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

Qualifications for the Outdoor Science Teacher Position 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 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 an analogous residential outdoor science school. Experience Most successful applicants have one or more years of experience in a residential outdoor education setting. 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 currently certified, that does not exclude you from consideration, but you would need to become certified prior to working with students. We prefer applicants have a minimum of Wilderness First Responder certification, but it's not absolutely required yet. However, if you are serious about a career leading groups in the outdoors, you really should get WFR certification. Desirable Qualifications These qualifications, while not required, are still desirable. Most successful applicants will have one or more of the following. Marine Science education/experience (for Malibu site) Spanish language proficiency 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 Examples of the people we hire Taking a look at our staff biographies might give you 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 Compensation Length of Contract Application Procedures Gauging Your Qualifications (Should you apply?) Home What is LACOSS? Sites Attending Employment Contact © LACOSS, 2008 Last Revised: March 4, 2008 Comments or Questions? webmaster@OutdoorScienceSchool.org