Ontario Urban Wild Casual Instructor

Outward Bound Canada is passionate about building and sustaining representation and diversity within the outdoor industry. We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. BIPoC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and candidates living with a disability are highly encouraged to apply, even if your experience doesn’t precisely match the job description for this role. Your experience, skills, and passion will set you apart so tell us about your achievements and journey to date, and the things you learned along the way.

WHO WE ARE

Outward Bound Canada (OBC) is a charity that equips youth for the future through adventures in nature. These experiences develop resilience, social and emotional intelligence, and environmental leadership to prepare youth with skills to contribute to a better, more compassionate, and resilient society. Read about the impact of our work and our statement on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The Training Academy for Outdoor Professionals is an OBC initiative to address challenges within the outdoor sector related to high unemployment by providing training for aspiring outdoor instructors. Equally importantly, it addresses barriers to access for marginalised populations to ensure Canada’s next generation of outdoor sector employees reflect Canada’s diversity.

THE ROLE

Outward Bound Canada operates an urban outdoor program in and around the GTA as a complement to our wilderness programming.  This program pairs canoeing, backpacking, and urban navigation to provide continuous journeys through the natural spaces in and around our cities.  We are striving to provide life-changing outdoor educational experiences that are accessible, relevant, and contribute toward a better world.  Our students include both school and community groups as well as individuals looking for a journey in their own backyard ranging from 1-15 days long.  Outward Bound Canada is looking for enthusiastic, hardworking individuals who have the credentials and capacity to work at the Toronto Urban Centre providing exceptional educational programming to students, teachers, and schools on a part-time or on-call basis. This casual position offers the flexibility to create a schedule that suits your lifestyle, all while making a meaningful impact through exceptional educational programming at the Toronto Urban Centre.

opportunity for impact

  • Responsible for the health and well-being of students while on program.
  • Develop program plans and curriculum for expeditions.
  • Effectively utilize group and risk management skills, maturity, and role modeling to create a safe and supportive environment for student-centered learning.
  • Provide direct customer care for participants and their families/teachers/agencies.
  • Complete various program-related administrative documents and tasks.
  • Manage in-field risk management decisions including the mitigation of infectious disease
  • Coordinate the transfer of course information to the Program Manager and Course Director.
  • Organize and facilitate the program evaluation process.
  • Participate in the training and mentoring of staff in program delivery procedures.
  • Achieve the objectives of the Outward Bound Canada National Safety Policy.
  • Complete risk management briefings and debriefings with the Program Manager and Course Director.
  • Facilitate all incident reporting processes.
  • Monitor, assess and evaluate students.
  • This position will take place in Toronto, ON, and the surrounding GTA.

WHAT YOU BRING

OBC recognizes relevant skills and knowledge can be gained through volunteer and life experiences as well as professional and educational backgrounds. Please outline in a brief cover letter how you have gained the following experiences, and how you would apply them to this role:

 

REQUIREMENTS

  • Ability to model and teach outdoor travel and living skills in Urban environments.
  • Well-practiced in communicating effectively with a high level of professionalism.
  • Technical and interpersonal excellence, effective in facilitating clients through the broad range of emotions experienced on our courses.
  • Experience working with youth in an outdoor setting.
  • Experience on extended wilderness trips.
  • Ability to facilitate and lead both youth and adults of various abilities.
  • Experience in adventure and experiential educational module delivery.
  • Understanding and application of Outward Bound methods and philosophy.
  • Skilled in behaviour management, crisis intervention, and problem-solving.
  • Ability to facilitate and program ground initiatives, low ropes, rock climbing, and high ropes elements.
  • Ability to develop and deliver creative cross-curricular programming.
  • Focus on providing high levels of customer service.
  • Ability to be a significant contributor to several small teams.
  • Strong organizational skills, ability to prioritize, and multitask under deadlines.
  • Strong written communication and computer skills, including Word, Excel, and database programs.
  • Personal commitment to equity and inclusion in the outdoors
  • Understanding of how systems of oppression take shape in workplaces and a desire to shift the balance of power and privilege to center underrepresented voices
  • High level of cross-cultural competence, in recognition, that Outward Bound Canada works with students and partners from a diversity of communities and backgrounds
  • Passionate about the Outward Bound Canada mission, an interest in outdoor pursuits, and a desire to help get young people outdoors for transformative experiences

Required Certifications

  • Wilderness First Responder (WFR) OR Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) (an asset)
  • CPR-C
  • Bronze Cross or NLS
  • Post-secondary education in one of the following fields: education, recreation, therapy (asset)
  • Clear Vulnerable Sector Check

Assets

  • Paddling Certification
  • Certified Teacher (eg: OCT an asset)
  • F-Class (or equivalent) Driver’s License
  • Level I or Level II Ropes Course Instructor certification

Compensation

Casual/Per Diem Instructor, pay range: $20 – $30 hourly range is dependent on experience and certification + Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and Employee Assistance Plan

At Outward Bound Canada we believe that communities that have been historically underrepresented in outdoor recreation must be centered in the work we do. Therefore, we strongly encourage applications from people who will increase representation, and invite applicants to outline how they will contribute to this in their application.

Apply Now Button

-Please provide your cover letter and resume in one pdf file. Please title the document using the following convention (First Name_Last Name_Job Title).
-Fill out the webform by clicking the “Apply Now” button above.
-Attach your cover letter and resume pdf to the web form. Note: you cannot complete the webform without this step.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Please let us know if you require accommodations at any stage during the hiring process, please inform us at hrsupport@outwardbound.ca in advance to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation.