Jobs

Fall Season Field Instructor
Location: Spruce Knob Mountain Center, Circleville, WV
Length of Employment: 23 August – 31 October, 2021
Supervisor: Course Director
Overview: Experience Learning is seeking outdoor professionals to lead high-quality, adventure-based, outdoor education programs in backcountry environments throughout the mid-Atlantic region. 

Position Overview:
Based at the remote Spruce Knob Mountain Center in West Virginia, Field Instructors lead students on Wilderness Learning courses (both field and residential based), helping people become confident, competent individuals with a clear vision of their responsibilities and potential for improving the human condition and the natural world.

Our courses typically serve students in 5th-12th grade. Courses can include 1-2 day dorm based courses, 1-2 day off-site courses in local communities (visiting WV public schools), 4-8 day field courses (Private schools from the Mid-Atlantic region) both in the nearby national forest, as well as variety of off-site courses in wild spaces throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including the Appalachian Trail.

Field Instructors help students gain confidence, experience, and appreciation for mountains through lessons and activities such as hiking, backpacking, camp craft, orienteering, caving, stream ecology, forest ecology, geology, rock climbing, canoeing, outdoor cooking, stewardship projects, and survival skills. In addition, Field Instructors tailor courses to meet the thematic goals of each school served, leading students in discussions and initiatives around leadership, communication, environmental stewardship, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain a physically and emotionally safe environment for students and guests.
• Prepare and deliver hands-on, experiential, and inquiry-based lessons in a remote outdoor setting for both day and evening programs.
• Lead 1-8 day residential and field-based programs in challenging settings that include hiking, backpacking, camp craft, orienteering, caving, stream ecology, forest ecology, geology, rock climbing, canoeing, stewardship projects, outdoor cooking, and survival skills.
• Facilitate discussions and initiatives around leadership, communication, environmental stewardship, teamwork, creative problem-solving, and other subjects.
• Implement and model excellent risk management strategies and administer first aid as needed.
• Teach and lead groups in the outdoors, in varying weather conditions, and on uneven terrain.
• Prepare facilities and gear before trips and clean facilities and gear at the end of trips.
• Prepare and cook meals for visiting educational and rental groups under supervision of Kitchen Manager.
• Maintain a professional demeanor while interacting with groups and guests.
• Assist with facility upkeep as needed, including basic carpentry, repairs, vehicle maintenance, and general troubleshooting.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent life experience
• Current Wilderness First Responder Certification (Preferred)
• Minimum of Wilderness First Aid & CPR/AED certification (Required)
  • (WFA certification offered on site 21-22 August 2021)
• Valid driver’s license
• Effective communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills
• Positive attitude, determination, and unassailable work ethic
• Teaching experience, either formal or informal
• Ability to confidently lead groups in a remote outdoor setting
• Desire to teach and work with young people from varying social and economic backgrounds 
• Curiosity about the natural world and willingness to learn academic natural science lessons
• Experience working in the outdoors, especially in inclement weather
• Ability to live in shared space with other instructors and practice positive self-care.
• Ability to work flexible hours including evenings and some weekends
• Desire to live in a remote place with an outstanding community of outdoor professionals and to work hard to make positive change in our world

Benefits:

• Starting daily compensation rate: $65.00-$105 a day based on the merit-based pay scale
                 - See the Merit Based Pay tab on our website to see what pay range you might fall in!
• $500 end of season bonus
• Shared housing provided
• 1 day of health leave per month worked
• Access to pro deals
• Opportunities for organizational advancement