What does it mean to work at Indiahikes?
Working at Indiahikes can be extremely rewarding and equally frustrating. At Indiahikes everyone is committed to the vision of the organisation. Here responsibilities are high, work is busy. People love what they do.
Since 2008, Indiahikes has defined the future of trekking. Most trekking trails, like the Roopkund, Rupin Pass, Buran Ghati, Kedarkantha, Kashmir Great Lakes, Tarsar Marsar, Brahmatal, Warwan Valley, Phulara Ridge have been brought out by Indiahikes.
Modern safety systems like the microspikes, pulse oximeters, radios and oxygen on treks have been introduced in Indian trekking by Indiahikes.
Our Green Trails project has revolutionised how trekking trails are preserved in India.
Finally, the Indiahikes Experience has transformed the lives of thousands of trekkers in India. They have gone home with a deeper understanding of their mind, body and spirit.
Today, more than 25,000 trekkers trek with Indiahikes every year. Indiahikes is also India's largest trekking organisation.
In this context look at the roles available at Indiahikes below
Open Positions
Trek Leading
Coordination and Administration
Digital Marketing
Videography and Photography
Technology
Trek Leader
Trek leaders lead the Indiahikes teams in the mountains. Trek leaders ensure that, more than just leading trekkers on a trek, trekkers take back a transformative change in their minds, bodies, and spirits.
Trek leadership is not about taking trekkers from point A to point B. It is about imparting the Indiahikes experience. The experience consists of three key components:
- At Indiahikes, on every trek, we focus on the transformation of the mind, body, and spirit. The trek leader facilitates this.
- We also want our trekkers to be future examples of sustainable trekking. Our treks focus a lot on teaching sustainable skills.
- We want to make our trekkers independent (so they don’t need Indiahikes). Our trek leaders teach them Do-It-Yourself trekking skills.
The trek leader imparts all of these.
Trek leading is a skill that is learned. You devote up to 90 days to a training and mentorship programme. Training is imparted on leadership, safety, experience building, operations, and technical skills. At the end of the programme, you go on to become a trek leader at Indiahikes.
Applicants for Trek Leaders must fulfil the following criteria:
- Must be at least 24 years of age. Male/Female. We encourage women to be trek leaders.
- Must have a minimum of a Basic Mountaineering Course certificate from a reputed Institute.
- You must have done at least two high-altitude Himalayan treks above 14,000 feet.
- Must be willing to acquire a BLS certification (basic life support). A BLS certification can be obtained in any metro city at reputed hospitals.
- Must have excellent English and Hindi communication skills.
- Work experience in a leadership role in a different industry is preferred.
- Must follow an active fitness regimen. BMI (Body Mass Index) must be between 18.5 and 24.9. You can run 5 km in under 30 minutes (this will be tested when you come for training).
- Smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited under our work conditions.
Trek leader's salary starts at Rs 5.0 lakh per annum. In the second year, the salary increases to Rs 5.4 lakh annually. From the third year on, TL salaries can range between Rs 7.0 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh annually, depending on the responsibility taken or seniority attained. In addition, there are other work perks.
During the 90-day training period, you earn a stipend of Rs 20,000 per month.
Trek leaders save almost 80% of their income. Indiahikes provides for all your living expenses, including food while on duty.
Before you apply, watch these videos about the role of a Trek Leader:
- How we look at Trek Leading: An Interview with Indiahikes Founder
- How does a Trek Leader’s career grow at Indiahikes?
- What are the challenges of being a Trek Leader?
- Trek Leaders share their experiences
To apply, follow the instructions given below in "How to Apply."
Assistant Trek Leader
Would you like to assist Indiahikes trek leaders? Perhaps you wish to be a future trek leader? If so, then the ATL programme is suitable for you.
The ATL role is for individuals who do not fully satisfy trek leader selection criteria (background, qualification, age, etc.) but are looking to be future trek leaders with Indiahikes
ATL applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Minimum of 22 years old.
- Trek Experience: Good trek experience, preferably Himalayan. Please mention the treks that you have done. If you have trekked with Indiahikes, we prefer that. (Treks like Triund and Kheerganga do not count as experience.)
- Work experience in other industries is given preference
- Must have excellent English and Hindi communication skills.
- Must follow an active fitness regimen. BMI (body mass index) must be between 18.5 and 23.9. You can run 5 km in under 35 minutes (this will be tested when you come for training).
- No smoking or drinking habits at all.
ATLs undergo extensive training before being considered as trek leaders with Indiahikes. The training is in two stages. The first stage is an induction period of 10–15 days at our Bengaluru office, followed by a 90-day period of intensive training in the mountains. If your assessment is successful at the end of 90 days, you become a Trek Leader with Indiahikes.
Trek leaders' salaries start at Rs 5.0 lakh per annum. In the second year, the salary increases to Rs. 6.0 lakh annually. From the third year on, TL salaries can range between Rs 7.0 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh annually, depending on the responsibility taken or seniority attained. In addition, there are other work perks.
ATLs earn a stipend of Rs 20,000 per month during the 90-day training period.
Trek leaders save almost 80% of their income. Indiahikes provides for all your living expenses, including food while on duty.
Before applying for the assistant trek leader post, please see these videos about what the job involves.
To apply, follow the instructions below in "How to Apply."
Finance Associate (Full-time, Bengaluru)
At Indiahikes, we manage complex operations, working in remote locations, with different payment structures. We are looking for a team member who can perform various financial and accounting tasks, such as preparing financial reports, budgets, managing accounting records, handling payments, and preparing payroll documents.
This also involves working closely with our Chartered Accountant and assisting them with financial documentation and annual audits.
We are looking for team members who:
- Are proficient with Zoho Books and Tally
- Have a minimum qualification of a B.Com
- Have at least 2 years of work experience in the field of finance
- Love trekking and have done treks.
This is a full-time position based out of Bengaluru. Expect salaries between 4.2 - 4.8 lakhs per annum.
Assistant Experience Coordinator (Full-time, Bengaluru)
Coordinating the treks of 20,000 trekkers is complex. Coordinating it with the vision, values, and culture that we have is what makes it interesting and challenging.
Our operations span the Himalayas, mostly in remote locations where even a mobile signal is difficult.
Assistant Experience Coordinators lend integral support to the Experience Coordination Team at Indiahikes. Assistant Experience Coordinators are called AECs at our office.
But first, you must understand how we view our trekkers. Like us, they are trekkers. We communicate with them in the same way that one trekker communicates with another. They consult with us as senior trekkers, not as an organisation. As an AEC, your role is to assist the Experience Coordination team. Every AEC is given a specific role to play.
You can apply to be an AEC if you do not match the age or work experience criteria for an Experience Coordinator.
- Must be a minimum of 22 years old. Male or female.
- We prefer it if you have done trekking. If you have trekked with Indiahikes, that's even better!
- Work experience is preferred.
- Must be willing to work from Bengaluru
- Must have excellent English and Hindi communication skills.
This role is full-time and Bengaluru-based.
The salary starts at Rs. 5.0 lakh per annum.
To apply, follow the instructions given below in "How to Apply"
Experience Coordinator (Full-time, Bengaluru)
Experience Coordinators build the unique Indiahikes trek experience before a trekker gets there.
The role requires you to help prepare our trekkers for their trek. You support our trekkers by solving their problems, advising them, and coordinating their movements. You do this while considering our vision and values as an organisation.
The Experience Coordinator’s role has communication at its crux. People who are well-travelled, socially friendly, and have good exposure to the outside world do well in this role.
Experience coordinators work out of our office in Bengaluru. It is a full-time role.
Applicants for the Experience Coordinator's position must fulfil the following criteria:
- Must be between 25 and 35 years old. Male or female.
- We prefer it if you have done trekking. If you have trekked with Indiahikes, that's even better!
- Minimum of 3 years of work experience in other industries.
- Must be willing to work from Bengaluru
- Must have excellent English and Hindi communication skills.
The salary starts at Rs 6.0 lakh per annum.
To apply, follow the instructions given below in "How to Apply"
Content Manager (Bangalore based)
We have over 13,000 trekkers visiting our website every day. When they visit our website, they come looking for great treks, accurate information, and the latest findings in the trekking world.
Yet, we feel like we have not brought out half the information we want to bring out.
To help us solve this problem, we are looking for a passionate content creator who can bring out information about trekking through content.
Your role will be to design a content strategy, so that we can bring out content that trekkers are looking for. This includes information not only about treks, but also about Indiahikes and the latest developments. Ultimately, you should be able to expand the digital footprint of Indiahikes and brand awareness.
Responsibilities
- Develop editorial calendar and ensure deadlines are met
- Collaborate with digital marketing team and design team to create high quality SEO-friendly content.
- Edit, proofread, and improve content
- Analyze web traffic metrics and understand what content is working and what isn't
- Share content through various channels, ensuring strong web presence
- Receive trekker feedback and generate ideas to increase trekker engagement
Requirements and skills
- Excellent communication and writing skills in English
- At least 3 years of proven work experience as a content manager
- Proficiency in Content Management Software (similar to Wordpress / Prismic)
- Understanding of web publishing requirements
- Editorial mindset with an ability to predict audience preferences
- Hands-on experience with SEO and web traffic metrics
- Project management skills and attention to detail
You must be Bengaluru-based (or willing to relocate). It is a full-time role out of our office in Bengaluru.
Salary starts at 7.0 lakhs per annum.
To apply, follow the procedure in the "How to apply" section.
Photo Trekker (Assignment-based)
Want to cover some of our best treks as a photographer? It’s not often that photographers get an opportunity to capture the remotest landscapes of the Himalayas. This has very rarely been done in India. If you're selected, you'll be among the hand-picked few capturing the Himalayas in collaboration with us.
At Indiahikes, our vision has always been to document different aspects of trekking trails — in different seasons, under different weather circumstances, the different terrains, flora and fauna — all in photographs and video. Your collaboration with us is a small step towards that.
At the same time, if you want to build your portfolio as a travel photographer, nothing will give you more experience than roughing it out on treks, where no trails are even, no weather is predictable and adventure is at every step.
We will do everything to take care of your trek, going out of our way to give you added time on the trail to take the right shots. We hope you make the best of it with the care and safety of Indiahikes.
What we will take care of:
- We will waive of your trek fee and take care of your trek. (The trek will be selected by us, based on the season and our requirements)
- We will take care of your food and accommodation on the trek.
- We will also pick you up and drop you back to and from the basecamp at our expense.
- We will allow you to offload your backpack without paying for it, since you will be carrying heavy camera equipment.
What we expect from you:
- Excellent photography skills
- Camera equipment of your own
- Prior trek experience (so that you understand the difficulties of taking photographs on a Himalayan trek with tough terrain, negative temperatures and erratic weather)
- Good fitness (BMI - not above 28)
- We expect you to fulfill our photography requirements, adhering to all our guidelines, which will be shared with you once you’re selected.
How to apply:
If you think suitable for an assignment with us, send an email to swathi@indiahikes.com, and cc: jothiranjan@indiahikes.com, with the subject line - Working with Indiahikes - Photo Trekker. Include the following details in your email.
- Your portfolio of photos
- A small write-up (1- paragraph) on “Why I would like to be a Photo Trekker”
- Details of camera lenses that you intend to use.
There will be a strict selection process based on your skills, experience and work culture. We will get back to you within 7 days if you’re shortlisted.
Short-form Video Editor
Do you find yourself following social media trends and making epic short form videos? We are looking for a talented and creative short-form video editor to join our growing content team.
If you don’t know about it, Indiahikes has a following of over 400,000 followers on Instagram and 100,000+ on Youtube. Our channel is widely respected around the world for its credible, knowledgeable and informative content on trekking.
As a short-form video editor, you'll play a key role in making engaging videos for our social media channels, helping us connect with trekkers and increase the brand awareness of Indiahikes.
You are expected to take ownership of post-production. This includes non-linear video editing for putting together the first cut, music, adding motion graphics and more. You may be involved in shooting videos too.
Every now and then, you’ll get a chance to dabble with long form video content as well.
To join the team you must fulfill the following criteria:
- Well-versed with Adobe Premiere Pro, FCP, Adobe After Effects, or DaVinci Resolve
- Minimum age: 21 years
- Willing to be Bengaluru-based
Please note that this is a Bengaluru-based full-time role. You will be working with us in our office.
Salary starts between ₹5.0 - 5.5 lakhs per annum.
Java Developer
The trekker registration system at Indiahikes is a Java Spring Boot based system. It handles a vast database of over 3 lakh trekkers.
This system ensures that the entire registration process runs smoothly. This involves the seamless interaction of various features with the details of the trekkers.
As a Java expert, your core responsibility involves developing new features, deploying, maintaining, fixing issues, and ensuring minimum downtime for end users.
We are looking for someone with at least 5 years of work experience.
For this role, you must fulfil the following criteria:
- Proficiency in Java, Spring Boot with a good understanding of its ecosystems
- Familiarity with different design and architectural patterns
- Ability to write clean, readable Java code
- Basic know-how of class loading mechanism in Java
- Experience in handling external and embedded databases
We expect you to put in 15-20 hours of work weekly.
If this is something that interests you, please write to sandhya@indiahikes.com (COO and Co-founder) with details of your work experience in the above domain and why you wish to work with Indiahikes.
How to Apply
We're extremely careful about who we select as a part of team Indiahikes. Through the selection process, we want to make sure you are the 'right fit.
For all positions email
Sandhya Chandrasekharayya: sandhya@indiahikes.com
CC: Arjun Majumdar: arjun@indiahikes.com
Subject: Working with Indiahikes — (name of position)
Sandhya Chandrasekharayya, is the COO and Co-founder at Indiahikes. Arjun Majumdar is the CEO and Founder of Indiahikes
What to include in your email application
- Your latest resume (Even if you don’t have a background in trekking, your past work experience matters to us)
- Write a paragraph about 'why you wish to work at Indiahikes'. A passion for trek and travel is important, but must not be the only reason for you to apply.
- Write another paragraph about your skills and talents that make you suitable for the role.
- If you have any trek experience, mention it in the email.
- Any specific write up or inclusions as mentioned in the role description
What is the recruitment process at Indiahikes?
We receive a large number of applications. If you are shortlisted, we will write back within seven days, usually quicker. If you do not hear from us within seven days, in all probability, your application has been rejected. You can, of course, remind us again by email if you feel you are the right fit for Indiahikes.
The below recruitment process applies to all roles other than the Trek Leader and Asst. Trek Leader roles:
STEP 1: The first step is a form that you fill out so that we get to know your skills better. Here, you may be asked to complete a test assignment as well. If your portfolio speaks for itself, you may be taken directly to the next step. On the other hand, if we see that you're using AI to complete the assignments, it is grounds for us to reject your application immediately.
STEP 2: The next step is where we conduct your personal interview with a senior member of Indiahikes. Our objective is to see whether you make a good culture fit at Indiahikes. Our culture and values are sacrosanct to us, and it matters to us that you align with them. If required, there will be two such rounds of a personal interview. These will be conducted online, unless you live close to our office.
STEP 3: The final round is our most interesting and unusual one, where we invite you to our office for a two-day visit. This is a chance for you to get to know Indiahikes better and for us to get to know you better. During these two days, you get to speak to several team members at Indiahikes, work on small assignments, be part of our meetings and lunchtime, and observe the work culture here. It will help you arrive at a decision about whether you would like to grow professionally at Indiahikes. It will also give us insight into whether you would fit into the culture here.
Note: If selected for the 2-day visit, you are expected to bear the cost of your travel. In case you're coming from another city, we are happy to offer you accommodation at our guesthouse (at our expense) upon prior request.
Further, we usually call only the applicants we are strongly considering to our office. In most cases, your take-home salary will be revealed to you at this stage so that you can decide whether to confirm your 2-day visit or not.
STEP 4: After your 2-day visit, we will get back to you within a couple of days about our final verdict.
As you can see, it is a slightly long and serious recruitment process, but we are very particular about who works at IndiaHikes. This is a big way in which we have been able to build an organisation with a deep value system that reaches every last person working here.
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The Core Values that make us who we are
These are values that anybody working here is expected to imbibe.
You are Humble
Humility is the biggest trait we look for in our team members. Even if an applicant is highly skilled, or experience but not humble, we do not take them. You’ll find this as a virtue among all team members at Indiahikes — whether it’s our founders, our Trek Leaders or our local staff members. A humble person makes for an ideal team member. They are open to feedback, easily teachable, curious and eager to learn.They are able to grow and nurture the organisation
Humility is practiced everyday at Indiahikes. Those who are not humble are not encouraged to be at Indiahikes.
You are Fit
We expect trekkers to be fit for our treks. It holds true for all of us at Indiahikes as well. If we are unfit, then we have little right to ask trekkers to be fit on our treks. To us, fitness is a way of life. This means everyone has a fitness routine, everyone is always ready to go on a Himalayan trek.
If you are unfit and do not have a fitness routine, you cannot work at Indiahikes.
You are a Sustainability Champion
At Indiahikes we have taken the responsibility of bringing in systems that make trekking more sustainable. We are here to leave our mountains better. We do this through our Green Trails project. And for this, the best place to begin is at home. So, everyone at Indiahikes is a sustainability champion. We buy little or no packaged goods, we use no disposables. We compost our waste. We lead minimalist lives. This extends to everyone working here.
If you do not lead a sustainable life, you cannot be with us at Indiahikes.
You show Care
To show care for our trekkers is to put the needs and interests of our trekkers before our own. It means sacrificing ourselves on behalf of our trekkers. Caring means using our time, skills, and talents to help our trekkers.
To show care is giving beyond what is required. Nobody asks you to do it. Showing care is one of our biggest differentiators at work. It has helped Indiahikes be where it is today. If you do not show care, eventually you will be a misfit at Indiahikes.
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