2027 Hante Assistant Instructor

Eagle's Nest Foundation•Pisgah Forest, NC

About The Position

Hante Assistant Instructors lead and support outdoor, experiential, and cultural trips for young people. Participants practice sustainable camping and outdoor living skills, develop an understanding of the natural world, and learn to live in a small community in a new setting. Each trip includes an enrichment component alongside outdoor skills and leadership, such as art, craft, culture, anthropological study, community service, or curious inquiry. Instructors mentor participants with varied ages, abilities, and interests, and are responsible for their safety and well-being while following Eagle’s Nest Foundation policies and procedures. The position involves living and working with 6–10 participants and experienced instructors during a three-week Camp session. Trips begin and end at Eagle’s Nest Camp. Instructors help participants with daily routines, group dynamics, outdoor skills, and the uncertainties of living and traveling with a new group. They co-design and deliver curriculum, plan activities, manage gear and trip finances, maintain first-aid readiness and medication records, communicate with Camp staff, and document the trip. Before the trip, instructors attend spring planning meetings, prepare with co-instructors, meet with participants and families, and learn trip logistics and emergency procedures. They arrive on campus four days before the trip to prepare itineraries, emergency plans, gear, menus, curriculum, safety instruction, participant arrival plans, and other trip needs. After the trip, they clean and return gear, support participant projects and reflection, complete evaluations and advancement records, reconcile finances, and review incident documentation. Assistant Instructors applying for either Hante may also express interest in instructing Eagle’s Nest Camp Added Adventures. Added Adventures are weeklong thematic experiences for campers ages 10–13, with groups of up to 10 campers and 2–3 instructors. The listed options include a Session 2 trip to Georgia’s Sea Islands for basecamping and marine ecosystem exploration, and a Session 3 trip in Western North Carolina for basecamping and storytelling through the natural world.

Requirements

At least 21 years of age.
Passion for serving others, the natural world, and experiential education.
Availability for pre-trip responsibilities, including virtual spring meetings and arrival at Eagle’s Nest Camp the week before the trip starts; responsibilities before arriving on campus total roughly 20 hours.
First Aid and CPR certification, or willingness and ability to obtain certification through staff training.
Personal or institutional experience with camping, backpacking, canoeing or kayaking, or other outdoor adventure technical pursuits.
Personal or institutional experience tutoring, teaching, or mentoring others in cultural, visual or performing arts, crafts, or similar areas of study.
Previous experience leading groups of young people, preferably in a wilderness setting or for an extended period.

Nice To Haves

Wilderness First Responder certification or a higher level of medical training.
Certifications or training in Leave No Trace, lifeguarding, environmental science, paddling, or climbing.

Responsibilities

Live and work with 6–10 participants and other experienced instructors during a three-week Camp session.
Co-design, co-lead, and assist with enrichment curriculum alongside outdoor skills and leadership instruction.
Coach participants in daily tasks, including meal preparation, cleaning and organizing gear, hygiene, group dynamics, skill development, and enrichment learning.
Support participants in managing uncertainty, homesickness, personal needs, and mental, physical, or environmental discomfort.
Plan and implement goal-aligned lesson plans and activities, and mentor participants who wish to teach their interests or new learning.
Manage trip gear, including care, storage, inventory, and upkeep.
Manage trip budgets and cash or card use, and record and account for transactions.
Maintain appropriate first-aid equipment and readiness, and handle medication storage, delivery, and documentation as needed and within training and certification scope.
Serve as an on-duty leader prepared to address situations arising in the field.
Provide daily updates and communicate needs to the Outdoor Education Manager and/or Administrator on Duty; encourage group communication with Camp through letters home.
Maintain a daily instructor journal.
Attend spring planning meetings and collaborate on trip logistics, goals, team roles, pre-trip plans, curriculum, and participant questionnaire review.
Prepare for and attend meetings with participants and families to support trip readiness.
Understand trip details, including permits, reservations, travel, dates, gear, curriculum, and emergency management.
Arrive on campus four days before the trip to complete pre-trip preparations.
Review itineraries, maps, routes, contingency considerations, emergency resources, evacuation plans, and the instructor journal.
Establish co-instructor expectations and goals.
Pack and organize group gear, including equipment from the Gear Lending Library, and plan for participant assistance upon arrival.
Plan menus, order and purchase food within budget, and organize and pack food and resupply supplies.
Finalize enrichment and outdoor technical curricula, materials, teaching plans, and applicable skill Advancements.
Finalize safety instruction for individual and group functioning, travel, the environment, and trip activities.
Meet with the Marketing Manager, medical staff, and Business Office to coordinate field promotion, participant needs, and program finances.
Plan participant arrival, including medication drop-off, family and medical staff coordination, living spaces, and pre-departure activities.
Inventory, clean, organize, and de-issue trip gear after the trip, returning borrowed gear to its original location.
Help participants complete trip-related projects and pack created materials for travel or shipment home.
Return first-aid supplies and medications to Camp medical staff, complete a wellness check, and turn in applicable medication records.
Facilitate group debriefs and reflection.
Complete co-instructor evaluations, provide and receive feedback, and complete participant Advancements.
Complete and review a course evaluation with the Outdoor Education Manager and debrief the trip.
Settle trip finances with the Outdoor Education Manager and Business Office, returning receipts, cash, and cards.
Review incident and accident forms, compile data, and maintain incident files.