Part Time Wine Tour Guides – No Experience Necessary

Are you witty, charming, sociable, and selfless? How about courteous and charismatic? Are you a “people-person”? Do you like to have a lot of fun? Maybe you’re tired of being RETIRED? Are you a non-smoker? Are you well-groomed and have fresh breath? 

People say you’re fun and interesting. Some would also say, caring, reliable, genuine and principled. Your natural wit and humor are appreciated by others – not just yourself!!!

You have excellent driving habits and a near-perfect driving record. (Driving vehicles, not golf balls silly! 🙂

Daily physical requirements of this position include excessive smiling and laughing, lifting up to 40 lbs., repeated driving, standing, walking, talking, ascending or descending stairs and ramps along with intermittent kneeling, pushing and pulling. Not unlike a Super Bowl or World Cup Party.

If I’ve described you – you are in for the time of your life! We have way too much fun and zero drama – except for sharing our wittiness and storytelling.

Our goal is to build the most recognized team of customer-focused professionals in the industry. An unstoppable force. Personally engaging, knowledgeable, professional raconteurs and true service aficionados who share colourful local history and interesting information (I.e. why Kal Lake’s colour ranges from cyan to indigo, about grape farming, wine making, distilleries in the orchards, extinct volcanoes, and local legends – not just your golf handicap!

About Us

THE COMPANY

Highly respected within BC’s Tourism, Transportation, and Wedding Industries, Cheers Okanagan Tours and Transportation was founded in 2016 and quickly vaulted from 124th place to first place on TripAdvisor® for exemplary experiences. Modelling on Canada’s Best Managed Companies and Top-Ranked Employers, we’re building an uncommon company culture that focuses on the care and success of our 1) employee-partners, 2) customers, 3) vendors, and 4) neighbors. Helping people thrive differentiates our business.

THE OWNERS

Years of volunteering our time in remote developing countries plagued by conflict and natural disasters assisting victims rebuild their lives was intensely fulfilling. Later, adopting Haitian brother and sister twin orphans, training them up and watching them volunteer in orphanages in Zambia and Haiti as adults was powerfully inspiring. Helping people to feel cared for, valued, and respected permeates the Cheers! culture.

THE COMMUNITY

Our employee-partners share the bond of caring deeply for humankind and we’re pleased to support kind and compassionate organizations such as Freedom’s Door, Mamas for Mamas, Dreams Take Flight, Cops for Kids, and others with our time, talent, and treasure.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Cheers! has been known to all of a sudden rescue over 155 forsaken travellers on Christmas Eve from the Vancouver Airport and safely deliver them to the Okanagan as seen on Castanet. We’ve swiftly delivered a local nurse practitioner from Oyama to the Calgary airport to catch a flight to the Northwest Territories so that the remote community’s healthcare facility wouldn’t be closed for weeks. We’ve abruptly drove to the Kamloops airport from Kelowna to rescue 5 marooned Heli-Skiers, and safely delivered them 6 hours to the East in Kaslo, BC. We’ve suddenly driven 13 hours from YLW to Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing in Blue River, BC and back to rescue 20 isolated Heli-Skiers. Dashed to Vancouver from Kelowna, picked up a stranded Australian family, and then safely deliver them to Sun Peaks Ski Resort and return to Kelowna – all in one fell swoop – on Christmas Eve. All of a sudden we were transporting Vernon’s W.L. Seaton Secondary School’s choir on the eve of their performances at Black History Month celebrations in Vancouver when their transportation abruptly cancelled on them at the last minute. We’ve instantly rescued numerous engaged couples whose wedding transportation never showed up. Expeditiously rescued an Ottawa family of 7 that urgently needed to go to the Vancouver Airport from West Kelowna due to an unexpected, last-minute flight cancellation. Spontaneously driving 13 hours to help 16 US golfers get to Seattle to catch their flights home because the Kelowna airport suddenly closed due to wildfire smoke in 2018. All of a sudden we safely transported 8 Edmonton school teachers who were stranded in Penticton due to extreme wildfire smoke and delivered them home to the ones they love – a 12-hour drive away. Erin commented the next day, “I have never been so happy to hug my kids!” Overnight in August 2021 we suddenly began shuttling dozens of RCMP every day between their Kelowna accommodations and the Vernon Detachment as the White Rock Lake wildfire levelled structures in Ewings Landing, Killiney, around Monte Lake and in the Paxton Valley. And again, in 2023 we suddenly pivoted to transporting busloads of RCMP for three weeks between their Kelowna accommodations and the Kelowna, Lake Country, and West Kelowna Detachments due to the McDougall Creek Wildfire. Just a few examples of when our business has gone above and beyond to help. 

MOST DAYS

When not in “rescue mode”, we typically deliver safe, clean, transportation solutions for 200+ weddings each summer, along with golfers, sports teams, private & corporate events, private and public airport transfers throughout the Thompson/Okanagan Regions, plus we deliver 4 different tiers of Wine Tours from Self-Guided (vehicle & driver) to Fully-Guided Modest, Classic, and Premium top-tier tour experiences throughout the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys led by top-performing wine tour guides. In the winter we safely deliver private transfers and public shuttles to over 50 Heli-Ski, Cat-Ski, Ski Resorts and airports throughout southern British Columbia. 

Most days we simply wow our guests with uncommon customer service getting them safely to where they need to be, or safely home to the ones they love. This includes; irreproachable communication; safe, clean, reliable vehicles; and, fun, safety-conscious, knowledgeable service aficionados who go above and beyond for our customers, vendors, neighbours, and their fellow employee-partners. 

A LEGITIMATE OPERATOR

Properly insured and legislatively compliant, Cheers! Okanagan Tours and Transportation is a legitimate operator. We are BC Passenger Transportation Licenced (PT 72224), National Safety Code, and Transport Canada Certified (202445168). Moreover, we take our guests and employee-partners safety and travelling comfort very seriously. Please read about our fleet and safety program here. 

COMPENSATION

Our tour guide compensation package begins with a $19 an hour wage, guaranteed gratuities, shift differential, plus various commissions, spiffs, and performance bonuses. In 2023 the average compensation equalled $41 per hour. PLUS there’s uncalculated additional gifts and gratuities at our guests’ discretion.

Work-Life Balance

We understand the importance of a flexible schedule for work-life balance. For every tour or trip, we email you an invitation first – you accept or decline according to YOUR schedule.

At Cheers we have a lot of fun, laugh a lot and enjoy the benefits. We guarantee improved health! The Mayo Clinic says, “Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Laughter relieves your stress response and soothes tension. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/art-20044456 or consider the ancient proverb, “A happy heart is like a good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing.” Circa 700 BC

ABOUT YOU

We’re looking for exceptional people, the right people, people who are productively neurotic, self-motivated, and self-disciplined, compulsively driven to do the best they can because it’s simply part of their DNA. People who want to be a part of building something great while helping other people to feel cared for, valued, and respected.

The right people are our most important asset. The right person has more to do with character traits and innate capabilities than with specific knowledge, background, or skills. We believe that when you have disciplined people, you don’t need hierarchy. When you have disciplined thought, you don’t need bureaucracy. There’s no need for micromanaging when everyone has their act together.

“This is no place for a confidence problem”  Peter C. Tour guide & driver since March 2018

As far back as you can remember you have demonstrated an obsession for delivering absolutely exceptional customer service and hospitality. Caring and going above-and-beyond are intrinsically in your DNA. 

You are a high performer and typically exemplify qualities and attributes like problem solving, communicativeness, self-direction, drive, adaptability/flexibility, passion, determination, positivity, strategic thinking, initiative, collaboration, continuous learning, coachability, ambition, and ownership. As a high performer you regularly go above and beyond, typically achieving your goals and improving the companies you work for. As a high performer you are a relentless champion of honesty and integrity, you behave honorably, exhibit strong ethics, and show evidence of responsibility and determination.

If you’re predisposed to our core values, we’d appreciate the privilege of hearing from you.

HOW TO APPLY 

1) SEND AN INTRODUCTORY LETTER OR, A “PERSONAL VALUE PROPOSITION”

Please email [email protected] a memorable introduction letter to you, your character traits, and innate capabilities, describing how they would prove advantageous to our customers and the company.  

What have you done you’re exceptionally proud of? If you’ve earned the title of best boss, best mom, best dad, best counsellor, best coach, MVP, best teacher, best leader, best employee, miss congeniality, etc., say so. Where possible, be sure to include any testimonials.

You don’t need to, but if you want to go “PRO”, check out this article “Personal Value Proposition Example (With Template)” If unable to go direct, search the title in your browser.

Although conveying your pride, self-respect, self-esteem, honor, privilege, and dignity is somewhat of an art, nevertheless, we need a fascinating reason to consider interviewing or hiring you. Now is the time to break out the accolades, testimonials, references, plaques and trophies. What acts of selflessness are you most proud of? What have other people said about you? “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Ancient Hebrew Proverb. 

2) SEND A RESUME 

In addition to your introductory letter or “personal value proposition”, please include a copy of your resume. A simple resume is adequate. However, if you want to go “PRO” and craft a results-oriented resume that focuses on quantitative (measurable) accomplishments, please do. 

Check out this article from INDEED on What Is a Results-Oriented Resume? (And How to Write One) If unable to go direct, search the title of the Indeed Article in your browser. 

3) SEND A COMMERCIAL DRIVING RECORD AND INSURANCE HISTORY or a Class 5 driving record if you don’t yet have a Commercial Driver’s Licence

For your Class 1, 2, or 4 Unrestricted BC Driver’s Licence Go to: https://onlinebusiness.icbc.com/clio/  Follow the prompts on each page. On the “Request document(s)” page, under section, “Select the document(s) you need” Check: “Commercial driving record (National Safety Code abstract)” 

If you don’t have a commercial driver’s licence, go to: https://onlinebusiness.icbc.com/clio/ and follow the prompts on each page. 

Email your letter, resume, and driver’s abstract to [email protected] 

Successful applicants will be required to get their BC Class 4 Unrestricted Driver’s Licence and be able to prove they can have fun – all day long.

“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them, they hire motivated people and inspire them.” Simon Sinek