The Outdoor School

Teaching amongst the trees
Archery instruction
Our view of Lake LBJ
Outdoor Education in progress!
Pirate ship ropes course
Searching for macroinvertebrates
Staff having fun
Students building a fire
Shooting for a bullseye
Reptiles class!
The spin cycle, our own lazy river!
Staff having fun on a trip to Enchanted Rock
20th Reunion

Teach them to love the outdoors! Fall and Spring Sessions

The Outdoor School is just what the name implies - a school in and about the great outdoors. Our mission is simple. We strive to use the outdoors to awaken others to the potential within and around them.

The Outdoor School is situated in the stunning Texas Hill Country. Small shops, grocery stores, local restaurants and attractions are just 8 miles away in the city of Marble Falls. For unbeatable food, music, art, people, and events Austin is the place to go, about 60 miles away from camp. We are in a sweet spot with access to beautiful natural attractions, city life, and everything in between.

Jobs in the Spotlight

About The Outdoor School

***We are currently interviewing for Spring 2024 Instructors - the season will run from February 5th through May 19th***

The Outdoor School is a place where kids can see, hear, touch, smell, even taste nature. Students can learn about themselves, their natural environment and their peers while participating in fun and educational outdoor activities. There’s something for every age that will help students grow by facing challenges, overcoming their fears and spark new ways to see the world.  We are located on beautiful Lake LBJ, about 60 miles from Austin, Texas, offering an excellent setting for a range of educational adventures.  

Here's what Last Year's staff said was the best part of working at The Outdoor School:

  • "I loved that I got paid to look at stars and sing camp songs. It was so fun to watch kids make friends and I loved living in such a beautiful place. I loved it when I worked belaying or campfire with friends. I also really appreciate that I was able to learn so many new things and get out of my comfort zone."

  • "I met amazing people and grew so much as a person. I felt extremely safe here mentally and emotionally. I knew no matter what I had to say, it’d be heard. I felt extremely connected to the environment and wanted, seen, and appreciated. I loved the lake, the access to use everything in free time and being able to hang with all the animals!"

  • "The community we built, the relationships we created with the students, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone."

  • "Getting to grow closer with the people around me, getting to learn about them, make memories with them and getting to share parts of myself with them and make what I consider to be true friends. I very much enjoyed it. Oh also being outside and experiencing nature, it’s been lovely. "

  • "COMMUNITY. EXPERIENCE. GROWTH. LEARNING. DEVELOPMENT."

  • "People I’ve met and the opportunity to gain new skills. I never would have been able to be ropes trained and become a lifeguard anywhere else because people believed in me and gave me the chance and time to learn."

  • "The people, the support, the positivity! I always felt supported and nurtured while I was here :) I couldn’t ask for a better work community!"

  • "The classes and the care taken in the lesson plans are really cool and well done. They really help prepare us to teach the class and understand it ourselves as well"

  • "The diversity of students and staff!"

  • "Telescopes, fishing, impacting children, witnessing the sunrise and sunset every day, opportunities for growth, learning new things."

  • "I loved doing ropes. I feel so active and strong. Especially being a pirate ! I also just had so much fun exploring Texas more this season. Going to Dallas, Houston, and a lot more naturey areas !"

  • "Making a lasting difference in people's lives"

  • "I have never worked at a place where there is so much support from coworkers and leadership. It took some getting used to but it is nice to know that if you needed to ask a question or get a class covered there were people willing to help you."

  • "The community, love, and inclusiveness of the camp as a whole and the staff.  "

  • "The people, I've made some life long friends here in a way this placed helped me heal somethings I didn't realize was broken. The campus, this place is beautiful! The sunsets from upper casa porch?! Being able to kayak whenever?! Lastly, being in a place where I'm encouraged to grow in a positive way. Not talked down to but uplifted to discover new part of myself, others and the world around me"

  • "working with kids. the warm weather. the sunsets. the people ive met."

  • "REPTILES! OUTDOOR SKILLS! Kids getting to play outside all day :)"

  • "The community, the opportunities provided through the diverse skill set, the AMAZING time outside, the leadership staff, the customizable approach to your experience here by what classes you teach & what team you’re on"

  • "I love seeing kids learn that they can do hard things and that they are supported. I also love watching them get excited about learning something new."

The Employee Experience

Our staff come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, but share a common mission to educate in the outdoors. Instructors work together and live together, fostering opportunities for rich social and professional relationships that are long lasting. Staff gain new skills, expand their comfort zones, and learn to thrive together throughout three weeks of paid training.

For our team of seasonal Outdoor Educators, no two days are exactly the same! We facilitate activities ranging from classic summer camp style offerings (like archery, kayaking, fishing, and outdoor skills) to adventure activities like (teambuilding, rock climbing, low ropes elements, and high challenge courses) to experiential learning classes that reinforce concepts kids are learning in school with hands on exploratory activities.

Instructors also get the opportunity to work with students and guests from all different backgrounds. Students come from public, charter, and private schools allowing instructors to work with students coming from a wide range of cultural, philosophical, and socio-economic backgrounds. This job is extremely rewarding when you help a student learn to kayak, catch a bug in a jar, or see what the night sky looks like outside of downtown Houston for the very first time.  This job is fulfilling and magical in all aspects of the work you do!  

Ideal Candidate

There is no firm set of requirements to become an outdoor school instructor, folks who thrive here tend to be:

  • FUN-LOVING!
  • Eager to challenge themselves
  • Adventurous
  • Flexible and happy to go with the flow
  • Open to learning new skills and growing as a human
  • Healthy Sense-of-humor with kids and teammates
  • HARDWORKING
  • Receptive to giving and receiving feedback

If some of these descriptors apply to you, get in touch with us!

Room and Board

The Outdoor School provides on-site housing for our team members 24/7 for the duration of the season. There are no overnight student supervision duties required for instructors, no in cabin nights

Our housing varies -  all team members should expect to have at least one roommate.  Each housing unit has a kitchen and living area associated with it.  A few of the rooms we provide are set up in a dormitory style and those people need to walk about 100 yards to get to the team kitchen and lounge.  

We provide MOST meals (board) to our team.  The kitchen team will provide meals to everyone as long as there are guests on property (which is 85% of the time).  Again, all housing units have a full kitchen to work with when there will not be meals provided by the kitchen team.  

Employee Perks

The Outdoor School definitely provides employee perks.  We LOVE our team and want to show it!  

  • Room and most board is provided at no additional cost. Staff live in on-site housing and are offered meals whenever there are guests on site (Generally Monday lunch through Sunday breakfast) 

  • Exclusive industry pro-deals from various outfitters

  • When not in use by guests, our properties amenities and activities are available for staff use including climbing, kayaking, archery, hiking, and our outdoor pool and waterslide.

  • Staff are paid for 3 weeks of training where they learn to teach classes outdoors, facilitate archery, belay on our rock wall and ropes courses, instruct kayaking, build campfires, and more. We also offer American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED training and Lifeguard training (optional).

Throughout the season the Director team enjoys treating the outdoor ed team to small, yummy surprises, periodically.  Every once in awhile you might hear a fun radio call asking to stop by the office during the next break for a treat!

Getting Here and Getting Around

It is possible to work at The Outdoor School without a vehicle handy.  We will pick people up at the airport upon their arrival.  More often than not there will always be people on the team going "here and there" who are more than willing to offer rides.  It has never been a problem for people to work at The Outdoor School without a vehicle.  

For Fun

There is so much you can do while working at The Outdoor School.  First off, we encourage our team members to enjoy the spoils that the property itself provides!  If guests are not currently on property...that is your invite to enjoy the property and have some fun!  

The Outdoor School is about 60 miles away from Austin, Texas.  Austin is an extremely outdoorsy city with a lot of hiking trails, rock climbing, swimming, cycling and so much more! About 8 hours west of Austin is Big Bend National Park.  We have had many groups of instructors use long weekends to explore this spectacular National Park in Texas!    

How to Apply

To apply, you can click APPLY HERE or The Outdoor School Instructor Application
Or visit our website at www.outdoorschool.com
Feel free to connect with Personnel Director Amy Koch at amy@outdoorschool.com

Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for fun videos and photos too!

Apply Now

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