Forest School Careers

Our Team

We are on a mission to get children outdoors! We can only do this by having an “owlstanding” team. At Outdoor Owls we are true believers that the best aspect of any nursery is the quality of its Educators. We strive to select and invest in the most truly passionate people. Experience is great but your attitude counts for more!

We believe children learn best through play. At Outdoor Owls you will learn about different learning through play styles including free-play, guided play, games & activities, and special Educator-led sessions. You will be exposed to how we do forest school activities such as running camp fires, drilling, sawing, whittling and how we use organic, natural resources to inspire learning opportunities - all with appropriate levels of risk.

Our children are of course the focal point however we ensure that Educators share center stage too. To help ensure you are comfortable in all weathers you will receive a cool Outdoor Owls “Helly Hansen” outfit - so get ready for some muddy play!

What is required to have a career in forest school education?

Working in the great outdoors is a special and rewarding place to be! If you’re someone who has a passion for suupporting the next generation to thrive and make the world a better place, that’s the most important requirement! Then it goes without saying, but to thrive at Outdoor Owls you’ll need to be excited in the outdoors, in all weathers!

Beyond this, qualifications in Education aren’t mandatory but a great plus. Qualifications must be be early years or Early Years related degrees or Qualified Teaching Status to be able to count as a qualified team member.

Forest school training is a bonus but also not mandatory. As an Outdoor Owls educator you will be trained and invited to partake in specific forest school activity training, including learning how to perform tool work activities.

Having experience working with children is a strong advantage and is something we will explore with you during your application. Having a knowledge and understanding of basic safeguarding practice is important.

Day in the life of a forest school educator

Our educators at Outdoor Owls enjoy a different day every day! Whatever the weather we created a mini adventure each days. We have designed fun and familiar routines, led by our Camp Leads and Managers pack full of fun learning opportunities and play.

We start each day with a circle time with the children where we discuss together what we want to do for the day. Within each age camp we have play areas set up so educators can facilitate play and learning that are guided by our learning roots of Body, Mind and Soul, as well as following the early years learning goals as set our in Ofsted’s curriculum. Within camps educators will observe and ensure free-flow play and also then support, extend and scaffold their play to enahce their learniing experiences, as well as taking the role of teacher at times to deliver activities and preschool sessions. Within this, we also perform forest school specific activities including den-building, fires, sawing, drilling and more and also go to other parts of the forest in the form of adventure walks.

Throughout the day there are care routines for meals, toileting and sleeps to ensure each child receives all the care they need.

What are the benefits of being a forest school educator?

Plenty!! Our educators, especially those who have worked in indoor nurseries absolutely know that some of their best time in their job is when they are more free in the outdoors. So as our team get to spend the whole day outdoors there are so many more activities and things to do with children which means more inspirational learning. Moreover being able to partake in more challenging levels of learning with children means that we get to see greater growth in children’s confidence and abilities which is a joy to witness.

Being outside too is a huge benefit too in terms of mental health and physical wellbeing. The calming nature of being outdoors is great for children which in turns helps our educators get fully engaged with children’s imagination. In our natural environment it is really rewarding to be able to help instill a kind, caring and empathetic wisdom and practice in children so that they develop to care for our planet.

Working at Outdoor Owls

What our Team say…

Catherine

“I love working at OO as every day is different. You will see different animals and plants, experience different weathers and working with kids never fails to make you happy.”

Marta

“The outside environment with fresh air, a helpful and caring team along with happy children makes it such an enjoyable place to work!”

Matt

“Introducing children to nature at such a young age means we can give them the knowledge about how we must look after our immediate environment and to foster care for their wider environment.”

Il-Shim

“Everyday is more refreshing than the last. There are unlimited natural resources that can help bring your planned or unplanned activities to life!”

What jobs are available at Outdoor Owls?

We are typically on the look out for great new talent to join our team. We have both unqualified and qualified educator roles, lead roles and sometimes manager roles. We also have opportunities for students to come and undertake work experience/ placements with us. For all current information on our live vacancies please see here.

Our nursery is for everyone and so is our workplace. We are a proud member of MITEY, a campaign which aims to celebrate, support and increase the numbers of men working in early childhood education in the UK.