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Managers Wanted for Top 10 Eco-Lodge

  Best Ecuador Hotel Eco Management Nestled in the mountains just outside of the rural village of Chugchilán, our guesthouse
offers you all the comforts of home while working in the High Andes of rural Ecuador.
(photo of  former managers Jurg & Christine)
Black Sheep Inn
 
Highlights of the Area
 
Day Hikes & Activities
 
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For Information:
Black Sheep Inn

Black Sheep Inn is looking for managers.  Volunteers Click Here

 

JOB DESCRIPTION for Manager:
"For us, having a volunteer or a manager is like getting a new housemate."

We are looking for a multi-talented couple who love to be busy, who don’t mind having limited personal space, and are flexible to meet a variety of demands.  We live in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, and have very comfortable facilities. Working at the Black Sheep Inn can be idyllic, yet the managing the Inn is an incredible amount of hard dedicated work with unlimited hours.  We are looking for people who are planning on living in Ecuador for an extended period of time regardless of this employment opportunity here at the Black Sheep Inn.

Primarily we need help running the Inn, serving the needs of the guests.  Daily duties would include but not be limited to: opening and closing the lodge (open 7am; close around 10:30pm), checking in guests, taking reservations by phone and email, doing bills and accounting, overseeing cooking and cleaning by the local staff, meal planning, shopping and stocking, host/hostess, taking care of guests needs (hiking and travel information etc.) general maintenance, gardening, cooking and cleaning, animal care and more. We tend to work long hours, 7 days a week. We need managers to do everything that we do and more.

We have a local staff of 6 women and 3 men.  These people are both our employees, but also our best friends in the area.  You will work very closely with them.  As a manager you are both overseeing the staff for cooking, cleaning and maintenance projects, but also personally acting as host and hostess, wait staff, buyer, stocker, receptionist, accountant, builder, designer, cooks, advertisers and more.  The managers also must be able to do all of the tasks of the staff.

Black Sheep Inn is extremely rural (3 hours from a bank, post office or gas station), which means we must be self-sufficient.  We maintain a large inventory of food, drink, building supplies and hardware. We also maintain our own water system (and much of the towns water system too), our own gray water system and composting toilets.  If the phone or electric lines go out we often fix them ourselves, instead of waiting weeks for the utility companies to arrive.  The managers would be expected to participate in all of the above.  The daily schedule of running the Inn is often filled with surprises and interruptions.  No two days are alike.  We are looking for smart, capable, fast learners.  Some people get it, some people don't.

The most important aspect of working at the Black Sheep Inn is that we all get along and work well together.  Because of our isolated location, a successful working relationship/friendship is vital. 

Award Winning Ecolodge
Since we have been internationally recognized as one of the Top 10 Eco-Lodges in the World by Outside Magazine, The Guardian (UK), the Miami Herald, and the Chicago Tribune, we are looking for Top 10 Managers!  See AWARDS.  This does not necessarily mean people who have worked in a Marriott, nor people with a degree in Hotel Administration and Management, but it does mean diverse open minded hard workers.


The following is a list of requirements and qualifications:

Commitment:
Ideally we are looking for a couple who is already planning on coming to Ecuador for an extended period of time.  We want people who are committed to live abroad for a minimum of 1 year.  In fact, we are looking for a much longer commitment with the possibility of partnering and hiring permanently.  Regardless of your potential commitment there is no way of telling if our personalities are compatible until you arrive and begin working at Black Sheep Inn.

Age:
Minimum of 25 years old.  We are looking for someone with rich life experience, who is knowledgeable and open minded.  Sorry, no children.

Language:
Fluency in English and Spanish. We work closely with the local community, and our local staff only speak Spanish. To be a manager English and Spanish are essential minimum requirements; any other language skills are a plus as guests come from all over the world, but you must have good English and Spanish.

Health:
A good bill of health. We need fit people who are physically active, like to be busy and don't like to sit still.  Black Sheep Inn is at over 10,000 feet in elevation (3200 meters).  Don't apply if you are accustomed to afternoon naps.  No allergies, you will interact with all our animals: dogs, cats, llamas, sheep, guinea pigs, chickens and ducks.

Experience:
All of the following experiences would be useful:  Food Service; Hotel Service; Trip and Travel Leaders; Computer Skills; Handy Work; Small Business Administration; Management; Farm Work; Self Employment; Construction and Latin American Travel.

Visa 12-9 (sometimes called 12-10):
This is a six month Ecuadorian visa ‘for work or pleasure’ and must be obtained from an Ecuadorian Consulate or Embassy in your home country BEFORE coming to Ecuador.  The following is needed for a 12-9 VISA

-Passport with at least one year validity
-Letter requesting the 12-9 visa
-Cost approx. $230 each
-Air ticket leaving Ecuador
-Copy of your passport (perhaps even a notarized copy)
-Certificate of health (sometimes an HIV test)
-Police Record (no felonies)
-Bank Statement proving you have $ to survive for the next 6 months
*Every Consular can be different and require different things. You should contact the Ecuadorian Consulate nearest you in order to be sure you have all the documents and certificates necessary to obtain the visa through them. You MUST enter with this type of visa to have the possibility of extending it or changing it.  The typical tourist ordinarily enters Ecuador with a 'tourist visa' that is only valid for 3 months and extremely difficult to extend.  It is worth the extra effort to enter Ecuador with this visa, if you are serious about staying in Ecuador for an extended period of time.

Salary:
Starts at $300 per month per person plus FREE room and board.  There is an opportunity for pay increases, depending on commitment, abilities and compatibility.  You should plan on working 5 weeks straight, and then having one week off.

Room and Board:
You will have a private room at the Inn, including all bedding and bath towels.  We also include all food while at the Inn.  We serve gourmet vegetarian.  You are welcome to bring in and cook your own meat. Your Bar Bill will be calculated separately at a discounted rate.  Long distance phone calls are at cost and you can use the internet for approximately 3 hours a week.

Location:
Black Sheep Inn is very rurally located just outside of the small Andean village of Chugchilán, Provincia Cotopaxi.  We are 3 hours from Latacunga and the nearest bank, post office or gas station.  We are 5 hours from Quito, Ecuador’s capitol city.

Photos Appreciated
Only small  jpg files (150kb maximum size or smaller) our internet connection is slow.

Do you have what it takes??

If you are seriously interested in this position then please write to us with the dates you are available, and information referring to the above qualifications.

We hope to hear from you soon, 

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Andres Hammerman & Michelle Kirby
The Black Sheep Inn
An Ecologically Friendly Hotel
P.O. Box 05-01-240
Chugchilán, Cotopaxi, Ecuador
South America
Telf : (593) 3 - 281-4587
Contact Us at Black Sheep Inn

  - 

WANTED:  Experienced Tree Climber / Pruner

We have an incredibly tall Eucalyptus Tree that we want to safely trim/prune.   We are looking for an experienced tree climber with experience trimming large limbs with a chainsaw at heights.  Someone with Eucalyptus experience a plus!  Write to us and we will arrange an exchange.       info(at)blacksheepinn.com

We are still looking for a lumberjack.

 

 

 

Volunteers
Do not apply unless you are planning a trip to Ecuador or already in Ecuador.

"For us, having a volunteer is like getting a new housemate."
We can only have 1 or 2 volunteers at a time, and we usually do not accept volunteers when we have fulltime managers.  If you are interested please contact us at the Black Sheep Inn.

(see above managers description for more details)

Eco Clown Hotel Volunteer Ecuador

 

COST: First 2 weeks is a trial period, US$10.00 per person per day for room and board.
COMMITMENT: 8 weeks minimum.  The first 2 weeks are usually spent training and learning the hikes that we send our guests on.  For this reason we ask for a 8 week minimum so that we will be able to get at least one month of work out our volunteers.
JOB DESCRIPTION: help run and maintain the Inn along with other odd projects. Most of your time will be spent maintaining the lodge, boiling water for tea and coffee, stocking the refrigerator, helping the guests with things they need.  We want a volunteer to be able to play the role of a temporary manager. Gardening experience, carpentry skills and an interest in Ecotourism are a plus. Mostly we are looking responsible fast-learners to relieve us from the everyday tasks of running the Inn. (see above managers description for more details)
LANGUAGE: English and Basic Spanish Skills a must.
SCHEDULE: Work 8 hours+ per day, one day off per week.  We like people who like to be busy, yet we understand that everybody needs down time too.
AGE: Ideally 22 plus years old. We do not have an "age bias", but we want competent, responsible, capable and mature co-workers.  For us, having a volunteer is like getting a new housemate, we must get along well.
ROOM AND BOARD: After trial period, room and board are negotiable, usually free. You will have a spot in the shared bunkroom at the Inn. We also include all meals while at the Inn. We serve gourmet vegetarian food. You are welcome to bring in and cook your own meat. Your Bar and Snack Bill will be calculated separately.  (see above managers description for more details)

 

Phone (03) 281-4587 or email us info(at)blacksheepinn.com for a volunteer reservation.

Andres Hammerman & Michelle Kirby
The Black Sheep Inn
An Ecologically Friendly Hotel
P.O. Box 05-01-240
Chugchilán, Cotopaxi, Ecuador
South America
Telf : (593) 3 - 281-4587
Contact Us at Black Sheep Inn

 

AWARDS 2006
Ecotourism Award Skal International

Eco Club Eco Lodge Award
10% Discount for
EcoClub Members
Join Now!

AWARDS 2005
Responsible Tourism Best in Mountain

Smithsonian Magazine Sustainable Tourism Winner

Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Finalist
Finalist
 

 

 

 

 

info(at)blacksheepinn.com
© Copyright 2000-2008 ~ Black Sheep Inn, Ecuador. Site Map
Photos by Black Sheep Inn, Ecuador except when noted.
Last updated: February 10th, 2008