Outdoor Education Instructor

Summary: The Lorado Taft Field Campus is Northern Illinois University’s outdoor education and conference center and is located in Oregon, Illinois. Taft Campus’ outdoor education program is generally multidisciplinary, place-based, and experiential, and planned in close partnership with the visiting schools with the goal of providing excellent programming and customer service to the visiting students and staff. Under the direct supervision of the Outdoor Education Extension Faculty Supervisor, the Outdoor Education Instructor is responsible for the instruction of resident outdoor education experiences for elementary and middle school students.

Required Qualificaitons

• Bachelor’s Degree in education, science, natural resources, recreation, history, or related field.

• Six months experience as an educator, naturalist, or facilitator of non-formal education programming.

• Two months experience teaching, facilitating, or participating in outdoor education or recreation activities.

• Ability to live in provided campus housing.

• Ability to manage a security sensitive position, having passed a pre-employment background investigation including a criminal background check.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as an educator, program staff, naturalist or related position at a residential outdoor education center, nature center, or similar facility preferred.

• Previous experience in preparing lesson plans, outlines, or guides in preparation to teach or facilitate activities.

• Previous experience leading or facilitating groups in team building activities.

• Ability to work effectively with co-workers and supervisors to achieve the goals of the program. 

• Ability to convey information about environmental topics without bias and with the goal of encouraging lifelong learning.

• Ability to effectively engage in behavior management in order to maintain students’ interest and participation in outdoor classes and activities.

• Ability to manage work time effectively and with little supervision to ensure preparedness and project completion.

• Flexibility and the ability to deal with the unexpected and quickly changing nature of outdoor activities and children.

• Demonstrated enthusiasm for the outdoors and outdoor education, even when conditions are challenging.

• Demonstrated professionalism as related to the field.

• Demonstrated competence in verbal communication, particularly the ability to present information, ideas, directions, etc. in a clear and concise manner.

• Demonstrated initiative to go above and beyond minimum assigned duties.