Residential/Outdoor Education Apprentice - Outdoor Academy 2026-2027

Job Announcement 2026
The Outdoor Academy is an accredited, residential, semester school for high achieving tenth-grade and eleventh-grade students. Rising from a long tradition of experiential education at Eagle's Nest Foundation, The Outdoor Academy incorporates a college preparatory curriculum with environmental education, wilderness leadership, unique arts offerings, and regional studies in a small community setting. Established in 1995, The Outdoor Academy enrolls up to 24 students from across the United States each semester to attend our school located in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. The mission of the school is “Experiential education for young people, promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character.” The school is built around its four cornerstones of Intellect, Environment, Craft, and Community, and ENF and OA are focused on pursuing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Residential/Outdoor Education Apprentice ("Resident") team fosters a safe, healthy, and productive living environment in the dorms, around campus, and on trips. They oversee dorm life and work closely with the Dean of Students to design and implement residential life curriculum, including workshops on communication, feedback, identity, healthy relationships, leadership, etc. Their role in OA’s outdoor programming is extensive, as the team supports the planning, preparation, and instruction of hiking, climbing, and paddling trips. Residents will also have the opportunity to receive professional development and coaching in order to hone skills that will support their career goals in academic, experiential, or outdoor residential settings. Residential/Outdoor Education Apprentices are immersed in the life of the school, and play a crucial role in students’ experience at OA.

CONTRACT DATES
Mid-August, 2026 – Mid-May, 2027. Additionally, summer work is possibly available if so desired at Eagle’s Nest Camp or in ENF's Hante Adventures program. Residents will have a winter break from mid-December to mid-January. Additionally, Residents have approximately 4 days off during Classes in the Field each semester in addition to the normal two nights off weekly.

RESIDENTIAL AND COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Live with students in a dorm or cabin five nights a week (Residents have a private bedroom and bathroom adjacent to the student dorm spaces).
2. Observe and enforce all policies of The Outdoor Academy and Eagle’s Nest Foundation.
3. Monitor student safety in outdoor and residential settings.
4. Co-lead wilderness trips, including rock climbing, white-water canoeing, and backpacking.
5. Plan weekend activities with students.
6. Facilitate morning and weekend meal preparation.
7. Facilitate morning, evening, and bedtime routines.
8. Hold dorm meetings, monitor student issues, and coordinate with Dean of Students to address concerns.
9. Work with the Dean of Students to lead classes in residential life topics as part of the CIRCLE (Community, Identity, Relationships, Communication, Leadership, Ethics) curriculum.
10. Proctor evening study hall hours during the week.
11. Support Outdoor Programming through trip planning and preparation, cleaning and maintaining gear, and organizing pack-out and de-issue for outdoor trips.
12. Distribute daily medications and support other faculty in monitoring student health and wellness.
13. Accomplish other duties as assigned by the Dean of Students and Director.

JOB SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

1. A commitment to transformative educational and community experiences
2. A college degree
3. A willingness to be immersed in the life of the school and to work closely with teenagers
4. Significant background/skills in climbing, white-water canoeing, and/or backpacking; experience leading/co-leading groups of teenagers in at least one of these areas preferred
5. Experience living and working in a community or congregate living setting (e.g. a summer camp, as a dorm RA, etc.) may be useful but is not essential
6. Wilderness First Responder (WFR) or Wilderness EMT (WEMT) certification required by the contract dates above, or willingness to attain.
7. An ability to work collaboratively with a closely-knit team.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND SCHEDULE
The majority of work will be conducted on campus; however, off-site work in the outdoors supervising teenagers will occur several times each semester. The ability to work long days in hot and/or cold environments and lift heavy gear and boxes is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. All Faculty should be flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed to fulfill program demands. Residents typically work Thursday afternoons through Tuesday mornings, with Tuesday and Wednesday nights off and large blocks of free/personal time on Mondays and Fridays.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The Outdoor Academy provides salary, contributory health insurance plan, on-campus room and board, professional development as an outdoor and residential life instructor, holiday and other vacation periods, equipment use and pro-deals on gear, outdoor leadership training and adventure days, and weekly time off. Additionally, Residents each have a private bedroom and access to a kitchen and living area in shared on-campus housing for use during their nights off.

TO APPLY:
Application Deadline: Please submit an application prior to March 9. Submissions after March 9 will be considered on a rolling basis if finalists have not yet been identified. Note that there are three positions available. We seek to build an inclusive and supportive community of educators and students. We encourage applicants who would contribute to the diversity of The Outdoor Academy and bring new perspectives to our community and this work to apply.

Eagle’s Nest Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on or tolerate harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, military status, veteran status or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local law.