Help with our Alaskan huskies, learn about dog mushing and driving a dog sled near Bjørnevatn, Norway

Details

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  Description

  Our place is a company that provides both winter and summer activities with our huskies. We are situated right outside of Kirkenes, Norway and we have a kennel of 160 lovely Alaskan Huskies. We are looking for more people who would like to join our team for the rest of this winter season and who would like to stay with us also over the summer season. You will be a full member of our team and you will help us driving our guests during the winter season. Although we are involved in tourism, we do our best to fulfill all rules regarding animal welfare, being sustainable and giving our guests the best possible experience.
  
  With this being a contracted and paid position, we need you to be either an EU citizen or being from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland or have your Norwegian working visa in order to be employed legally in Norway.
  
  Since it takes quite some time to learn everything about dog mushing to to become familiar with the dogs and our routines, you should be able to stay with us for a longer period of time. It is no point in leaving just after a couple of weeks or month when you just have become familiar with everything. It would be very difficult for us to train a new musher right during a busy winter season.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Animal Care
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We change you!
  You will get the unique chance to learn how to become a dog musher, how to drive a dog sled and work in a team both with the dogs.
  You will work in a team of great colleagues who are both local and international. Our local colleagues are always willing to give you a deeper insight into culture and traditions of northern Norway.
  You will learn how to cope with the cold and darkness and you will experience both the harshness and the beauty of the polar night.
  You will both grow in strength and personality during the polar night and by the end of the season you will have gained a lot of new skills and be a better version of yourself.

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  Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

  This host offers accommodation and payment.

  Host has indicated that they will pay at least the minimum hourly wage of their country for each hour worked and that accommodation will also be provided. They are asking for help with a business or business activity. Contact the host directly via the site messenger for more information and details about the wage provided. Any arrangements should be agreed in advance with your host.

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  Help

  We have a kennel of 160 Alaskan Huskies, a special and wonderful breed of dogs and we offer different types of dog sledding tours to our guests during the winter season. In order to get fit for the winter season, we are going to start to train our dogs as soon as it gets cold enough in autumn. Autumn is also the time where we will give you a complete training of all that you need to know about sled dogs, driving a sled with guests, guiding, handling and welfare of the dogs and how to survive an arctic winter.
  
  Your workdays (40 hours per week) will consist of our daily routines that involve feeding the dogs, cleaning the kennel, getting dogs and sleds and equipment ready for the tourist trips, training dogs, driving a sled with guests or showing them around in the kennel or the hotel, helping our guests to get dressed and cleaning up at the end of the day.
  
  We are looking for trainees that want to experience a new adventure in their lives and learn to be a great sled dog guide (we also welcome couples). We have an experienced core team that will teach you everything you need to know. So no previous experience in dog mushing is needed. The only thing we expect from you is to be open to learn new things, to have a great work ethic when it comes to working with dogs, not being afraid of the cold and darkness during the winter and being able to handle hectic situations. You will be paid a normal salary as long as you stay with us, also during your training period.
  
  But more importantly, you will have a chance to build a strong relationship to our dogs and your fellow colleagues, you will learn a lot of new skills while having a great time in a great place with good-natured people.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Norwegian: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  Our core team is of Norwegian and German nationality. We are more than willing to teach you everything you want to know about these two languages. And on the other hand, we are also happy to improve our poor language skills in French and Spanish. And maybe you can convince us to learn a totally new language? Besides of that you will be working in an international team and you will meet guests from all over the world.
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  Accommodation

  We have different types of accommodation for our employees. Some are directly in the kennel, others are either very close to the hotel and some are a bit further away. For those living a bit further away from the hotel we offer a means of transport to get to and from work. Anyhow, you will get your own room or cabin with your own shower and toilet. But you have to share the kitchen, living room, laundry room and sauna with others. This gives you a great opportunity to hang around with your colleagues during free time, cook meals together and making new friends.

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  What else ...

  We are situated 11 km outside of Kirkenes. During winter time, we have several transfers per day to and from the city that you can join. The closest grocery store is only a 15-20 minutes walk from the hotel and there is also a public transport from the grocery store to town.
  
  This part of Norway is the perfect place for outdoor enthusiasts. In wintertime, we have a downhill slope for skiing and many skiing tracks for cross-country skiing. Some are only a five-minutes-walk away from our location. But you can also go snowmobiling, ice fishing, on king crab safaris or on overnight trips with your tent. For photographers, this place offers endless opportunities to take pictures of the Northern lights or of the beautiful winter landscape. Due to the polar night, you have perfect light conditions almost all day long. In Kirkenes we have a library, swimming hall, museum, cinema and theater as well as many shops, medical center and hospital.
  If you come with your own car or rent one, you can explore the dark forests of the Pasvik valley that are the westernmost part of the Siberian Taiga or the rugged coastline of the Barents Sea. Or you can drive to the Varanger Peninsula with its open and arctic landscape.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  40