Outdoor School Guide

Position type: Full time, seasonal

Season: April 1–June 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)

Perks: Meals provided while working/Basic housing on site/Staff housing in greater 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. Over the course of 4 day, 3 night overnight programs and day programs, you will lead 5th/6th graders in inquiry-based lessons developed with guidance from Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, The Avarna Group equity consultants, and The BEETLES Project. Students will strengthen their relationships with nature, the land, and each other – understanding that these relationships exist within an interconnected system.

Your 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 Latiné, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to apply.