Future Opening: Oregon Outdoor School Team Instructor
Full Time • Corvallis, OR
Position/work starts in Sept of 2024 with options to work for between 5 and 10 weeks thru early Nov. Outdoor School team work starts again in Feb and there may be Winter work for the right candidate. There is work for both Corvallis based candidates and travelling team instructors. Check us out at https://www.coyleoutside.com/join-our-team
This position is for:
This position is for:
- Highly flexible and internally motivated individuals with strong work ethic
- Those with the ability to work well in a team environment and support larger systems while performing creatively at individual assignments.
- Candidates who are oriented toward contribution, making a difference, commitment and a capacity to make sacrifices for a greater cause. We consider it truly a privilege to do this particular work that the state and Oregon state voters founded.
Requirements:
- 1+ year experience teaching outdoor skills OR
- 1+ year experience conventional teaching with personal/other significant related outdoor skills experience
Coyle Outside is unique as an approved 'Mobile' Provider for Outdoor School programs in the state of Oregon. These 3-5 day long programs have us providing programs local to Benton County and travelling to sites throughout Oregon to work with 5th and/or 6th grade classes of between 20 and 220 students. This position is both for candidates who are based near/in the Benton County Oregon area who can work locally OR also have the ability to travel. Fall 2024 Programs are Non Residential (multiple day based field trip style - hours typically 7:30-3:30).
Team members commute (or may travel out of region) to program sites (which are typically amazing outdoor parks or camps) the day prior to program start to scout and prep the site with other team members and establish ourselves in the lodging or camping provided at the site (this varies widely but can be a simple as camping or more often is staying in yurts, cabins, lodges or Air BnB). Programming involves teaching Inquiry based outdoor skills lessons that we specialize in including Chemistry thru Fire Building, Habitat thru Shelter Building, Botany/Flora thru Foraging, Geography thru Navigation/Orienteering, Fauna thru Tracking, Woody Plants thru Wood craft, Fishing, Archery, Physics thru Traps, Naturalist Study through Observation/Interpretation etc. Other duties include physical set up and break down of lesson sites, pre briefing and de briefing, coordination and support of other assignments and logistics support.
Outdoor School Programs (and thus our work schedule) occur generally from early Sept thru early/mid Nov and again from mid/late Feb through mid June. There are other Summer positions as Summer Camp Instructor that would be available for candidates looking for continuous work through the Summer (Summer positions pay somewhat less - inquire with us about this) There are one week trainings that occur in Corvallis prior to each season. Every week is different in that they can be an overnight or non residential project. Overnights are more demanding, pay more and are generally most inspiring. Non residential programs are less demanding with guaranteed 8 hour work days (even if we only work 6 or 7) and provide more free time. The most demanding week might look like travelling to a distant site to scout on a Monday (leave at 10am to arrive at 2pm and then scout/set up til 6 or later if necessary), receive students and commence programming on a Tuesday at noon (typical arrival time) and work with them, the school staff and high school chaperone team through the evening each day/night until students depart on a Friday (typically around noon again). Our staff do not sleep in cabins or stay in cabins with students but have separate staff housing. A less demanding week would be at a site within 30 minutes where daily commuting to home is possible. Scout on a Monday afternoon from 2-6 with the team and show up Tues, Wed and Thurs at 7:30 to prep - program - debrief/clean til 3:30 each day.
The ideal candidate for this work
Team members commute (or may travel out of region) to program sites (which are typically amazing outdoor parks or camps) the day prior to program start to scout and prep the site with other team members and establish ourselves in the lodging or camping provided at the site (this varies widely but can be a simple as camping or more often is staying in yurts, cabins, lodges or Air BnB). Programming involves teaching Inquiry based outdoor skills lessons that we specialize in including Chemistry thru Fire Building, Habitat thru Shelter Building, Botany/Flora thru Foraging, Geography thru Navigation/Orienteering, Fauna thru Tracking, Woody Plants thru Wood craft, Fishing, Archery, Physics thru Traps, Naturalist Study through Observation/Interpretation etc. Other duties include physical set up and break down of lesson sites, pre briefing and de briefing, coordination and support of other assignments and logistics support.
Outdoor School Programs (and thus our work schedule) occur generally from early Sept thru early/mid Nov and again from mid/late Feb through mid June. There are other Summer positions as Summer Camp Instructor that would be available for candidates looking for continuous work through the Summer (Summer positions pay somewhat less - inquire with us about this) There are one week trainings that occur in Corvallis prior to each season. Every week is different in that they can be an overnight or non residential project. Overnights are more demanding, pay more and are generally most inspiring. Non residential programs are less demanding with guaranteed 8 hour work days (even if we only work 6 or 7) and provide more free time. The most demanding week might look like travelling to a distant site to scout on a Monday (leave at 10am to arrive at 2pm and then scout/set up til 6 or later if necessary), receive students and commence programming on a Tuesday at noon (typical arrival time) and work with them, the school staff and high school chaperone team through the evening each day/night until students depart on a Friday (typically around noon again). Our staff do not sleep in cabins or stay in cabins with students but have separate staff housing. A less demanding week would be at a site within 30 minutes where daily commuting to home is possible. Scout on a Monday afternoon from 2-6 with the team and show up Tues, Wed and Thurs at 7:30 to prep - program - debrief/clean til 3:30 each day.
The ideal candidate for this work
- has experience working in teams
- experience/competency in 2 or more of the content areas we cover (foraging, fire, tracking, shelter, cordage/knots, knife work, traps, navigation etc.)
- experience teaching and working outdoors
- is healthy and relatively fit and can work outdoors in poor weather for extended periods
- is motivated to be part of what is a unique position, even within the industry of Outdoor Education
- is reliably positive and solution focused
Most of our instructor team has life experience working in the outdoors and teaching/mentoring. Instructors are generally highly self sufficient and comfortable responding to and problem solving unpredictable or unforeseen work events.
Compensation: $29.50 per hour
Adventure, Discovery, Inspiration First
We don't put safety first at Coyle Outside. That is said with trepidation as it seems our culture, especially around kids, increasingly values safety above all else sometimes. That leaves things like good judgement, relationship, trust, connection to come AFTER. What we see is that the world kids grow up in is increasingly sanitized of adversity and opportunities to experience failure/victory and to experience themselves as potential difference makers. We believe there is a distinction between discovery and 'learning' and that discovery changes a person forever. We believe that wisdom (as well as a beautiful, rich life) comes through failures, taking risks and from entering and passing through what is scary and uncomfortable.
Work With Us
To work here we want you to be up to something in life. We are looking for instructors who feel the need to make a difference as much as the need to have a paycheck. Our instructor team is expected to develop themselves as guides and mentors for our participants while also developing strong working relationships with co instructors that build a strong culture and keep standards high.
Many, if not most, of our programs have been the brainchild of or inspired by the initiative and talent of individual instructors whether that be our fishing and archery camps or our expansion to new states. Our instructors are self sufficient, autonomous and adventurous OR they are committed to developing themselves in these ways. The work is challenging and rewarding and instructors are at the same time highly independent and part of a larger culture.
We provide training in instruction approach, group and behavior management and technical outdoor skills. Our instructors work largely autonomously and with limited supervision and are confident and ready to be responsible. All instructors are on a first name basis with the founder/owner.
Year round we are looking for unique people who are ready to both stretch themselves and contribute to something larger
- Make a difference for youth and impact their experience of themselves and what is possible for the future of their world
- Commit to and explore the power of nature based experiential education
- Challenge and develop your own personal and professional sense of adventure and self sufficiency/autonomy
- Develop your own outdoor skills competency and/or use your developed passion/skills in an instructional role
(if you already have a resume on Indeed)
Or apply here.
