FEATURED JOB OPENING: Property Management Couple for Guest House - St Lucia

Balenbouche Estate is looking for an enthusiastic couple with hands-on hospitality and maintenance experience to join our hardworking team on the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia!

Cared for by the Lawaetz family for the past 40 years, Balenbouche Estate is a beautiful, former sugarcane plantation that is now a celebrated guest house, as well as a retreat venue, heritage site and family home.

This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out managing your own B&B property while enjoying the perks of island life and contributing to the preservation of the island’s natural and cultural heritage and responsible tourism sector.

The ideal candidates will have significant experience with day-to-day life in a developing country, and possess practical, hands-on skills in maintenance, cooking, housekeeping, landscaping and farming. You should have proven skills in managing support staff, and be a welcoming host, as well as an effective communicator, and a thoughtful, highly responsible individual who is able to stay flexible and calm under pressure.
 

Main duties would include:
 

- Helping to prepare guest accommodations for new arrivals (housekeeping / quality control)

- Receiving guests for check-in and providing an orientation of the cottage and property

- Bi-weekly shopping and errands

- Preparing meals for resident guests (an average of 4 - 12 people 3-4 times a week)

- Basic repairs and general building maintenance (electrical, plumbing, woodwork, painting etc.)

- Assisting the 78 year old owner / manager and 5 staff members with various other day to day tasks and responsibilities as needed
 

Our ideal candidate(s) will have:

• Demonstrable experience in tourism and hospitality, including guest services and
issues management. You must be a welcoming host, cook and housekeeper, with
an eye for detail.

• Demonstrable experience in general maintenance, including construction,
carpentry, plumbing, electrical, masonry and woodwork. Additional training in security and law enforcement is advantageous.

• Proven experience in managing local support staff. Helped by a dedicated team of
gardeners, housekeepers and cooks, as well as casual maintenance contractors,
you will need to supervise and lead by doing hard work alongside everyone when
necessary.

• Proven experience living and working in a developing country, perhaps in a similar
type of business such as a farm, guesthouse, retreat center or lodge.

• Dedication to the values of Balenbouche Estate, including sustainability,
authenticity, health and well-being. You will need to be a thoughtful, articulate
communicator who is open, honest and has a sense of humour.
 

The (combined) salary for this role is US$750 (EC$2000) per month, and accommodation, utilities, meals and transportation are included. There are opportunities for profit sharing and earning additional income, if a longer term commitment is made.

Primarily, international candidates should be attracted to working here not for the remuneration, but for the hands-on experience, as well as learning about the island and all aspects of managing an estate and eco-tourism business.