INSTRUCTORS NEEDED

We are an AALS-registered Approved Activity Provider for DofE Award expeditions, seeking to expand our team of freelance instructors. Most of us are people who enjoy working with youngsters and also appreciate the outdoor life (rather than macho types who begrudgingly instruct kids so they don’t have to work indoors!)

We don’t want to take anyone away from their voluntary work with Scouts, but if you have some weekends free and would like to be paid for doing similar work, plus the chance to swap ways of working that might enhance your scouting, do get in touch. We’re also keen to work with and support those looking to switch from their current day job to a career in the outdoors.

Minimum qualifications are Lowland Leader/Basic Expedition Leader or HML/ML, plus a current first aid certificate and of course enhanced DBS. Having a current DofE Assessor ticket is not essential but opens up more opportunities for work.

Instructors typically work between four and twelve weekends with us each year. Our expeditions are led by staff who have worked with us many times, supported by instructors who are a mixture of full-time outdoor freelancers, teachers who have often run DofE in their own schools, and Scout Leaders and others with outdoor and youth work experience who enjoy passing on their enthusiasm for the outdoors. Our founder is a former teacher and Scout Leader, so while we’re a business we’ve very much emerged from a volunteer ethos and the quality of the young people’s experience takes priority over commercial considerations.

For youth organisation leaders and those who have a current DofE role at their own school, it’s also an opportunity to pick up new ideas for running successful expeditions. Many of our instructors choose only to work for us in this context as they feel valued and enjoy working with like-minded people. We usually eat a good communal dinner on the Saturday of expeditions.

You need to be able to work independently, training a group of young people at Bronze or Silver standard in all aspects of expedition skills and contributing to the remote supervision of expeditions (checkpointing, troubleshooting etc.), under the overall direction of one of our highly experienced leaders. You’ll have good rapport with young people as well as strong navigation skills that you are able to share effectively with novices.

Pay is £125/day + expenses for lowland work or £135 for ML remit. We work mainly in the Chilterns, Ashdown Forest, New Forest, Dorset, South Downs and Essex with occasional expeditions in South Wales, Forest of Dean and further afield.

Please email CV and contacts of 2 references to our Operations Manager alex@outspark.co.uk, or ring our founder Jason Buckley on 07843 555355 if you have any questions. If there’s a good fit both ways, we’ll arrange to meet over Zoom, do the requisite checks, and then there will be an opportunity for some inductions on Saturday 30th April and alternative days later in the season, paid at the normal lowland rate, where you’ll be able to work with some young people on their Bronze DofE.

We are looking for people who anticipate being able to commit at least four weekends during the year for the dates we need staff.