Forest School Leaders / Bushcraft Facilitators

Founded in May 2014, The Hive is an established education company focused on Outdoor Learning and Forest School. We offer holiday camps and school workshops for children aged 5-13 in and around London, as well as accredited Forest School training for adults. We recently opened a small Forest School nursery in South East London and are currently developing a residential camp offer to launch in 2026. The Hive is unique in the UK, bringing together outdoor learning, narrative and gamified challenges in a Forest School setting.

Please see our website for more information about our work:

We are currently seeking facilitators to lead and support our Bushcraft missions at one of our outdoor holiday camps, where we deliver a week of dynamic and enjoyable outdoor sessions to children and young people aged 5 – 13 years, in a safe and positive environment.

Detailed Job Description

Our holiday camps are based on the concept of “Hive Missions”: week-long immersive adventures and projects where children and young teens explore, create, problem-solve and collaborate in the outdoors. Our bushcraft missions are designed like mini adventures, with a focus on bushcraft, Forest School and nature skills, alongside gamified challenges and a loose narrative. On a Hive Mission, you might be living as a Viking for the week on Vikingar!, exploring the Amazon rainforest on Destination Jungle, crafting longbows on The Longbow Squad, cooking an outdoor feast on Bushcraft Kitchen, etc… There are 20 different bushcraft missions at The Hive, so no two days are ever the same!

As the Mission Lead Facilitator, you’ll be responsible for the overall success of the Hive Mission, supporting our goal to nurture happy, safe and engaged children who are learning as much about nature and the outdoors as possible through a broad range of practical, creative and problem-solving skills. You’ll work alongside a Support Facilitator, or fellow Lead Facilitator, and as part of a larger camp team, you’ll play a key role in delivering an exceptional Hive experience for children and families.

Our facilitators are a vital part of our team and many stay with us for years, as members of our supportive community. Our small Camp HQ team (our Head of Camps, Logistics Coordinator, Curriculum Coordinator and Team Assistant) are there to support you throughout your time with us. They work on the ground and focus on developing a real sense of teamwork and shared responsibility to help you deliver the best possible camps.

The benefits we offer include fees above the London Living Wage, long-term contracts, access to subsidised external training courses, free breakfast, end of week drinks and social events, discounted training opportunities on our Forest School Training courses, staff discounts for parents, and a fun birthday celebration, should your birthday fall during camp.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the Mission Flow to a group of young people from 8 – 13 years old, ensuring that the learning objectives are met.
• Engage the group with bushcraft and survival-based activities including shelter building, fire lighting, whittling and wild cooking skills.
• Nurture teamwork and group dynamics, making sure that all children are participating, achieving their goals and enjoying themselves.
• Ensure the safeguarding and safety of the children in your care at all times.
• Ensure close supervision of the children at all times.
• Ensure that you are aware of children’s needs – medical, emotional, learning, etc., using the registers provided, and ensure that you attend to them.
• Supervise some lunch and snack times following a team rota.
• Interact professionally with parents and carers.
• Support the set-up, pack down and maintenance of all mission resources.

Personal Specification

• You have at least 2 years of solid experience leading Bushcraft and/or Forest School sessions for children and young people in a school or an informal learning setting.
• You have an enhanced DBS certificate issued within the past 3 years or registered on the DBS Update Service or a willingness to undergo an enhanced DBS check prior to job offer.
• You have excellent organisational skills and an energetic and playful approach.
• You are punctual, reliable and committed.
• You may have a Level 1 or higher qualification in safeguarding children and young people (desirable, but not essential).
• You may have a formal Bushcraft or Forest School qualification (desirable, but not essential).
• You are knowledgeable and skilled in the practical fields of Bushcraft and / or Forest School, including detailed knowledge of various fire lighting and shelter building techniques, whittling and knife work, knots, wild cooking and outdoor crafts.
• You are empathic, fun, creative, resourceful and put safeguarding and safety at the forefront of everything you do.
• You may have outdoor First Aid or Forest School First Aid Training within the last 3 years (desirable, but not essential).

The Hive is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are determined to ensure that no applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race.

Working hours and time requirements

Before camp: A minimum of one day's training, to be confirmed after a job offer is made. Training will likely take place in late-March or early-April 2025 in Southeast London.

Working hours: Our camps run Monday - Friday, from 8am - 6pm (except for Monday, which starts at 7.30am). Your shift will be approximately 8.5 hours and will include a one-hour break.

Camp dates and Locations

As much as possible you will be based at one location in 2025. You will need to be available for all the dates we are running at your preferred location.

Our Camp locations are:

• Eltham College, Blackheath, SE9 4RW
• Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood, HA6 2HT
• Dulwich Prep, Dulwich, SE21 7AB
• New South West London location

Our Camp dates are:

Easter

• Monday 7th - Friday 11th April 2025

Eltham College, Dulwich Prep, Merchant Taylors’ School and new SW London location

• Monday 14th - Friday 17th April 2025

Eltham College and Dulwich Prep

Summer Holidays

• Monday 7th - Friday 11th July 2025

Eltham College

• Monday 14th - Friday 18th July 2025

Eltham College and Dulwich Prep

• Monday 21st - Friday 25th July 2025

Eltham College, Dulwich Prep and Merchant Taylors’ School

• Monday 28th July - Friday 1st August 2025

Eltham College, Dulwich Prep, Merchant Taylors’ School and new SW London location

• Monday 4th - Friday 8th August 2025

Eltham College, Dulwich Prep, Merchant Taylors’ School and new SW London location

• Monday 11th - Friday 15th August 2025

Eltham College, Dulwich Prep, Merchant Taylors’ School and new SW London location

• Monday 18th - Friday 22nd August 2025

Eltham College, Dulwich Prep, Merchant Taylors’ School and new SW London location

October Half Term

• Monday 20th - Friday 24th October 2025

Eltham College and Dulwich Prep

• Monday 27th - Friday 31st October 2025

Eltham College and Dulwich Prep

There may also be term-time school workshops available on an ad-hoc basis for successful candidates.

Job Type: Freelance

Pay: £610.00-£760.00 per week

Schedule:

• Day shift

Application question(s):

• Our workshops, holiday camps and training take place in Eltham (SE9), Northwood (HA6), Dulwich (SE22) and a new location in SW London. Please confirm which locations you would be willing to travel to and are available for (referring to the dates in the job description.)

Experience:

• Teaching: 1 year (preferred)

Licence/Certification:

• enhanced DBS check (preferred)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 15/01/2025