WORK WITH US

 
 

WE ARE LOOKING FOR ORGANISED, AMBITIOUS, WORLD-CLASS PROFESSIONALS THAT ALSO LOVE HORSES TO JOIN US

 
 

RIDING SAFARI BOOKING AGENT - LONDON BASED

 

Role Details

BUSY SEASON COVER

Job type: Short term fixed term contract: June to August 2024

Pay: £20 an hour

Location: Must live in or commutable distance to London

BRIEF

We are looking for an organised individual that is passionate about travel and offering an excellent level of service to our guests. As a booking agent you will help our guests to find their dream safari and support them though the whole journey from initial enquiry to gaining feedback after the ride.

You will have previous experience working in a high volume email role, working with excel, and a naturally high attention to detail and appreciate accuracy.

OUR VALUES

We believe good service is in the detail. We are focused on sharing accurate, timely information with guests so that they can discern which safari is best suited to them. We are organised, naturally curious, we keep our promises and commitments, we have excellent record keeping skills, we’re ambitious and get satisfaction from continuously improving processes.  

Our distinction from other riding holiday agencies is that we offer only the best safaris in the world and create a community of riders looking to experience the very best. You will have similar discerning standards and take great pride in maintaining these standards.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • You will be responsible for the start to end of the client journey including onboarding rides, updating the website, promoting departures on social media, managing client requests, taking bookings, sending invoices, sharing ride information and checking in with the client as departure day approaches, and collecting feedback. 

  • You will be responsible for maintaining internal reporting such as customer workflow and our directory of rides. 

  • You will maintain great relationships and clear lines of communication with our ride hosts. 

  • You will understand our guests’ requirements, listen to them, and match their wants and needs to one of our riding safaris of a lifetime.

  • You will study our rides in depth so you can best advise our clients on their options.

  • You will be a true believer in accuracy. You’ll understand getting the details right at every stage of a holiday is vital. We are sticklers for this, and you will be too.

  • You will work to continuously improve our processes.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

  • Our dream candidate would be someone who understands the importance of connecting with people and delivering great, personal service.

  • They have a passion for horses and travel, even if they’ve not yet had the chance to experience this for themselves.

  • They are confident, friendly and approachable.

  • They’ll be fluent in English and confident in google sheets and excel.

  • They’ll be organised, flexible, and be able to solve a variety of challenges and be calm under pressure.

  • They’ll enjoy working in a structured environment.

  • They’ll be an excellent communicator in both email, on social media, via Whatsapp and on the phone.

REQUIREMENTS

  • 3+ years working in an administration, finance, executive assistant role or simlar.

  • Excellent excel / google sheets skills (writing formulas, formatting, copying templates, validating data)

  • Must have access to fast wifi to be online every work day. This role will not suit a digital nomad who cannot commit to connectivity.

  • You must live a commutable distance to London for regular in-person working and training. 

Please only apply if you are able to work Mon - Fri from 9am - 5pm. There is no flexibility on start time and we cannot respond to applications who cannot meet this commitment.

To apply please send 1) your CV and 2) your case study email below to emma@black-saddle.com

Case Study: Referencing our website, please draft a short email (maximum 1000 words) to an imaginary client suggesting three riding safari options for her that fit her request. 

She has asked for:

  • A safari of up to 7 days in duration

  • Between May and October

  • Vegan

  • Fast riding

  • Travelling alone

  • No budget limit

  • She has already been on riding safaris at Jakotango in Argentina and she rode on a transhumance in Georgia and loved both adventures. 

Good luck!

To apply please send 1) your CV and 2) your case study email to emma@black-saddle.com

Do not apply if you do not already live near London.

Ideally you will be available for immediate start.

PHOTOGRAPHERS + VIDEOGRAPHERS

 

Job Details

Here at Black Saddle we know the value of an excellent photographer and videographer. We know that pictures can convey more than words ever could.

When working with photographers we usually exchange the ride and flights in return for the content. Our rides can be in excess of $10,000 a week so there is huge value for the right person. The right person is an experienced horse rider / horse lover, experienced in shooting horses who appreciates this value exchange. 

We seek to produce high quality images with minimal editing required that could be featured in high-end magazines like Vogue, Tatler, CondeNast and Country Life. You have probably already been featured in these publications or similar.

Guidance on what we look for:

  • An established photographer with a proven portfolio of work;

  • A cinematic, fine-art style;

  • A natural, experienced horse rider;

  • A saturated, colourful style - black and white, very dark or over-exposed photos don’t work.

  • An adventurous spirit and an ability to relax into the ride and to get photos without taking the other riders out of their holiday.

  • A professional open communication style and turn-around time for delivering photos.

How we shoot rides:

  • We shoot in a photo-journalistic style, capturing the entire ride from start to finish including riding (during the day often in harsh light), golden hour on and off the horse, off-horse activities, local markets and people-heavy scenes, landscapes, tacking-up, cooking and meals, local fashion, people including children and urban scenes. 

  • We don’t like to adjust the itinerary for photos so capturing images on horseback at pace is required. 4 times out of 5 you won’t have time for staging.

  • We like reportage photos of people rather than direct to camera portraits. We want the viewer to feel as if they are also there. 

We retain global rights to your photos but not exclusively - you are still free to publish them as you wish.

If you are interested in working with us you can email emma@black-saddle.com a link to your portfolio and instagram account with a short paragraph explaining your experience horse riding. 

With regret we cannot reply to enquiries that do not meet the standards laid out here.