Lead Guide / Field Instructor

Become a Natural Leaders Guide - 2024-2025 

About you:

• You love nature, wilderness survival skills, and helping youth grow as leaders and individuals.  

About us:

• We are a small company pioneering a powerful new student-led educational model.

https://www.naturalleaders.com/join-the-team.html

General Position Description:

• We are seeking guides to help young people have amazing adventures, develop character and wilderness survival skills, and grow into leaders.
• You will initially shadow and train with a lead mentor, before transitioning to that role yourself then helping to pioneer new programs. Great career advancement opportunities for the right candidates.
• We have programs at Maryland and Virginia locations, and are gradually expanding outward from near Washington, DC.  
   

Responsibilities:

• Facilitate a dynamic nature-based outdoor-leadership program with a mixed-age group of students.

Homeschool Program Guides:

• Meet weekly and facilitate 5 different groups of homeschoolers; each group meets for 5 hours and engages in games, exploring, skill-building and more.   
• Groups are typically 7-10 students, mixed ages between 7-17yrs old. Often there are younger groups (7-10yro) and older groups (11-17yro). Those with experience, confidence, and passion for working with younger groups is a bonus!
• Out of the field, you assign leadership roles to students and send out reports about each day to parents.
• Homeschool Program Schedule: M-F (for FT guides), 9:45am-3:15pm (field work - includes pickup & drop-off), 0.5~1hr/day (admin/curriculum/virtual prep).
• ​Part-time options available (1-4 days/week). Contracts for Homeschool Guides run September - June and those guides get first pick of their Summer Program schedule - June-August.

Desirable qualifications for all Guide Positions:

• Experience with primitive skills, tracking, wilderness awareness, backcountry/wilderness survival programs.
• Teaching, coaching and/or mentoring experience.
• First Aid certification is good; WFA or WFR ideal.
• Comfortable spending hours outside in all weather conditions.
• Wilderness Awareness School, Tracker School background would be great.  BOSS or other survival training also very valuable. 
• Scouting, Outward Bound, NOLS or similar program experience valuable.
• Background with Waldorf Education, Montessori, or Charlotte Mason would be helpful.
• Have a passion for sharing nature with children.
• Appreciate the importance of character development and personal growth, for yourself and students.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Confidence navigating and discussing group dynamics with students and their families.
• Humble, curious, open and excited to learn and grow.
• Ideally, have Bachelor's degree, or at least some college - are intellectually curious and can think critically and independently.

HOW TO APPLY:

Email Nick Grenier, Director (nick.grenier@naturalleaders.com) with a resume and a brief cover letter introducing yourself, which position you are interested in, how you found us, why you're excited about the position, and your earliest start date. 

We look forward to hearing from you!