Employment
PDFProgram Overview
SUWS OF THE CAROLINAS, is located in the heart of the Pisgah National Forest of Western North Carolina. We provide an intervention and treatment program for young people displaying self-defeating behaviors and destructive decision-making patterns. These behaviors and patterns may be substance abuse problems, difficulty in school, deteriorating personal relationships, a lack of personal care, angry and oppositional behaviors, and a feeling of a loss of control in their lives. SUWS OF THE CAROLINAS seeks to identify the positive attributes these students already possess, which will help them to overcome their destructive patterns of behavior. We empower students to rediscover their strengths and learn how they can be used in their everyday life. Students then come to an understanding of the effects their negative behaviors have had on their lives. We challenge the “old habits” and help cultivate a desire for change within each student. SUWS OF THE CAROLINAS is not a boot camp. It is an empowerment program in a healthy therapeutic environment. Our students leave prepared to walk a long road of growth. They become more self-reliant, better able to sustain meaningful relationships, and possess a higher level of personal integrity.
The Field Supervisor, a licensed therapist, engages the students in deeper-level counseling. Under the direction of the Field Supervisor, instructors carry out specific, therapeutic outcomes for all students and devise strategies for reaching the intended outcomes in the field. Students progress through the program as evidenced by their investment, responsibility, and integration of the therapeutic work.
The Field Instructor position (Just a taste! Roles vary dependent on instructor level):
- First and foremost - Instructors must provide the highest levels of safety for students and help students adhere to those high standards while in the backcountry.
- Have a high investment towards effecting a positive change within student lives and a congruency with our mission.
- Participate in a 3 day hiring seminar and a 3 day orientation training.
- Lead 8 -day courses of up to eight at-risk teens into the Forests of North Carolina, accounting for 24-hr safety and supervision. Each week, 2 days are spent at a layover site conducting life skills and therapeutic activities with Field Supervisors.
- Participate in pre-course trainings, mid-course evaluation, and a post-course debriefing. Trainings involve therapeutic strategies, hard-skills training, field safety, field logistics, etc. Inspire and create self-reliance and personal care standards, insuring student safety and success.
- Teach primitive skills: primitive fire making, simple traps, no-trace camping, simple shelter and bedroll construction, etc. Work with treatment team to identify and interrupt student's patterns of behavior and their underlying, positive intentions.
- Track and guide emotional growth curve of students through facilitation of an emotional growth workbook.
- Collaborate with Field Supervisor in order to devise practical strategies to re-frame student's unhealthy beliefs with positive, healthy beliefs.
- Facilitate practice of treatment goals via primitive skills instruction, simulated families, search and rescue techniques, map and compass navigation, team-building initiatives, ropes course, personal reflection activities, journal writing, etc.
- Empower students to take responsibility for their actions and consequences, make healthy choices, build and maintain strong relationships, and demonstrate community service; giving back to others.
- Instruct and review student curriculum curriculum.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the group size? We serve an average of 8 students per group. A treatment team consisting of 2-3 Field Instructors and a Field Supervisor facilitate the course. Instructors are with the students around the clock.
- What are the Pre-Requisites for the position?
- Attend a Pre-Hire Seminar
- 21+ Years of Age
- Have current Adult CPR and Basic First-Aid Certifications (we offer these when hired). Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder is a plus.
- A strength and commitment towards pro-active, interpersonal communication.
- Experience in 1 or more of the following areas is a plus but not required:
- Experience with at-risk youth in a work setting;
- Experience in a counseling/teaching capacity with children;
- Personal competency with wilderness skills and/or a background in facilitating experiential education
- Is the Pre-hire seminar required to gain employment? Yes
- What is a Pre-Hire Seminar? The pre-hire seminar is a way for us to give you a realistic idea of what it is to be a Field Instructor as well as experience the program through the eyes of a student. We invite all prospective instructors to come to our location in North Carolina. Upon arrival you are taken into the field for 3 days with a Field manager and a current instructor. You are taught the primitive living skills our curriculum is based on. You will also have the opportunity to meet and interact with a group of students. At the end of this hiring seminar, you will know if the Field Instructor position is right for you and we will also assess weather we feel you will make a good fit for our program.
- Do I need to have adult CPR and 1st aid prior to the Pre-Hire seminar? No, yet you will need these certifications prior to working with students. We offer First-Aid and CPR on site.
- Do you offer on-site housing? No. We do have an area in which instructors can stay a day or two before and after their shift. It has beds, TV, kitchen, bathrooms and shower.
- What are my obligations to SUWS OF THE CAROLINAS when I am off-shift? Your obligation is “R&R”, rest and relaxation. A time in-between course is your time-off. If you wish, you may be placed on a reserve/ fill-in roster for staffing purposes.
- Do I need to live in the area? No. Live where you wish. Most of our staff live in or end up living in the Asheville(30-45 min drive) or Boone area (1 hour and 30 min drive).
- Will I have access to telephones or email while on shift? While in the field you will not have the ability to maintain contact with family or friends. If an emergency arises we will be able to pass messages and arrange calls if needed.
- What is the weather like? North Carolina mountain climate varies quite a bit. In the winter, temperatures can range from 20 degrees F to 70 degrees F. We typically get a considerable amount of precipitation, which may come in the form of sleet or freezing rain. In summer we expect to be dealing with temperatures ranging from 60 degrees F to 90 degrees F. Elevations range from 1940’ at base to about 4000’ in the mountains.
- What is the food like? Are there vegetarian options? We have a very good diet. Most of the food adheres to a balanced vegetarian diet. The basic meal plan is oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter, hummus, pepperoni and cheese, or tuna, on a whole wheat tortilla for lunch, and brown rice and lentils, dehydrated refried beans and brown rice, or quinoa with sun dried tomatoes for dinner. GORP and dried fruit, as well as, Fresh fruit and vegetables are provided throughout the course.
- Will I be assured a full-time work schedule? Yes, our instructors work a 8 day on 6 day off schedule. We do want instructors to take a vacation at least once a year.
- Do you offer Benefits? Yes, we offer Medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K plan, and paid time off.
- How do I get more information or apply? Send your resume and references or request for information to:
Taylor Woods
363 Graphite Rd.
Old Fort, NC 28762
828-668-7590 Office
828-668-3162 Fax
wwoods@suwscarolinas.com
Wilderness Field Instructor Levels
Apprentice
Completion of Weekend Seminar
Completion of Growth book 1 to advance upward
Completion of Orientation & minimum 2 weeks in the field to become eligible as an Assistant
Assistant
Successful apprenticeship phase, along with completion and sign-off of Growth book 1
Completion of Growth Book 2 to advance upward
Head Instructor
Successful assistantship phase, along with completion and sign-off of Growth Book 2
Satisfactory evaluation after "heading" first course
Completion of Growth Book 3 to advance upward
Minimum 24 weeks to become eligible as a Senior
Senior Instructor
Successful completion of Growth Book 3. 24-44 weeks in the field
Master Instructor
44+ weeks in the field
Suggested reading material
Shouting at the Sky by Gary Ferguson
Processing the Adventure Experience by Reldan Nadler and John Luckner
Staying Found by June Fleming (if you need map and compass)
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
Driven to Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey
Book of Metaphor by Michael Gass
Leadership and Self Deception and The Choice by The Arbinger Institute
Wilderness Therapy Jobs employment for outdoor education field instructors summer camp counselors.