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Instructor Recruitment
Wild Island Exploration takes up to 48 youngsters, aged 9 to 16, on each standard 8-day residential Course. We normally work in Activity Groups of 9 - 12 participants, some of whom may have come with school parties, and others who may have come as unaccompanied individuals. Each Activity Group is looked after by a Group Instructor who will accompany his/her charges throughout each of the activities detailed in our full Prospectus. Activity Specialists take charge of the Kayaking and Rocksport sessions, and the Boatmaster organises the Fishing. Torquil Johnson-Ferguson oversees every Course, and the Chief Instructor/ Manager will also be fully involved in instructing. All posts except Torquil`s are seasonal, and as usual we always look forward to re-employing many old friends from previous years.
At peak times there will be a staff of about 16 - Margaret and Torquil Johnson-Ferguson, two or three Cook/Housekeepers, a Boatmaster, one or two Maintenance Managers, two Kayaking specialists, two Rocksports specialists, and three or four Group Instructors who specialise in the Expeditions and the Survival Challenge. Responsibilities overlap, and we like our instructors to be able to operate in more than one area. Free accommodation will be in a comfortable but basic single room. Simple furnishings are provided and staff are welcome to bring any reasonable embellishment. While there is a course on, all staff meals are also provided free, and eaten with the visitors.
This year we would like to have all our Staff with us by late April for several days of Familiarisation and Training. Our last course usually departs in early September. Ideally we want staff who will commit themselves for the whole season, although we do sometimes add to our Team in June and July.
An Instructor's working week can be averaged out over the Season at about 48 hours. But those who fully involve themselves in all the various aspects of Centre Life can be with the visiting youngsters for more than this, and applicants need to be willing to accept some flexibility. We offer a good wage, dependant on the applicants' age, experience and qualifications.
It is essential that, as a minimum requirement, all of our Instructors are at least capable kayakers, capable top-ropers, experienced Expeditioners, and hold a First Aid Certificate and CRO clearance. We want to put together a team where several Instructors hold a selection of BCU, MLTB, RYA and MCA Certification. We recognise that paper qualifications are not everything, and that substantial experience can in some cases be an acceptable alternative when backed up by the in-house site-specific training which we will give you. You will be given on-site training in our Standard Operating Procedures, particularly in specialist areas such as Boat Crewing and Wilderness Survival, so that you will be able to fully enjoy the benefits of living and working in this superb location.
Qualifications are only one aspect of our requirements. We need people who will revel in the adventurousness of Wild Country Living. Successful applicants will be those who we believe will be able to work enthusiastically, safely and successfully with our other staff, and most importantly, with children of the age and background with which we have built up our excellent reputation over so many years.
If you would like to apply to be one of our Team, you will need to send us your full CV, by e-mail or by packet-mail to Wild Island Exploration Ltd., Solwaybank, Canonbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland DG14 0XS. We will then send you our full Recruitment Pack.
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