Last night I spoke to a mate who I used to kayak with, he phoned me to see if I fancied a new job as the activity centre he works at is recruiting for the 2011 season.

Has anyone worked at one of these places?

Salary isn’t amazing but depending how much the ‘live-in’ option costs I may be better off than I am now.

Depends on how close you want to get to your leisure time hobby with your job. I would find the joy going out of my outdoor time if it was my job.

was speaking to someone who does this recently and he was telling me that because board is cheap and some meals are included the disposable income is similar to his friends office jobs, he gets to play outside all the time and work with kids; which can be rewarding.

however single days off on odd days can be frustrating but they also get 2 days off next to each other once or twice a month (i can’t recall the intricacies of the shift pattern) which is better.

sandwich – yeah I can see it but (think) I’d prefer that to sitting in this place everyfackingday!

tomthumb – I’m waiting to hear back from them re board. Odd days don’t bother me that much neither.

Waiting for some real horror stories…

It can vary a lot depending on who you are with. Some companies have better reputations than others.

Expect to work more than 37 hours a week but only be paid for 37 at minimum wage. You’ll more than likely be working some evenings as well as only getting one day off per week.

I worked as a sailing instructor for a number of years.

good: seeing people improve and the sense of achievement they get. Seeing kids gain confidence. no rent. no bills. disposeable income comparable to what I have now after bills etc. usually a fun crowd to work with. outdoors all day. never been fitter or healthier.

bad: unlikely to save anything. 50+ hours a week while only getting paid for 37. outdoors all the time (not so good in november) motivating people who don’t want to be there. losing contact with friends who work the 9-5. losing the passion for your sport when it becomes your job. Sharing a room. can be hard to be taken seriously by prosepctive employers when you do decide to go back to ‘normal’ work – “so you bummed about on a beach for a couple of years then” – anyone who’s done this sort of work will tell you it’s anything but bumming around!

Pay wise, if you can get into an outdoor centre run by a local authority, the pay can be quite good as you’re banded as a youth worker or similar, so end up on a reasonable wage (my GF works at a LA centre and gets about £20k pro rata)

I’d do it – you meet some good people and do a worthwhile job.

Hope that helps,

J

Hi Jim

Some good stuff there thanks, where does you GF work?

I’m currently engaged in a project to increase the amount of work I do in the outdoors in order to address some work/life balance and job satisfaction issues.

I now work part-time for my main employer and spend two days a week working for a number of providers of outdoor and environmental education (some voluntarily, some paid). It’s working out OK. I certainly earn less and don’t always find the amount of work I’d like. On the other hand I’m happier and healthier, feel like I’m making a contribution, get more satisfaction from my work, am more productive in the work I do for my main employer and, since me and Mrs Gritty are planning to start a family, hope to be around more for the people that matter most to me. The best of both worlds? Maybe. Nothing’s forever.

See my blog to get a flavour of the stuff I get up to http://www.brightaire.blogspot.com/

A similar way of working might work for you.

she’s at Bewl Water outdoor centre teaching sailing:

http://www.bewlwater.org/

LA outdoor centres may become a thing of the past as LAs, due to cuts, increasingly seek to outsource services rather than provide them directly.

See – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11398678

LA managers I know are being asked to produce plans for 50% and 80% budget cuts in response to October’s spending review.

I hope that by maintaining contacts in private, local authority and charity sectors I can be responsive and keep doing the sort of work I enjoy (and get paid for it as far as possible).

I did it for a good few years in different roles. Its fun when you’re young but its not something i’d want to do long term.

LA outdoor centres may become a thing of the past as LAs, due to cuts, increasingly seek to outsource services rather than provide them directly.

I love this governments deckchair shuffling. Anything that’s run by evil greedy external contracts is being brought in-house to be done cheaper. Anything that’s run by inefficient work-shy council employees is being outsourced to get the efficiencies of the market. Argh!

It’s a confusing time in this kind of industry!

FWIW, I do freelance work in this area. The pay for working days isn’t that bad £90/day to £150/day depending on the employer. The biggest downside is finding enough work. I’m not working today, for example, and that’s not by choice.

The more experience, qualifications, and contacts you have, the easier it gets, though.

In my experience LA outdoor centres provide the most professional services one is ever likely to encounter. People guided by a sincere sense of mission, enthusiastic about their work and often with inspiring stories of their own. Excellent and effective models for the, often challenging, youngsters they work with and, hence, great value for money.

In a climate of increasing youth unemployment, it seems to me, that these are exactly the sort of services that LAs should keep hold of.

I’ve been working in outdoor activities for over 10 years now. Life living in a centre is good when you’re young, but will do your head in after a while.
I’ve been lucky to get a job in a different corner of the industry, working Mon-Fri 9-5 most of the time. Don’t have to sleep in the centre, chilled colleagues all over 26 and a good life balance.
But I’ll NEVER be rich doing this, got 2 kids and a house to run and it barely pays the bills, but I live near the beach, get kit at trade price and love my life!
Guess I’m in the industry for life now, can’t think of anything else I’d want to do, but it’s not all fun and being cold and wet for little pay can get wearing after a while.
Variety of activities and venues keeps you keen and thinking, being on the same lake/crag/hill/river everyday will make you bored after a while…and you’ll find the idea of doing some of the activities as a hobby hard to bear unless you are very keen!
Give it a go, you might find it’s a career you love.

Application in! Decided I need to do something majorly different, nothing ventured nothing gained and all that!