It’s also incredibly rewarding to watch your kids learn and grow alongside you on trip. The tangible impact you have on young adults by sharing your love for the outdoors and adventure with them is so special, and it’s made even more meaningful by the wonderful people you get to do it with.”

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LEADER FAQ

Staff Application Process

I’m not an outdoorsy type, but this looks great. Should I even bother applying?

Absolutely! While we love our outing club friends, we find that some of our very best leaders come from all backgrounds. As long as you demonstrate great decision-making and leadership skills and you love working with kids, we’d love to talk to you.

How challenging are Apogee trips to lead?

We believe in the concept of “achievable challenge.” While Apogee programs provide a measure of both physical and mental challenge, our trip itineraries are carefully designed to be within the reach of motivated staff members and students who are able to fulfill the “essential eligibility criteria” (please see below for more about essential eligibility criteria). Nonetheless, prior experience and fitness for a particular role may figure in to staff assignments.

What is the application process like? Does everyone who applies get an interview?

The application process includes the following components:

  • Complete our written application and submit a resume;
  • After reviewing written materials, we will invite a select number applicants to participate in first and, in some cases, second round interviews (either in-person or virtual).

Please see the “Application Materials” section above for more information.

I’ve been selected for an interview – what should I expect?

We have a multi-round interview process that becomes increasingly selective with each round. In first-round interviews, you can expect to be asked questions about your leadership style, past leadership experiences, and experience working with kids. If you advance to later rounds of the interview process, you can expect questions about risk management and team building. We will also ask you to talk us through how you would respond to a few different scenarios that could come up on an Apogee trip. We will provide most of the second round interview questions in advance, though there are a few we will not provide ahead of time in order to help determine your ability to think quickly and critically.

I’m not certified in First Aid, much less Wilderness First Aid… can I still apply? How do I get certified if I’m hired?

You can absolutely still apply! If you are offered a position with Apogee, we will tell you what certifications we need you to obtain. We offer an in-house Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training immediately prior to our Leader Training, and if that doesn’t work for you, you can complete a WFA course in two days, or a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course in 5-10 days, ahead of time – and we can help point you in the right direction to find courses near you. Additionally, if we ask you to obtain a certification you don’t already have, we offer full or partial reimbursements (depending on the type of course) for the course tuition.

Can I apply to lead a specific trip?

You are more than welcome to request a specific trip in your application, but there is no guarantee that you will be hired to lead that trip.

Leading with Apogee

So where am I going to be working, anyway?

That depends on what position(s) you are hired for! In most cases, we offer a specific trip assignment (which sometimes includes multiple trips in different locations) with every offer so that you know where you would be leading before you accept your offer. Regardless of the position that you hold, you will spend two weeks in Brunswick, Maine at the beginning of the summer for Leader Training and a few days back in Brunswick at the end of the summer for your gear de-issue and final debrief (and final celebration!). For our New England-based trips, you will spend your time in between trip sessions in Brunswick, Maine, and for most non-New England-based trips, you will spend your time in between trip sessions in a hub city near where your trip runs (e.g. our Northwest Mountains & Coast leaders spend their off days near Seattle). In all cases, Apogee provides lodging and food between trip sessions.

When does the summer end?

Your exact end date may vary based on your position, but most staff can expect their Apogee summers to wrap up between Wednesday, August 6th and Tuesday, August 12th, 2025.

Where is Leader Training?

In and around fabulous Brunswick, Maine!

When does Leader Training start?

It is very likely that our 2025 Leader Training will begin on the morning of Wednesday, June 11 (with our in-house Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course taking place on June 9-10).

What does Leader Training entail?

Leader Training is an intense, focused combination of hard-skill and soft-skill training. You will learn about Apogee’s protocols, discuss strategies to approach common problems on trip, foster your co-leader relationship(s), practice cooking tasty, nutritious meals, and many of our leaders will also complete a Wilderness Swim Safety course. Depending on your role, you will receive great mechanical training from biking professionals or practice the fundamentals of safe hiking and backcountry living. After the week-long in-town portion of your training is complete, you will hit the road or the trails with your peers for a multi-day training trip in the field. While it is fast-paced, most leaders would agree that Leader Training is a highlight of the summer!

Does Apogee provide food and housing during staff training, between trips, and after trips?

Yes. And the food is good, too!

Is transportation provided to Brunswick, Maine?

No – however, we do offer a travel stipend to help cover your travel expenses, and we are more than happy to pick you up in Portland or Brunswick.

What equipment do I need and what does Apogee provide?

You will bring your personal gear with you (clothing, sleeping bag, etc.), and we will send you a detailed list of what you will need before the summer. Staff members will also have access to Pro Deal discounts with some great gear companies ahead of time. Apogee provides tents for all trip leaders, bikes and panniers (bike saddlebags) for bike trip leaders, and all group gear (e.g. cookware and stoves, med kits, etc.). Additionally, through our partnership with Maine Gear Share and from our own inventory, we can offer other personal gear (backpacks, sleeping bags, etc.) to use as needed. In short, we are happy to work with you if you don’t have access to any equipment specific to your trip.

What are Apogee’s essential eligibility criteria for staff members?

Essential eligibility criteria for Apogee staff members may vary by trip or position, but will include at a minimum:

  • The staff member must be ambulatory and able to propel themselves over varied terrain, and ride a bicycle (as applicable), without assistance. As appropriate for the specific trip and physical frame of the staff member, the staff member must be able to carry weight, appropriate to the staff member’s frame and the program, either in a backpack or in panniers attached to a bicycle.
  • The staff member must be able to see clearly, whether with or without glasses or contacts.
  • The staff member must be able to self-toilet and provide for their own self-care.
  • The staff member must be verbal and able to clearly communicate their own needs.
  • The staff member must be able to follow verbal directions and clearly communicate directions and information to students with oral dialogue.
  • The staff member must be able to follow a structured schedule.
  • The staff member must be able to self-manage frustrations or emotional outbursts. Additionally, the staff member must be able to self-calm following an event that causes frustration, sadness, or anger.
  • The staff member must be able to demonstrate consistent resiliency and strong mental and emotional fortitude in order to persevere through challenging conditions over a sustained period of time (e.g. often limited sleep opportunities and limited ability to communicate with others).
  • The staff member must be able to sleep in a small tent (if applicable) without sleep aids (such as lights, music, screens, etc.).
  • The staff member must be able to abstain from tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol while in the field and any illegal drugs for the duration of their employment.

What kind of compensation can I expect from an Apogee summer?

Summer salaries for first-year trip leaders and support staff range between $2,500-3,000 (this range generally depends on your time in the field), and salaries for Summer Assistant Directors and our other Specialist roles range between $4,000-$6,000 (based on the specific role, start date, and other factors). Staff members will receive a salary increase for each subsequent year with us. In addition to your salary, Apogee will also cover your food, housing, and intra-summer travel expenses. While staff members are responsible for getting to and from Maine at the beginning and end of the summer, we offer a travel stipend to help cover your travel expenses.

Please refer to the Additional Financial Support section for more information about that opportunity, too.

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