Outdoor Leadership Guides

Overview

Seeking Summer and Year-Round Outdoor Leadership guides!

Work outdoors this summer, or year-round, sharing your passion for nature with the next generation.

As an independent contractor guiding for Natural Leaders, you will spend each day leading a small group of kids (10 or fewer) on a fun adventure at a local park. Ages are mostly 8 - 11, but potentially 7 - 17.

During the summer, each week you'll have a new group, which will meet from 9 to 4, M-F. Each day the group will play games, explore, play and learn/practice wilderness survival basics (esp. carving, fishing, pottery, natural hazards).

During the academic year homeschool program, you'll have up to 5 different groups, each of which meets weekly from 10 - 3, from Sep to June. A part-time schedule may also be possible.

In the homeschool program, you will be assigning leadership roles to the students by email in the evenings (and/or at the end of each class), and then helping to facilitate the students leading the program. So in addition to the kids exploring, playing and doing skills each day, they may also give presentations, take photos, pick up litter, etc.

- rotating through different roles from week to week. See more about the homeschool program at our website.

For the first few weeks you would receive training, mostly in-person, as you build confidence leading our programs.

• Experience working with children
• Comfortability being outside for extended periods of time (no matter the weather!)
• Physical ability to carry a backpack with supplies (incl. water) & hike in the range of 2-3+ miles on variable terrain daily.
• Drivers license & consistent access to a reliable vehicle for commutes (~ 30 min - 1hr) locally
• Working smart phone. Consistent access to laptop, computer, wifi when not in the field. Comfortable navigating basic modern technology (phone apps, online platforms, text messaging, etc.).
• Experience with primitive skills, tracking, wilderness awareness, and wilderness survival programs.
• Experience as a lifeguard, or facilitating adventure sports.
• Have a passion for sharing nature with children.
• Appreciate the importance of character development and personal growth, for yourself and your students.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Humble, curious, open, and excited to learn and grow.
• Good energy levels, physical fitness.
• First Aid certification is good; WFA better, WFR+ ideal.
• Studied at the Tracker School, WAS, BOSS, Outward Bound, NOLS, or similar program.
• Background with Waldorf Education, Montessori, Acton, experiential outdoor education, or other teaching experience.

Summer guides, Full-time or part-time (2 to 3 openings) - Start on June 9th, 2025 for a paid training week, followed by the start of our summer day programs, which meet weekly through August 22nd, although there is an option to take certain weeks off. We are off for the week of 6/30 - 7/4. We are also looking for additional August staff, so we may consider applicants who can only join us later in the summer.

Year-round, Full-time or part-time (2 openings) - Join us this summer when you become available, or no later than September 3rd when our academic year homeschool programs begin, and run through June 8th, 2026.