Summer Camp and Expedition Apprentice

Get back to your roots and learn the philosophy of living close to nature, wilderness survival, and nurture your connection to the earth. We will explore the surrounding forests and streams as we build natural shelters, make fires without matches, and prepare wild plants for food. We hire folks that are outgoing, fun, positive minded, responsible, competent, personal growth oriented, team players, open communicators and ready to dive into the adventure of camp and make the most of it. This is not your ordinary camp experience.  Each team member gets personalized training in survival skills and how to be an effective nature mentor. Our aim is to see the light in each person, camper or staff, and help inspire their passions and gifts. If you're ready to grow and learn a lot about yourself, how to be an effective mentor, and to deepen your connection with the earth, then please get in touch with us. Despite the difficulties of the times, we successfully ran camps in 2020, 2021 as well as year-round programming. We feel we have found a rhythm with our COVID policies which allow the kids to still be kids, outside & together.

Job Overview

The job of an Apprentice Instructor is to learn through experience while being mentored by Instructors. They are expected to quickly step up more and more in leading activities. Often Apprentice Instructors are younger than 21 years old. These are folks who have intro-level experience with expeditions, mentoring and/or earth skills or have never worked with LES before but are on their way to becoming full Instructors. They may design parts of the program and take the lead on activities throughout the day, sometimes managing groups on their own, and sometimes with team members. Apprentices report any problems or injuries to their Lead Instructor, participate in meetings and help out wherever possible.

We hire folks that are outgoing, fun, positive minded, responsible, competent, personal growth oriented, team players, open communicators and ready to dive into the adventure of camp and make the most of it.

The summer camp season runs June 5th through August 13th, with a week of training and optional week off mid-season. If you need housing, you are invited to stay at one of our Staff Camp locations. Here there are individual tent spaces, shared outdoor covered kitchen, shower, and toilet amenities as well as the comradery of living beside your coworkers. If you have experience working outside, are least 20 years of age, outgoing, fun, positive, responsible, a team player, open communicator, and passionate in connecting kids to nature, please consider joining us!

*Someone hired as an Instructor for DC may be employed as an Apprentice on Expeditions for one or more weeks of their summer contract, with the goal to train them for readiness as an Instructor in the future.*

Special Benefits

• swim in a river every day!
• individual training in survival and mentoring skills!
• work with a variety of energetic and passionate folks!
• opportunity to go on a canoe or backpacking expedition!

Minimum Requirements

• Experience working with a team
• Experience and passion for working with children
• Current CPR/First Aid/AED certification
• Naturalist and survival skills
• 17 years or older