I am a Certified English teacher with ‘highly qualified’ status in the Oregon Teachers Standards and Practices Commission.
I am planning on retiring near Kalispell in a few years and want to work for the summer in Glacier Park.
I would like to do presentations for guests to the park. How do I get such a summer job?
Answer
Hi Steven,
First: congratulations on your retirement! I have two family members who are teachers–one of whom taught English, like you–and I know that it can be a super stressful job. But it’s also such an important one! Thank you for caring about future generations and congrats for making it through!
Second: you could not have picked a better place to retire than the Kalispell/Glacier National Park area.
It is so incredibly beautiful. But I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir–if you’re retiring there, you’ve probably already been to the area and seen for yourself the absolute majesty of the Glacier region.
Working in Glacier National Park
So, you want to spend some summer days working at Glacier, huh? Well, I personally think that’s a fantastic idea. Spending two summers communing with both nature and the people who come from afar to visit it has been one of the all-time highlights of my own life. I’m sure it’ll be the same for you.
To start off, I recommend you read some of the stories of former park employees here.
The kind of job you’re looking for sounds pretty specific, and off the top of my head, I’m not entirely sure how much information I can offer you about positions, paychecks, benefits, or experience.
But I sure know which direction to point you in!
Glacier Park Inc. Jobs
Glacier Park Inc. is a company that owns and operates some of the biggest resorts and lodges in the park and they have a variety of jobs available every single year–far too many for me to even hope to list here.
- Read my thoughts on Glacier Park Inc
- Or head to their official page here.
Most of the jobs they fill are geared towards the restaurant, shopping, or hospitality industries. Through Glacier Park Inc. you can easily join the ranks of waiters, servers, clerks, and customer service associates.
But they also have a good deal of more specialized positions available, and maybe even one that’s suited directly to what you want to do. After all, what kind of high class resort or lodge doesn’t offer presentations to guests or future guests?
Some of the hotels/lodges/resorts they run in Glacier include:
- Lake McDonald Lodge (where I worked!)
- St. Mary Lodge and Resort
Your best bet–at least to begin with–is to head on over to the Glacier Park Inc. web page and see what their job availability is like. The summer season typically lasts from mid-May to the end of September, but the company accepts applications from October through March. Gets yours in early and you may be surprised.
And here’s some good news: you have an edge over the competition. Many Glacier summer employees travel from out of state to work there, but you’ll be living right next door.
Once you get into town, take a drive up to their offices in Columbia Falls and see if you can talk to someone personally. You may even be able to pitch your ideas and have a position created for you. Who knows?
National Park Service Jobs
Another option is to check out the job listing for the United States National Park Service. They may have something open that’s suited to your sensibilities.
The turnover is fairly slow with the park service, so it may be difficult to find something good, but you never know. It’s certainly worth checking out!
I hope this helps a little. If nothing else, you may find a different kind of job opening through Glacier Park Inc. or the NPS that excites you just as much.
Let me know how it turns out! And again: congratulations!
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