Senior Instructor – Carey Outdoor Education Centre Full Time

Carey is a small specialist provision working with children and young people who find it difficult to attend mainstream education on a full-time basis. Some of our young people are children in care or children with a disability. We also work with children through our Virtual School and other local schools. Most of the work is 1:1 or sometimes even two or three staff to one young person depending on their needs.

We also run Short Breaks for children with low to moderate needs and this typically involves groups of 6. We also enjoy delivering specialist residential visits, generally for Dorset special schools or other groups such as Dorset foster families.

We use the outdoors as our classroom and have a fantastic 14 – acre site comprising mixed woodlands along with a traverse wall, low ropes course, indoor tunnels, archery and access to Wareham Forest. We also have a polytunnel which we use to grow vegetables that we use for creating healthy menus and cooking either in the kitchen, campfire or Trangia’s.

We like mud, laugh at the rain and get outside whatever the weather!

We also work in schools and welcome teachers to our site to provide them with support and training in managing learning outside of the classroom.

We are looking for a creative outdoor practitioner to join the team in this challenging yet rewarding work. You should expect to be busy working with our young people using the outdoor environment to meet their needs. This isn’t an repetitive instructor post, every day is different and session plans are often challenged and stretched by our user’s needs. We are looking for people who can use the outdoors as a tool to develop trust and engagement with our service users. Great staff at the centre come from a range of backgrounds including outdoor centres, schools, youth and play work.

This isn’t your typical outdoor centre and we are looking for staff to join us who bring something special with them.

Further Information

This is a part time role at 22.5hrs over 3 days per week. This post requires significant travel. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed. This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders. For an informal discussion about the role please contact Derry Billings Centre Manager, [email protected]

About Us

At Dorset Council, it’s not just about the work we do, it’s about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

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At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You Will

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.