Baja Sailing Expedition Instructors

Job Overview

NOLS is a multifaceted, global wilderness school that supports thousands of students each year who seek to develop the skills and experience to reach their potential as leaders in wilderness skills, risk management, wilderness medicine, and leadership. Our Mexico sailing program uses Drascombe Longboats to sail, row, and motor in the Gulf of California and camp on the beautiful beaches of Baja California Sur. Sailing instructors on these expeditions teach sailing skills, coastal navigation, vessel maintenance and repair, leadership, environmental studies, first aid, outdoor living skills, Leave No Trace principles, and more. Our instructors strive to create and maintain an inclusive learning environment, build excellent rapport with students and co-workers, support student learning and growth, invest in their professional development as educators, and manage risk appropriately. A NOLS instructor is an educator who is invested in the student experience and passionate about facilitating transformative educational experiences.

NOLS hires new expedition instructors through a training process called an Instructor Course (IC). We will host a Baja Sailing IC from Jan 5-30, 2025. Applications are due Sept 13, 2024 and interviews will be Sept 30 – Oct 3, 2024. Sail IC candidates who are accepted and pass this course are considered ready to hire as a NOLS expedition instructor on a contractual basis.

Sailing instruction work is flexible – our Mexico sail instructors typically work 2-16 weeks on sailing expeditions/year (full travel paid) and instructors can go up to 3 years between trips and still be considered active. Our Mexico sailing contracts are typically offered between September and April. We do not operate this sailing program in the boreal summer. For most of our instructors, NOLS is a fun, exciting addition to other work. For those looking to work more weeks at NOLS, we have benefitted office positions and offer free training pathways to current instructors for moving into other expedition skills like sea kayaking, mountaineering, rock climbing, and more. This IC is also excellent training for honing personal and instructional skills for sailing, wilderness living, environmental studies, leadership, and risk management that many instructors use to further their careers at other organizations.

Minimum Requirements

Detailed information on job requirements, hiring process, and working at NOLS can be found on the Baja Sailing IC page and the Baja Sailing Instructor Course FAQs.

We will also host informational Q&A sessions about the hiring process and working at NOLS.

8/20 Baja Sailing Instructor Course Q&A:
When: Aug 20, 2024 10:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar

9/4 Baja Sailing Instructor Course Q&A:
When: Sep 4, 2024 05:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar

For additional questions, please email Jesi at [email protected]