Position type: Full time, seasonal
Season: April 1 or 19June 7, 2024 possible extension to October 31, 2024
Location: Silver Falls State Park, Sublimity, Oregon (60 miles from Portland, Oregon)
Compensation: $7,750 for 10 weeks (about $155/day); 3 days PTO
Perks: Meals provided while working/Basic housing on site/Staff housing in greater Portland/Salem area for subsidized rate (optional)/business mileage
Program: Opal Creek Outdoor School
Work schedule: Mondays-Fridays (no overnight), averaging 8 hrs/day
The Outdoor School Guide Opportunity
As an outdoor guide, your classroom will be the forests, creeks, and waterfalls of Silver Falls State Park, Oregon’s most beloved and largest state park and the ancestral home of the Kalapuya and Molalla Tribes. Working with mainly 5th/6th graders over the course of 4-day, 3-night programs and day programs, you’ll teach inquiry-based lessons developed with guidance from Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, The Avarna Group equity consultants, and The BEETLES Project. By the end of their time with you, students will strengthen their relationships with nature, the land, and each other - understanding that these relationships exist within an interconnected system.
Your spring season will be a combination of training, pre- and post-classroom visits, and multi-day outdoor school. You’ll join a team of guides who all bring their own expertise, passion, and fun to Opal Creek Outdoor School. Through teaching, collaboration, and idea sharing, you’ll play a key role in shaping the outdoor school experience for students and guides for years to come!
Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
A successful candidate will possess these minimum qualifications. We are less interested in the titles you’ve held and more interested in what you’ve actually done and who you are.
1+ seasons/school years experience as an educator, formal or informal
1+ seasons working with youth
Strong group leadership and management skills
Strong communication skills
Previous experience with equity, inclusion, and cultural relevance, and integrating into youth programming
Willingness to participate in camp facility tasks including cleaning and stocking of materials
Able to lead groups on hikes up to 3 miles
Able to pass a criminal background check
We are committed to having an applicant pool that reflects the diversity of the students we work with, and we highly encourage Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to apply.
How to Apply & Timeline
Please submit an application by visiting the employment page of our website at: https://opalcreek.org/about/employment/. The application includes a series of questions and asks you to upload a detailed resume in PDF format. Be sure to include any relevant experience and certifications, both professional and personal experience.
This position is open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and there is one interview for this position. We anticipate hiring one guide, and the start date is negotiable between April 1st and April 19th, 2024.
Please contact [email protected] with any questions and to request any accommodations needed during this hiring process. We’ll do our best to respond to all queries and to keep all applicants up to date on how the process unfolds.