Overview
Eagle’s Nest Foundation & The Outdoor Academy
Residential/Wilderness Apprentice
Come and join our Team! The Outdoor Academy is seeking a Residential/Wilderness Apprentice for our accredited, residential, semester school.
The Residential/Wilderness Apprentice team fosters a safe, healthy, and productive living environment in the dorms, around campus, and on trips. They oversee dorm life and work closely with the Dean of Students to design and implement residential life curriculum, including workshops on communication, feedback, identity, healthy relationships, leadership, etc. Their role in OA’s outdoor programming is extensive, as the team supports the Outdoor Education Manager in planning, preparing for, and leading hiking, climbing, and paddling trips. Residents will also have the opportunity to receive professional development and coaching in order to hone skills that will support their career goals in academic, experiential, or outdoor residential settings. Residential/Wilderness Apprentices are immersed in the life of the school and play a crucial role in students’ experience at OA.
CONTRACT DATES
August 12, 2023 – May 15, 2024. Additionally, summer work is likely available if so desired at Eagle’s Nest Camp. OA does not have Thanksgiving or Spring Breaks. Residents will have a mid-December to mid-January winter break and an additional 4-6 days off during Classes in the Field in addition to the normal two nights off weekly.
WORK ENVIRONMENT AND SCHEDULE
The majority of work will be conducted on campus; however, off-site work in the outdoors supervising teenagers will occur several times each semester. The ability to work long days in hot and/or cold environments and lift heavy gear and boxes is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Faculty should be flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed to fulfill program demands. Residents work Thursday afternoons through Tuesday mornings, with Tuesday and Wednesday nights off and large blocks of free/personal time on Mondays and Fridays.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The Outdoor Academy provides salary, contributory health insurance plan (in the case of a three-semester contract), on-campus room and board, professional development as an outdoor and residential life instructor, holiday and other vacation periods, equipment use and pro-deals on gear, outdoor leadership training and adventure days, and weekly time off. Additionally, Residents each have a private bedroom and access to a kitchen in shared on-campus housing for use during their nights off.
About Eagle's Nest Foundation and The Outdoor Academy
The Outdoor Academy is an accredited, residential, semester school for high achieving tenth-grade and select ninth- and eleventh-grade students. Rising from a long tradition of experiential education at Eagle's Nest Foundation, a non-profit organization chartered in 1950, The Outdoor Academy incorporates a college preparatory curriculum with environmental education, wilderness leadership, unique arts offerings, and regional studies in a small community setting. Established in 1995, The Outdoor Academy enrolls up to 28 students from across the United States each semester to attend our school located in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. The mission of the school is “Experiential education for young people, promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character.” The school is built around its four cornerstones of Intellect, Environment, Craft, and Community, and ENF and OA are currently focused on pursuing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.
