Outdoor Education Instructor
Closing Date: Sunday 06 September 2026.
No applications will be considered after this date.
Contract: Part time (0.6 FTE), permanent
Location: Wildwood Devon, Escot Park, Ottery St. Mary, EX11 1LU
Reports to: Education Manager
Responsible for: This role has no direct reports
Grade: 5
Job Purpose
Education is at the heart of our mission, and this position plays a key role in delivering on our organisational purpose, inspiring the next generation of rewilders. You will deliver engaging educational activities to a variety of audiences, fostering a positive learning environment, and interpreting the species within our parks and Saxon Village for all visitors. This role is key to reconnecting the general public with nature in a variety of ways and creating individual memorable experiences.
Key Responsibilities
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Hosting school groups during their visits, including day trips and yurt village residentials (April to October); overseeing scheduling with teachers, leading activities and curriculum-linked content, readying the yurts for guests, ensuring that dietary requirements are communicated to our catering team, resolving issues during a group’s stay, and ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all.
- Running animal tours for school groups in the Wildwood park, including information about the species we exhibit, focussing on their lives in the wild, importance in ecosystems, and conservation concerns.
- Delivering forest-school style activities in our wetland area, including bushcraft, fire-lighting, den-making and our famous swamp walk.
- Running living history activities in the Saxon village for school groups. These immersive sessions require instructors to wear Saxon-style costume, to run participative activities for pupils such as bread-making, wood-turning and forge work.
- Running public engagement activities and games across the site, including animal talks, events, and bringing the Anglo-Saxon Village to life for our visitors through interactive storytelling, demonstrations and visitor interactions, including occasional evening sessions.
- Maintain the Saxon village, historical props, and costumes, ensuring authenticity wherever possible and prioritising safety at all times.
- Monitor visitor safety and ensure compliance with all health and safety procedures, reporting any issues to the Education Manager or Duty Manager as soon as possible.
- Contribute to the ongoing development and delivery of public engagement activities to enhance the visitor experience.
- Support the Designated Safeguarding Leads in their safeguarding responsibility of the Devon site.
You may be required to carry out duties not listed above but which will be within your level of skill and ability.
The Working Week
Your working week will be varied and busy. Priorities will be the hosting school groups during the week in term time, running the public engagement activities on weekends and during school holidays, and general maintenance tasks in and around the education centre.
Normal working hours are between 08:30 and 17:00, with an unpaid half an hour for lunch, however during peak season you may occasionally need to work some evenings and weekends.
This post is for 22.5 hours per week over three days, with the opportunity for seasonal uplift in line with the needs of the organisation. The job will involve overtime, including some evening, weekend, and bank holiday working as part of your normal duties.
This job involves undertaking duties which include the following health, safety and wellbeing considerations:
- Work outside year-round on uneven ground in variable weather conditions
- Regular use of Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
- Use of machinery / tools
- Hand Arm Vibration
- Repetitive limb movements
- Lone working
- Use of company vehicle
Mandatory Training for this role includes:
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DBS check (enhanced)
- Manual Handling
- Equality & Diversity
- Safeguarding Level 1
- GDPR / Data Protection Awareness
- Fire Safety Awareness
- Ladder Safety
- Cyber Security
- First Aid
- Customer Service
- Food Allergen Awareness
Skills, Knowledge, Qualifications & Experience
All Wildwood staff are passionate, committed, and resourceful. To succeed in this specific role, you will be self-motivated, creative, and a great team player.
Essential
- Demonstrate a genuine love of wildlife and belief in Wildwood’s Mission; to protect, conserve, and rewild British wildlife
- Excellent communication skills, including experience public speaking and giving presentations
- Confidence to proactively approach and engage with public or school visitors, to communicate information about the wildlife species or historical activity and create a memorable experience
- Well-rounded knowledge of European wildlife and/or Anglo-Saxon history
- Able to carry out tasks independently, whilst also having the ability to work productively and successfully with a team
- Friendly, polite and professional customer service
- Capable of working to tight deadlines in a busy environment
- Experience or willingness to learn practical skills needed for the maintenance elements of the role
Desirable
- Qualification in an ecology, wildlife conservation or history-related subject
- Experience designing and delivering public engagement activities
- Experience in a woodland or forest school type setting
Why work for Wildwood
Wildwood is a native species conservation charity established in 2002 to push the boundaries of innovative conservation and rewilding. We work with nature to fight the biodiversity crisis, to halt the extinction of species and to create resilient habitats in which nature thrives. We focus on nature-based solutions to return native species and recreating truly wild spaces.
Wildwood has a proud culture of respecting and valuing all colleagues. Our people are integral to our success; their expertise enables us to achieve our ambitions, their professionalism creates strong collaborations, and their integrity upholds our organisational values. We believe in Equal Opportunities and the benefits of a varied work team.
Employment Package
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Annual salary of £14,905
- Opportunity for increased hours during peak times
- Annual leave allowance of 18 days a year, including statutory holidays
- Workplace pension (auto enrolled after three months)
- Inclusive and family-friendly working policies
- Training & development opportunities
- Selection of staff benefits including discounts
- Free or reduced price entry to BIAZA accredited zoos and aquariums
Wildwood is a native species conservation charity established in 2002 to push the boundaries of innovative conservation and rewilding. We work with nature to fight the biodiversity crisis, to halt the extinction of species and to create resilient habitats in which nature thrives. We focus on evidence-based solutions to return native species and recreating truly wild spaces. Rewilding, through the reintroduction of keystone species, is the most powerful tool we have. These animals change the landscape by creating the space and complexity for hundreds of other species to recover and thrive. Wildwood’s experience and expertise in working with native species means we can work effectively across the UK in many projects.
