Position Summary Overview:  The Experiential Education department helps support and enhance Albuquerque Academy’s rigorous college-preparatory curriculum, and outdoor education trips are required for students in grades 6-9.

The outdoor education curriculum progression includes two day hikes and an overnight for 6th graders, a three-day backpacking trip for 7th graders, skills days for 8th graders, and a four to five day backpacking trip for 9th graders.  Faculty also support experiential co-curricular trips for other academic departments, design and lead three-week field-based senior seminars, and teach and support field components for Outdoor Pursuits class, including rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, mountain biking and survival skills.

Contractual field instructors are hired during high-volume trip times. Our field season runs August 10- October 31.

3 day trip with 7th grade $400

4 day trip with 9th grade $535

Responsibilities:

• Assisting Ex Ed faculty on 3 to 5 day wilderness-based expeditions for groups of approximately 12 students.

• Driving vehicle and trailer to trailhead.

• Teaching and facilitating outdoor living skills, navigation and route finding, natural history, relevant technical skills, risk awareness and management, and self-care.

• Group and risk management.

• Supporting overall trip, including, if necessary: evacuations, parent communications, familiarizing oneself with emergency procedures, route familiarity, communications with co-leader and students.

• Assisting with field evacuations.

• Potentially helping with pre- and post-course logistics– pay will be adjusted for any extra time.   

Qualifications:  

• A desire to lead wilderness-based trips; personal wilderness trip experience.

• Competent in outdoor living skills, including: tent use and repair; whisperlite stove use and repair; finding, purifying and transporting water in desert and mountain environments; campsite selection and management; self-care including nutrition, first aid and staying warm and dry; Leave No Trace ethics.

• Competent in navigation, map and compass use and route finding; experience with on and off-trail travel.

• Effective communicator; comfortable giving and receiving timely and relevant feedback with colleagues and students.

• Sound judgement and decision-making; competent in backcountry-based risk management and student management.

• Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness First Aid and CPR.

• Clean driving record (minimum age 21).