Expedition Leader

World Challenge

For almost 40 years, World Challenge has been creating powerful personal development opportunities for young people through experiential travel. Working in close partnership with schools, we design and deliver student-led expeditions and immersive learning experiences across the globe.

Through challenge, responsibility and reflection, young people develop confidence, perspective and the ability to articulate who they are and what they are capable of, with impact that lasts well beyond the journey itself. World Challenge is part of the Experience Education Student Travel Group.

The role

We're recruiting Expedition Leaders to lead overseas expeditions to a variety of incredible destinations across the world in July 2027. If you're passionate about travel, youth development, and purposeful adventure, we want to hear from you. Our freelance leaders come from all walks of life: outdoor professionals, youth workers, teachers, ex-challengers, medics, global travellers. What unites them is the ability to keep young people safe, inspired and supported on life-changing overseas expeditions.

We’re looking for leaders with their Mountain Leader qualifications, who are empathetic, adaptable, and great with people. Leaders who can build rapport, keep teams motivated, and create the kind of travel experiences that stay with young people for life. You’ll need some relevant experience under your belt, but we’ll support you with training, briefings, and a brilliant community behind you.

What we are looking for

To be considered for the Expedition Leader role, there are a few key prerequisites we ask all applicants to meet:

• Mountain Leader Summer Assessment – You should have successfully completed this to demonstrate your ability to lead groups in outdoor environments
• World Travel Experience – Around four weeks of travel in regions such as Central or South America, Africa, or South-East/Central Asia, ideally involving independent or self-sufficient travel
• Youth Work Experience – A minimum of 10 weeks working with young people, with some experience in residential or outdoor settings preferred
• Availability – You should be available to lead for at least two weeks in Summer 2027
• Minimum Age Requirement – Applicants must be at least 24 years old to lead an expedition

Experience Education Student Travel Group

World Challenge is a part of the Experience Education Student Travel Group, a collective of specialist brands dedicated to delivering exceptional and memorable travel experiences for schools and groups.

Our specialist brands include TravelBound, SkiBound, World Challenge, JCA, Edwin Doran and MasterClass, and they operate across 5 unique travel categories: curriculum tours; ski trips; expeditions; UK activity centres and sports tours