College of the Rockies alum finalist for Best Job in the World

Greg Snell, one of three finalists for Tourism Australia’s ‘Best Job in the World — Wildlife Caretaker.’

College of the Rockies Adventure Tourism Business Operations graduate Greg Snell is one of three finalists for Tourism Australia’s ‘Best Job in the World — Wildlife Caretaker.’

The goal of the competition is to help Tourism Australia find the best candidates for six different positions — Chief Funster, Outback Adventurer, Park Ranger, Wildlife Caretaker, Lifestyle Photographer and Taste Master. With over 330,000 applicants from 196 countries, Snell is the only Canadian to make it to the finals.

The position he is in the running for — Wildlife Caretaker — would find Snell living on Kangaroo Island in South Australia for six months, swimming with great white sharks, snorkeling with sea lions, hanging out with kangaroos and helping to conserve the pristine natural environment of the island. He explains, “Kangaroo Island is about the size of Prince Edward Island and is basically a zoo with no fences. I am very much looking forward to travelling there and getting to know the local endemic wildlife and interacting with the wonderful Australian people.”

Since completing the Adventure Tourism Business Operations program at the College’s Golden campus in 2009, Snell completed a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded internship in Ecuador, focussing on sustainable development through tourism. That experience helped him obtain his current employment with a Canadian adventure tourism company working as a tour leader in the Southern Cone of South America. He leads small group adventure travel trips through Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and The Patagonia.

“The Adventure Tourism program was definitely the kick-start to the amazing experiences I have had so far,” Snell says. “I cannot say enough about the ATBO program. It is an incredible opportunity for young Canadians to jump-start a career in international tourism. The program helped prepare me to work in the industry and to have a chance at such an exciting opportunity like this competition.”

Snell will travel to Australia on June 10 and take part in a week of competitions before the final decision of who will be awarded the ‘Best Job’ is made on June 21. He encourages everyone to follow his adventures on Facebook. His application video can be viewed on the Tourism Australia website.

Learn more about College of the Rockies’ Adventure Tourism Business Operations course here.