Careers
JOBS AT World Challenge
Some of our roles are office-based, others take you up mountains. It takes all of us to make a World Challenge Expedition happen.
For 40 years, we’ve pioneered student-led school expeditions, visiting more than 60 countries along the way. Making them happen takes people with very different skills, backgrounds and experience.
You could work in the UK at our office in Farnham Common, Slough, or lead our school expeditions overseas as a freelance Expedition Leader. If you’ve travelled with us as a student, you could also become a paid Student Brand Ambassador.
Current World Challenge jobs are advertised through the Experience Education careers site, the group we’re part of.
World Challenge jobs in Farnham Common, Slough
Office-based jobs in the UK
Our UK team is the reason a school can say yes to an expedition. You could be working with schools from their first conversation with us until their students are home again.
That might mean planning itineraries, building school partnerships, preparing teams, briefing leaders or supporting families. Our 24/7 Operations Centre is here too, keeping in touch with and supporting groups while they travel.
Some of our team have led expeditions themselves. Others bring experience from education, travel, sales, marketing, customer support and operations. Whatever your role, you’ll share responsibility for the safety and support of students and teachers away from home, and for the schools and families who trust us with them.
Benefits of joining the World Challenge UK team:
- Training and personal development opportunities
- Hybrid working and some remote roles
- Potential opportunities to travel on a World Challenge trip
Become a World Challenge Expedition Leader
Freelance Expedition Leader jobs overseas
Our Expedition Leaders are freelance and come from all sorts of backgrounds. They include outdoor professionals, youth workers, teachers, medics, experienced independent travellers and people who travelled with World Challenge as students.
What they have in common is sound judgement. They can manage risk in the field, know when to step in and when to give students the space to work something out for themselves.
World Challenge Expedition Leaders are responsible for the safety and support of their group throughout. They are backed by our 24/7 Operations Centre, round-the-clock medical support and training before every season. Trips run from 7 to 28 days, so leading fits alongside other work.
What we’re looking for:
- Normally a Summer Mountain Leader (ML) or equivalent qualification
- Experience leading adventurous activities, ideally with secondary school students
- A proven track record in maintaining safety standards and managing incidents
- At least four weeks’ independent travel in Central or South America, Africa or Southeast and Central Asia
- Calm judgement, adaptability and the ability to build trust with students and teachers
- A positive, resilient approach and genuine commitment to helping young people develop through challenge
- Aged 24 or over
“I’ve worked with World Challenge for 7 years and have climbed peaks in Ecuador and swam with whale sharks in Mozambique. My most recent adventure involved crossing the Solent for charity.”
What to expect when you apply
Applications for office jobs at World Challenge are made online through the Experience Education careers site. The process varies depending on the role. We’ll make the next steps clear from the outset and keep you updated by email throughout. Please use an address you check regularly.
For UK-based World Challenge roles, the process may include:
- Online application
- Interview and/or assessment
- A role-specific task or exercise
- DBS and other pre-employment checks where required
- Training and induction once appointed
Applying for Expedition Leader jobs
If you’re interested in becoming a World Challenge Expedition Leader, you start by registering your interest with us.
You’ll find the full process and how to register on our Become an Expedition Leader page.
Become a Student Brand Ambassador
If you’ve been on a World Challenge expedition, you already know what it does for young people like you. Our Student Brand Ambassadors talk openly about their World Challenge experience with teachers, students and parents who are thinking about it.
This could be at school launches, parents’ evenings and various events. It is paid, flexible work, offered on an ad hoc basis, so it fits around your studies or other work.
If you’d like to be considered, register your interest through our contact form. Tell us you’d like to be a Student Brand Ambassador, the expedition you went on, your school and the year you travelled.
Nothing that fits right now?
Our vacancies change throughout the year, so it’s worth checking back.
World Challenge is part of Experience Education, a group of specialist education travel brands. If there isn’t a role with us that suits you right now, you can also explore jobs across the wider group.
You’re welcome to send a speculative CV for UK-based roles to: recruitment@experienceeducation.com