• Assistant Instructors - $110/ day 

• Instructors - $140/ day 

• Lead Instructors & Specialists - $165/ day 

• Logistics Coordinators - $100/ day 

• Room and board at one of our base camp communities
• Professional Equipment Purchase Program 
• Worker’s Compensation
• Professional development opportunities at no or little cost (i.e. AMGA SPI, Swiftwater Rescue, Sea Kayak Camp) 
• Wilderness First Responder & CPR Reimbursement - Available to staff after their initial hire into the school 
• An amazing community of people to live, work, and play with 

All Outward Bound staff, including Interns, must be 21 years of age or older.

Take an Outdoor Educator Course: Many folks looking to transition into a career in experiential education participate in our Outdoor Educator Course. This 50-day course is designed for people who are interested in getting into the field of outdoor education and would like to develop technical, leadership and teaching skills. We offer this course in the spring and fall. > Outdoor Educator Courses

Become Support Staff: Consider working for the school as support staff! These staff members coordinate and execute the behind-the-scenes logistical needs to support students and staff in the field. Check out our available Base Camp Positions!

Get More Technical Skills: Explore wilderness areas to hone your navigation and outdoor living skills. Spend more time rock climbing and paddling to increase your technical competency. Take a Wilderness First Responder course to gain the medical certification required of most outdoor education programs. Spend a season leading wilderness trips for a summer camp to gain experience managing groups, teaching, and facilitating outdoor adventure experiences. There are a variety of pathways into this type of work and our staff come a wide range of backgrounds. 

We encourage as many staff as possible to be WFR certified. Nationally recognized certification providers include: 

• SOLO 
• Landmark Learning 
• Wilderness Medical Associates 
• Wilderness Medical Institute 

The role of the assistant instructor has been designed to allow individuals who are new to our school an opportunity to become oriented to the expectations of the job, and to demonstrate the skills required to take on the full responsibility for the emotional and physical safety of our students and the overall quality of NCOBS courses.

The amount of time it takes to move from assistant instructor to lead instructor varies widely from individual to individual and depends mainly on how much experience one has in similar leadership roles prior to starting at NCOBS. Folks commonly move up during their second summer season of work. Individuals with significant prior experience may progress more quickly.

New staff must attend a paid, two-week field-based introductory training beginning in March or early May for North Carolina. New Staff Training is designed to provide new instructors with a clear picture of our course curriculum and the expectations of how to run an NCOBS course.  

New instructors will also attend a two-day All Staff Training which will be spent focusing on local operating procedures, emergency call-out protocol, techniques for program delivery,  and building community. 

Staff working in technical specialist positions support our climbing, kayaking, and/or whitewater days on courses.

Climbing Specialist Criteria: Climbing log listing 30+ climbs led on traditionally protected multi-pitch routes, 10 of which are rated at 5.8 or higher.

River Specialist Criteria: ACA level 4 certification in tandem and solo whitewater canoeing as well as Swiftwater Rescue training.

Sea Kayak Specialist Criteria: paddling log listing various marine environments paddled, preferably hold ACA Level 3 Coastal Kayaking Instructor or BCU Level 2 Coaching + 3 Star Sea Assessment Awards.

NCOBS provides in-house opportunities for ongoing professional skill development. Additional Instructor Development Funds can be utilized to support non-NCOBS training to assist instructional staff in gaining the skills to work as technical specialists. Hiring for specialist positions includes a field-based assessment. Staff hired into the school as technical specialists usually also work as field instructors.

• Teens: 14-18 years old (A majority of our courses work with this age group during the summer) 

• Adults: 18+ years old (These are generally shorter, year-round courses) 

Many of our instructional staff work in the field year-round, alternating between work at our various base camps depending upon the time of year (e.g. leading backpacking trips in North Carolina April – October and canoeing/ sea kayaking trips in Florida December – March). 

North Carolina Mountains

Our North Carolina mountain base camps are located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the southern Appalachians. Surrounded by ranges, steep gorges, granite outcroppings and a multitude of rivers; they are in prime locations for both work and play. Cedar Rock and Table Rock Base Camps provide staff with shared cabin housing, a staff bath house, community space and a central kitchen with a phenomenal cook. There is an internet connection and multiple computers for staff use. Phones are available for use outside of business hours. Cell phone service is patchy at best. 

• Table Rock is located just south of Boone, NC, perched on the edge of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area.
• Cedar Rock is located just outside of Brevard, NC and south of the Shining Rock Wilderness Area, in Pisgah National Forest. Both base camps house roughly 60 staff at the peak of the summer season.

North Carolina Outer Banks (we are not currently programming in the OBX)

Outer Banks courses take place just outside of Marshalberg, North Carolina. This small mobile sea kayaking program runs out of a small coastal house rented during the season, situated in the unique barrier islands ecosystem. Instructors share kitchen and living space. There is good cell phone service and wireless internet connection is available.

Florida

Sunset Island is a quick paddle or ferry ride across the mouth of the Barren River from Everglades City, Florida. Once an active fishing lodge in the 1940s, the base camp now houses about 20 staff members who run canoe expeditions in the 10,000 Islands and Everglades National Parks throughout the winter. Shared housing, community space and kitchen are provided. Several computers are available for staff use; there is a wireless connection and decent cell phone service. 

South America

Our South American program is located in Bariloche, Argentina in the heart of the lake district of Patagonia. Our small mobile program works closely with a local operator with whom we share an office and warehouse space.  Wireless internet is available at the office and in most hostels. Staff are provided housing via local hostels, and public transportation is close by.  Bariloche is a great adventure city with access to great expedition routes, a hut system for overnight stays, serving as a great jumping off point for instructor adventures.