L OS A NGELES C OUNTY O UTDOOR S CIENCE S CHOOL

Qualifications for the Outdoor Science Teacher Job Education Experience First Aid Certification Other desirable qualifications Examples Note to international applicants   Education A minimum of a Bachelor's degree is required for all of our teaching positions. The degree should be in the field of science (Biology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Environmental Studies, etc.) and should include upper division course work in life science and earth or physical science. We occasionally hire people with degrees in education, but only if they have completed several science courses and have significant outdoor teaching experience. Rarely, we hire people with other degrees if they have the required course work and many years of experience in a similar residential outdoor science school. Experience Most successful applicants have one or more years of teaching experience in residential outdoor education. Occasionally we hire people without residential outdoor education experience if they have a good cluster of experiences in the following. experience with kids experience leading groups in the outdoors successful teaching experience (science teaching is best) field science research experience extensive outdoor experience Certification in First Aid All outdoor science teachers must have current certification in First Aid and CPR while employed. If you are not certified, that doesn't prevent you from applying or being offered a position, but you would need to become certified prior to working with students. We prefer applicants have a minimum of Wilderness First Aid certification, but it's not absolutely required, yet. In recent years, first aid topics have been added onto the end of CPR classes. So you go to an 8 hour class and come out with both First Aid and CPR certification. The First Aid training at such a class mostly consists of "Call 911", which is a totally inadequate level of training for leading children in remote areas. Wilderness First Aid is a 16 hour class that goes into more depth about responding to medical situations when help is delayed. It's really the minimum certification you should have if you want to do this type of work. Some of our teachers have Wilderness First Responder or EMT training. If you are serious about a career leading groups in the outdoors, you really should get as much first aid training as you can. Not only does it increase your confidence and competence, but it also looks good on a resume, and shows that you are serious about being an outdoor professional. Desirable Qualifications These qualifications are not required, but are still desirable. Most successful applicants will have one or more of the following. Marine Science education/experience (for Malibu site) Experience with cultural and ethnic diversity Ability to sing and/or play a musical instrument Group dynamics skills and experience Experience with non-traditional games or initiatives Spanish language proficiency Examples of the people we hire Take a look at our staff biographies to get a clearer idea of the type of folks we hire. The staff usually ends up being highly Caucasian, but that's not by design or preference. Minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Note to international applicants We will gladly hire folks from outside of the United States. However, we can only hire people who have legal permission to work in this country already established. If you have the required paperwork (visa, green card, etc.) in place, please feel free to apply. If not, please secure legal permission to work in the US prior to applying. Duties of an Outdoor Science Teacher Qualifications Pay and Benefits Length of Contract Application Procedures Gauging Your Qualifications (Should you apply?) Home What is LACOSS? Sites Attending Employment Contact © LACOSS, 2012 Last Revised:  April 11, 2012 Comments or Questions? webmaster@OutdoorScienceSchool.org