MyDoorsAreOpen
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2003
- Messages
- 8,549
I'm posting this for my wife's sake. She just had a discouraging experience with a job interview for an outdoor science school (camp, actually). She has plenty of experience in outdoor eduction, having done it for 2 years and several summers, in her early twenties. She's now 30, and is an experienced math teacher with a master's degree. But outdoor ed is her first love, and she'd love to get back into it.
The problem seems to be that she's only seen two types of jobs in this field, and she's suited for neither:
1) Camp counselor, usually by some other name. Low pay, often part time and/or seasonal, no benefits, often an expectation of boarding on site. Lots of hands on work with the students out in nature. But naturally, best suited to VERY young adults who are just looking to add a rewarding experience to their resume. Not designed to be a career.
2) Outdoor ed administrator. A middle manager in a bucolic setting, essentially. The person who handles overhead, manages lowlier staff, and makes executive decisions for outdoor education programs. While the people who do this job seem to be my wife's equal in age and education, and are able to make a career out of it, she has no background, or taste, for business. She wants to actually be out in nature with kids.
The job she just interviewed for today was definitely number 1. Despite the fact that she lives only a couple miles from the place, and has done more or less the exact same job in the past, their interest in her plummeted when she told them she was married and would want to live offsite. I fail to see how that's an unreasonable request, and that tells me she just doesn't fall into the demographic they're pitching the job to.
My wife's family and friends have largely told her she's 'taking a step down' or 'going back' by wanting to go from classroom teaching to outdoor ed; typically the progression goes the other way.
So my question is this: are the two jobs I described pretty much all there is, in the way of outdoor ed jobs in the US? I somehow suspect not, but this is not my field at all. Would it even be worth it for my wife to keep searching for outdoor education jobs?
The problem seems to be that she's only seen two types of jobs in this field, and she's suited for neither:
1) Camp counselor, usually by some other name. Low pay, often part time and/or seasonal, no benefits, often an expectation of boarding on site. Lots of hands on work with the students out in nature. But naturally, best suited to VERY young adults who are just looking to add a rewarding experience to their resume. Not designed to be a career.
2) Outdoor ed administrator. A middle manager in a bucolic setting, essentially. The person who handles overhead, manages lowlier staff, and makes executive decisions for outdoor education programs. While the people who do this job seem to be my wife's equal in age and education, and are able to make a career out of it, she has no background, or taste, for business. She wants to actually be out in nature with kids.
The job she just interviewed for today was definitely number 1. Despite the fact that she lives only a couple miles from the place, and has done more or less the exact same job in the past, their interest in her plummeted when she told them she was married and would want to live offsite. I fail to see how that's an unreasonable request, and that tells me she just doesn't fall into the demographic they're pitching the job to.
My wife's family and friends have largely told her she's 'taking a step down' or 'going back' by wanting to go from classroom teaching to outdoor ed; typically the progression goes the other way.
So my question is this: are the two jobs I described pretty much all there is, in the way of outdoor ed jobs in the US? I somehow suspect not, but this is not my field at all. Would it even be worth it for my wife to keep searching for outdoor education jobs?
