Pros
I truly loved my time working as a guide. This is a great job for someone looking to get industry experience, maximize days riding in the winter, and get your foot in the door at Burton. You will gain a thorough understanding of Burton's brand, products, and company culture. And while at the end of the day this is a customer service job, you will get to spend most days thinking, learning, and talking about snowboarding. It's hard to beat that. You will be working side by side with people who share your passion, and in my experience you will grow close with your coworkers as you go through the trenches of customer service together. Many of colleagues made life long friends through this job. Great perks like discounted season passes, shifts that allow you to snowboard before work, very solid product discounts, company events, meeting the pro team, etc. For many people this job is the entry point into the company. You will work with a lot of different departments as a guide, and if you are determined you can develop relationships that will help you to move into other positions at HQ. Guides were highly encouraged to branch out, make connections, and find mentors within the company. There was also a (small, but notable) degree of internal resources for this, with some older employees stepping up to help facilitate introductions and mentorships while I was there. There are some really kind humans at this company. Jobs were certainly not handed out to everyone, but they were there for those with the initiative, persistence, and patience to make it happen. If you do go in with this mindset, be aware that it can take anywhere from a season to a few years to make the internal transition. Be prepared to work multiple seasons as a guide if that is your goal, and start networking right away.
Cons
The pay was not great (when I was a guide, at least). No benefits package really. It's a seasonal, hourly job that is competitive to get though, so I did not come in expecting a huge wage, and imo the perks that do come with it are pretty great for the line of work. Your mileage / values may vary. Like any customer service job it is at times high stress. It's pretty shocking how rude / dehumanizing customers can be at times, although this comes with the territory. If you will not be able to handle being verbally accosted by strangers over the phone for things that are completely out of your control without losing your composure, then this position might not be for you (and that's alright! It's definitely not for everyone) . And to be clear, there WILL be problems that are outside of your control that you will have to deal with and problem solve. This ranges from shipping delays that are really nobody's fault, to mistakes made by other guides + employees outside of your department. There is definitely a strong incentive to close as many tickets as possible, and this comes at a cost. Speed would often result in loss of quality in work, resulting in sloppiness and occasionally creating messes that require damage control (often by people who did not make the mess).