So You Want To Be A NOLS Instructor? (Written by a NOLS instructor)
If you are passionate about the outdoors and wish to work in a field that will help you develop and become a better version of yourself, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is the perfect fit. NOLS provides unparalleled learning, teaching, and adventure opportunities by offering a wide range of courses from backpacking, mountaineering, wilderness medicine, sea kayaking, horsepacking, and canoeing. This is fulfilling work that not only rewards you financially but also enriches your journey as a leader.
What kind of leader are you according to NOLS?
- The Analyst: information and opinion seekers
- The Driver: great at taking a stand, being direct, and making things happen
- The Relationship Master: excellent at building and sustaining community
- The Spontaneous Motivator: great at motivating people; energizers
This is just one small nugget from the NOLS Leadership Educator Notebook. NOLS is the leading international outdoor school with locations in the United States, India, Africa, New Zealand, Patagonia, and more. When I first started working with NOLS, I realized I found my people. Travelers, adventurers, and intellectuals who love to be outside. Some instructors are nomadic like me, working seasonally, and some live in one place with a second job, only working with NOLS part-time. Last year, I met a principal from New York who led a two-week course as his vacation.
What is NOLS?
NOLS is a prestigious school that graduates students with proficiency in outdoor living/travel skills, leadership, and communication. The curriculum consists of wilderness skills, leadership skills, environmentalism, and judgment/decision-making. Instructors teach various courses from one to six weeks in length. Students range from age 14 to 60+ and come from all walks of life, including: NASA astronauts, college students, and high schoolers.
For example, I requested to work with BIPOC communities, and was offered a two-week course with a Philadelphia youth group that bikes to Wyoming to go backpacking. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a variety of unique people. NOLS embraces diversity in its staff, faculty, and students. At the employee lounge in Lander, Wyoming, you might run into people from all over; anywhere from Africa to Australia. Working well with people of different backgrounds, experiences, and identities is a critical 21st-century leadership skill.
Is NOLS the right fit for you?
- You enjoy life outside
- Respectable pay (New faculty start at $122-133/day for their first contract)
- Help others realize their leadership potential
- Seek personal development through work
- Expand your outdoor knowledge with free seminars
Teaching students who want to be there, are hungry for knowledge, and want to grow and explore creates a magical learning environment. Traditional classrooms tend to be content-focused, with a teacher who is an expert and expects students to regurgitate the “right” answer. NOLS propagates an experiential learning environment where dialogue and discussion are vital avenues to learning.
The fundamental goal of experiential education is not only to teach students WHAT to learn, but to teach them HOW to learn through their own experiences. You don’t have to be the best leader to apply, but you do need plenty of wilderness experience and a willingness to learn. Yes, even the instructors are learning.
How To Teach for NOLS?
1. Bare minimum qualifications
Comfort and competence living and traveling in remote areas for extended periods, be they mountains/oceans/deserts/rivers; a desire to teach and facilitate transformative educational experiences to students.
2. Apply for an instructor course
a. If you’re interested in teaching backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, sea kayaking, sailing, river, or horsepacking, apply for the NOLS Instructor Course. The expedition-based training focuses on preparing you to teach NOLS’ expedition core curriculum: leadership, risk management, outdoor skills, and environmental studies. Most people start as backpacking instructors and move up from there.
b. If you’re interested in teaching wilderness medicine (2-day Wilderness First Aid, 10-day Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals, 30-day Wilderness EMT, and more), apply for the NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor Training Course (ITC), a 7- or 10-day intensive training in Lander, Wyoming.
3. Apply for the U.S. NOLS Instructor-In-Training (IIT) program
The program provides opportunities for individuals from historically underrepresented groups to develop the skills necessary for a career in outdoor education. While the program actively recruits BIPOC candidates, it remains open to anyone.
Application windows are open during certain time periods, so check back frequently for updated dates. The application includes a resume, trip log, three references, questionnaire, CPR/Med Cert upload, applicant information, and scholarship form (if you apply). Read the FAQ on their website for more information.
Who makes a great NOLS instructor?
If you possess some or all of these qualities, consider applying:
- Experience working in outdoor experiential education
- Backcountry/outdoor skills from personal trips
- Teaching experience
- You want to grow in leadership, wilderness, communication, and self-awareness
- You like people and find them interesting
- Leadership experience
- Interest in teaching/mentoring students to facilitate exceptional educational experiences
With 60 years of experience, it’s no wonder NOLS is considered the pinnacle of outdoor education. With campuses on five continents, reaching students aged 14 to 60+, their curriculum of leadership, wilderness, risk management, and environmentalism reaches many. Instructors play a vital role in shaping experiential learning classrooms, creating a safe environment for exploration outside and within.
So, if you thrive in outdoor settings, seek personal/professional development through work, and value continuous learning, consider applying to NOLS.
About the Gear Tester
Amber Davis
- Amber Davis#molongui-disabled-link
- Amber Davis#molongui-disabled-link
- Amber Davis#molongui-disabled-link
- Amber Davis#molongui-disabled-link
