Role Description

Make the lake your new outdoor classroom at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Ga! Nestled in the pines of the Oconee National Forest, with nearly 1,500 acres of forested land and a 110-acre lake, this opportunity is perfect for the outdoor enthusiast looking to live and work at a natural meeting site away from everyday life. As part of The University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences/Georgia 4-H, Rock Eagle 4-H Center’s Environmental Education Program provides high-quality day and residential (overnight) learning experiences and is a partner in education to serve public, private, and homeschool groups across the Southeast. In our outdoor classroom, our research-based curriculum correlates to the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE), providing hands-on learning opportunities and connections in the context of the real world.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Education, or a related field
• Experience in environmental education or outdoor education
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work with diverse groups of students and adapt teaching methods accordingly
• Passion for environmental conservation and sustainability
• CPR and First Aid certification (or willingness to obtain certification)
• Ability to lead and facilitate outdoor activities and field trips

PRIMARY EDUCATOR RESPONSIBILITIES (70%): Environmental Educators will teach hands-on day classes and evening classes most frequently to 3rd-8th grade students and chaperoning adults attending residential (overnight) environmental education programs. Rock Eagle classes cover material on lake ecology, watershed studies, herpetology (reptiles), ornithology (birds), dissections, Pioneer history, team building, outdoor skills, and more! Please click to view a full listing of our Rock Eagle EE Class Descriptions and videos of classes in action for select classes: Lake Ecology, Watershed Studies, Ornithology (Birds), Herpetology (Reptiles), and Pioneer Life. 

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES (30%): Additional duties include, but are not limited to, student and adult group management while teaching programs, maintaining teaching facilities and supplies, providing animal husbandry for residential education animals, lead staff rotations, and various maintenance projects on center as needed. There may be times when asked to help flip cabins, serve meals and help provide programming to third party groups. Educators must be able to work outside inbuggy environments, extreme heat / cold and be flexible as schedules will adjust and shift with changing weather conditions and late guest arrivals. 

WORK SCHEDULE: Workdays are consistently Monday-Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM with weekly hours/schedule depending on reservations. When Lead Staff with a school, days will be longer as you will take your school into their meals and organize students prior to classes. You can expect to work 2-4 nights each week teaching evening classes from 7:00-9:15 PM. Occasional weekend work occurs with third party groups and community outreach, with a weekend schedule available after staff training. Time off is allowed, supported and flexible with advanced and professional notification (and approval) from direct supervisor.

ON-SITE HOUSING ACCOMMODATION: 

Rent: $20/per week (all utilities included). Reservations provide adult supervision in cabins, educator staff do not.

House Description: Housing is provided in one of four fully furnished homes with a private bedroom, semi-private bathroom with a suite mate, kitchen, and washer/dryer with parking and an outside back porch overlooking a shared, wooded yard. 

Private/Shared Spaces: Each home lodges up to four seasonal educator staff featuring four private bedrooms, 2 suite-mate bathrooms (shared toilet, sink, and shower between two staff), a laundry closet (shared between four staff) and a full kitchen with sink, stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator (shared between four staff).

Proximity: Homes are on-site within our gated property and within a 10-minute walking-distance to our office. Rock Eagle is a large center, so most folks enjoy having a car to get around. Rock Eagle is located in Eatonton, GA between Madison, Ga and Milledgeville, Ga. We are just an hour south of Athens, GA, home of the University of Georgia where you can find local eats, live music, and free experiences such as Bear Hollow Zoo and the Botanical Gardens of Georgia in Athens.

Considerations: Housing on-site is optional, not required; Hourly rate does not change if opting to commute. No pets allowed.

EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS

Professional Development & Networking: 3-week paid training in ecology, living history, team building and outdoor skills and environmental education. Opportunities to visit and work with our associated UGA 4-H centers across Georgia.

Paid Certifications: CPR/First-aid training. Additional opportunities may arise pending funding and availability of trainers.

Staff Sharing: Throughout the year, there will be opportunities of working at other UGA Georgia 4-H facilities including Wahsega 4-H Center, Fortson 4-H Center, Burton 4-H Center, and Georgia 4-H at Camp Jekyll. Opportunities may also arise for working with Educators coming to the Rock Eagle 4-H Center. Working at other 4-H Centers and/or borrowing staff is dependent of facility staffing needs and availability to support our overall shared mission and goals of the Georgia 4-H Environmental Education Program.

OTHER EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Compensation: Position is paid per hour and overtime at time and a half when over 40 hours a week

Health Insurance: Limited health insurance for personal use and worker’s compensation coverage for incidents.

Pro-Deals: Access to individual qualification for “pro-deals” with name brand outdoor gear.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Go to www.ugajobsearch.com

2. At the “Posting Number” type the UGA Posting #G/R25116P *

3. Click “Search”

 4. Click “View Details”

5. Click “Apply for this Posting” and complete the UGA application

6. After applying, notify Environmental Education Program Coordinator, Lauren Kuschner (lnys@uga.edu) of your submitted application. Please include your application confirmation number, your attached resume, cover letter and 3 work-related references. 

INTERVIEW PROCESS & DETAILS: Applicants will be emailed IF selected for an interview. The interview will be over Zoom, unless the interviewee is available to interview in-person, please notify if so in application. For the interview, candidates will teach a 5-minute lesson (without PowerPoint). The lesson is to reflect and showcase a candidate’s teaching style and management skills in a topic and age group/grade level of applicant choice. Interviewers will act “child-like” in response to your lesson for you to best display your teaching style and engagement with students. Applicants are encouraged to include any supporting lesson plans, videos of teaching, etc. to showcase your educator skills and strengths. The rest of the interview will include questions about candidate’s experiences and how you would best fit our program. It is also an opportunity for you to ask questions and learn more about the Rock Eagle 4-H Center as well as understand further job details and expectations

The University of Georgia is an equal opportunity employer and strives to create an inclusive and diverse workforce.

If you are passionate about environmental education and connecting students with nature, we encourage you to apply. We look forward to receiving your application!