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Trackers Teen Internship

Summer Outdoor Education Job for Teens

Application deadline April 15, 2019

Training - Option I June 12-14, 2019
Training - Option II July 16-18, 2019

Teaching Session - Option I June 17-July 19, 2019, Mon-Fri
Teaching Session - Option II July 22-August 23, 2019, Mon-Fri

Required Previously taken LIT and/or a Guild Apprenticeship, or similar outdoor leadership program
For our Teen Internship program, you must be at least 16 years of age on June 12, 2019

Work With Trackers

Spend part of the summer sharing outdoor skills with kids and getting paid to work with Trackers Earth. Our Teen Internship is the next step for students of Trackers. You could find yourself teaching camps with any of our Four Guilds: Rangers (Wilderness Survival), Wilders (Homesteading), Mariners (Fishing) and Artisans (Story Adventures).

Who We Need

This is a paid internship for competent, enthusiastic young people who want to develop professional outdoor education experience. You train to become a mentor in our community and camps helping youth develop an in-depth connection to nature.

We're looking for individuals passionate about Trackers Earth and what it teaches. Core Trackers mentors oversee. Being a Teen Intern cultivates strong professional experience and workplace skills for future careers and academic study.

Two Parts of One Program

This program consists of two parts. The first part is a fully paid internship learning and working as an instructor in our summer youth camps. Second, if you choose to take your study of wilderness skills and folk craft further, we offer interns a significant scholarship to our Apprenticeship (under 18 years) or Immersion (over 18 years) programs. These two parts can combine to provide the most relevant outdoor leadership training available.

Part 1 - Paid employment with our Summer Camps We hire you as an Assistant Educator for our Summer Camps. You earn a full-time, seasonal wage. Intern sessions are for half the summer. You must be able to make training and work the entirety of at least one 5-week session:

  • Training - Option I June 12-14, 2019
  • Training - Option II July 16-18, 2019
  • Teaching Session - Option I June 17-July 19, 2019
  • Teaching Session - Option II July 22-August 23, 2019

Optional Part 2 - Program Scholarship On top of your summer wages, our internship enables you the option of attending our year-long Teen Apprenticeship (under 18 years) or any of our Year-Long Adult Programs (over 18 years) programs with a 25% scholarship. Use of the scholarship is optional and not a requirement of summer employment.

Please Note Not all positions are for regular Day Camp hours. Teens may be offered a position with either our day camps or after camps, depending on experience and availability of work.

Logistics

When are applications due? The deadline for 2019 Summer Camp applications is April 15, 2019.

When are interviews? Interview dates are typically the 3rd Thursday of everyone month. Prepare to be available for this day. Your scheduled interview day and time is firm and not open to moving as we have limited spaces available.

What are the rate of pay? The rate of pay is Portland minimum hourly wage for assistant positions and after camp staff.

What are the work locations? You are fully responsible for your own transportation pre- and post- work hours. You must be able to show up on time and of your own accord at any of our three sites in Southeast, Northeast, and West Portland.

Does this program require prior mentor recommendation? Many students are recommended to apply by their teachers and mentors. Yet you are welcome to apply without a recommendation if you have the pre-requisite experience. Please remember, if you have not yet been recommended through LIT or Apprenticeship, you may have some additional capacities to further develop and work on before being employed with Trackers Earth. Consider that it could be better to wait. We will evaluate this in the application and interview process.

Are long-term Trackers Earth students guaranteed a position? This is an employment program with high expectations, not a for-tuition camp. Hiring is based on our assessment of the potential capacity through the application and interview. It is challenging to get in. This employment program has teens fully assisting and integral to the ratios for the supervision of campers, far beyond the learning role as a Leader in Training. Expectations are high and thus not every student may currently be ready to move forward in this role. Teens may be offered a position with either our day camps or after camps, depending on experience and availability of work.

What if an applicant is not hired for this year? If you are not hired, we offer you written feedback and encourage you to apply again after working on the aspects addressed in that feedback. For parents, we ask that you allow your child to go through the process independently and accept the nature of our decision in regards to hiring.

Can a Teen Intern work only part of a Session? No. We require you to commit to and work at least one entire 5-week session. There may be occasions where we will not have a week of work available due to enrollment numbers. You must be able to make training and work the entirety of at least one 5-week session:

Application deadline April 15, 2019
Training June 12-14, 2019
Teaching Session I June 17-July 19, 2019, Mon - Fri
Teaching Session II July 22-August 23, 2019, Mon - Fri

Please Note Not all positions are for regular Day Camp hours. Teens may be offered a position with either our day camps or after camps, depending on experience and availability of work.

Required Experience, Attributes & Physical Demands




Must be 16-17 years old when summer season of employment begins (June 11, 2018)
Previously taken LIT and/or a Guild Apprenticeship, or similar outdoor leadership program

Maintain high professional standards
Punctual and timely for all scheduled shifts
Ability to set and communicate boundaries for youth in a positive way
Ability to think on your feet, be creative and care for the safety of children even in challenging situations
Ability to continuously stand, hike backcountry terrain on and off-trail, bend, squat, climb stairs/hills, lift up to 50 lbs

CPR/First Aid certified (or ability to complete before position begins)

Food handlers certified (or ability to complete before position begins)
State fishing license (if working with programs that fish)
Pre-employment checks: criminal background and references


Application - Teen Internship (Summer)

Your Story

Location Preference
We have many locations in the Portland area. We cannot guarantee a job site preference and any employee can expect to report to any site.

Additional Comments

References

Please list three references; at least one professional/academic reference you have worked with and at least one one personal reference.

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