Outdoor Instructor Development Role
Location: Swanage, Dorset
Salary: £26,000 per year
Contract: Full-time, fixed-term for 2 years (1-year contract also available with a £1K training budget)
Training Budget: £2,000
Start Date: Between November 2025 – March 2026
Closing Date: 16 August 2025
Looking to progress your outdoor career?
If you’re an experienced instructor who wants to develop your qualifications, improve your leadership skills, and gain a deeper understanding of how an outdoor business runs — this is an excellent next step.
We’re offering a two-year full-time contract with a £2,000 training budget, a proper salary, and opportunities to take on meaningful responsibility across different parts of Land & Wave.
You’ll spend time instructing in stunning locations around Dorset, and you’ll also help deliver our highly regarded Outdoor Instructor Training course, learning how to coach adults and future instructors.
It’s a great opportunity to gain qualifications, build your coaching experience, and set yourself up for a long-term career in the outdoors.
We’re really proud of this contract, and we’ve seen some incredible outdoor instructors develop their skills and qualifications over a 24-month period. Some of our best full-time managers started their careers through this Outdoor Instructor Development Role. It really suits a driven individual with a clear plan of how they want to progress.
What the job involves
We run a huge variety of adventure work throughout the year – school residentials, stag and hen weekends, DofE expeditions and instructor training. One week you could be coasteering with 14-year-olds, the next running a kayak tour for a group of adults or helping a trainee instructor prepare for their assessment.
You’ll also take on a specific area of responsibility within the company – this could be logistics, kit management, staff mentoring, or assisting with course delivery. You’ll be given the time and support to take ownership of your area and grow your leadership skills.
Typical activities include:
- Sea kayaking & paddleboarding (coastal, rivers, lakes)
- Rock climbing & abseiling on limestone sea cliffs
- Coasteering along the Jurassic Coast
- Bushcraft, fire lighting & deer butchery
- DofE expedition work
- Delivering parts of our Outdoor Instructor Training course
What we offer
- £26,000 salary (full-time, year-round)
- £2,000 training budget – use it how you see fit
- Access to company kit (paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, etc.) in your own time
- Supportive team and a strong training culture
- A role that’s designed to help you grow – not just keep you busy
What we’re looking for
We’re after a motivated, friendly person who works well in a team and can lead a group with confidence. You should have some solid experience in outdoor instruction and be ready to push your skills further, both on session and off.
You’ll need some (but not all) of the following:
- RCI Assessment and/or Paddlesport Leader and/or D1 + CPC
- Lowland Leader Award (or equivalent)
- NWSMP Inland & Coastal / NVBLQ / RLSS SLS Lifeguard
- Coasteering experience
- PSRT (Paddle Sport Rescue Training)
- Personal Performance Awards (SUP / Kayak / Canoe)
- Bushcraft Instructor
- DofE Supervisor
Nice to have:
- SUP Coastal Leader or Coach
- DofE Assessor
- Sea Kayak or Canoe Leader Training
How to apply
Please send your CV and a short covering letter to [email protected]
Use the subject line: ‘Instructor Development Job’
Deadline: Friday 16 August 2025
Start date: Between November 2025 and March 2026
This is a great opportunity to stay in the industry, take on more responsibility, and build a career you’re proud of. We’d love to hear from you.
We highly recommend you research Land & Wave before applying. Check out our facebook and instagram pages for a fantastic overview of the business and what we get up to. We have over 960 fantastic TripAdvisor reviews and pride ourselves on our fantastic customer service.
