Pros
~I've met great people through Trackers, and though we don't work together anymore, I'd say that they have been and continue to be some of my very best friends.
~if you have a passion for nature/traditional skills/education, working here can be a great way to pursue those interests in a career (or to discover a new potential professional direction if you didn't join already having a love for the work)
~ I know in the past they've tried to pay above the industry average rate, but I'm not sure how that's been looking as of recent economic shifts. they at least have always paid above minimum wage (though how much more varies from year to year depending on a number of factors)
~relatively stable employment. it may be a seasonal gig, but if you want to work during the off-season or the following summer there's likely a position available to work, and returning for multiple seasons does come with pay increases. I've seen people quit and come back years later and still be welcomed back onto staff. unless you REALLY mess up, I think it's safe to say there'll be a place for you somewhere in the organization.
Cons
~company structuring shifts all the time, from year to year and even mid-season. it can be hard to feel like you've settled into a role when the job titles change so frequently, even if the responsibilities stay the same.
~there's very little about the work that feels stable; because everything is constantly shifting, there's not much about the work that stays consistent. whether that's the type of program you're working or the team you're on, things change quickly and frequently. people switch guilds all the time or from one age group to another or even get moved to a different location, and it can happen with very little notice. because people often don't stay in one role for long, the team you're working on can get shuffled around week by week, which can make it hard to fall into a rhythm with your coworkers. the ever-fluid state of working here can definitely make it hard to feel like you've got a solid handle on everything.
~ while the hourly rate may be decent for the industry, the amount of effort and labor that is required for the work is often far more than the compensation pays. sure, the hours are usually pretty okay (early mornings to early evenings for most roles) but the amount of energy it takes to do all the planning and prep work, the facilitation and supervision of the programming, and how intense the workdays are all mean that an 8-hour day feels like 12.
~though you technically have others working with you, the group sizes and supervisory staff distribution often mean that you are handling the chaos without much support. the days are often very busy and the programming is so fast-paced that there's not time during the day for rest, and even the 15-minute breaks built into the schedule don't actually allow for downtime (it takes roughly 5 minutes to find a place to sit to be far enough away from the group and then 5 minutes to get back so that leaves only 5 minutes for using the bathroom, eating your lunch, getting a snack or a drink, or whatever it is you want/need to do)
~if you're someone who's really passionate about working with kids or in the outdoors, this can be a great company, but it can also cause intense burnout that might turn you off/push you away from work you love doing