Program & Job Description: 
Located on Saco Bay on the southern coast of Maine (20 miles south of Portland), FBES provides experiential ecology education for K-8th grade students from schools throughout New England.  Ferry Beach Ecology School (FBES) hires 16 Ecology Educators each term to teach in its various programs which begin each Monday morning and end each Friday afternoon.  FBES educators work primarily with the residential programs (school groups on site for up to a week at a time) but will also spend time delivering day programs (day long field trips for school groups) or outreach (in school programming).  There are two terms each school year-- the fall session (early September through mid-November) and the spring session (mid-March through mid-June).

Ecology Educators develop and lead up to three ecosystem-based lessons a day for groups of 10-12 students.  Lessons focus on the ecology of areas such as the coastal forest, beach, dunes, rocky tide pools, and a salt marsh estuary.  Each educator is also responsible for shared supervision of students between and after lessons plus some general maintenance of the site and program.  All FBES educators are given a week of training prior to teaching children, which includes covering general knowledge of coastal ecosystems, basic ecology, narrative education and the methodology of teaching children experientially in the out-of-doors.  Although sample lesson plans are provided in the FBES Teaching Guide, staff educators are encouraged to create and develop their own lesson plans and activities within the FBES framework.

Qualifications
1.  Ability to develop good rapport and positive relations with students, teachers and other educators.
2.  Experience in K-8 education and/or environmental education.
3.  BS or BA degree or, in the case of interns, several terms of undergraduate courses and experience.
4.  Ability to work long hours outdoors (often physically strenuous) managing groups of children.
5.  Positive attitude, love of nature, hard working, sense of humor and a willingness to learn.

Compensation
College graduates receive a starting salary of $300 per week, post-graduates receive a starting salary of $330 per week, and undergraduate interns start at $250 per week. FBES also partners with EarthCorps as an extern placement site. Each FBES educator is provided with room and board, which includes weekends.  A $30 per week (per term) raise is given to all ecology educators who return to teach for additional terms.

Responsibilities
1.  Plan and teach up to 3 lessons per day to a group of approximately 10-12 students.
2.  Attend and participate in all meals (usually sitting at a student table to share the meal and to engage students).
3.  Help set up the site for the week on Monday and clean-up the site on Friday.
4.  Attend all scheduled meetings, including all Staff Meetings, Teachers Meetings and other meetings called as necessary.
5.  Assist in developing curriculum, skits and program materials for Ferry Beach Ecology School.
6.  Consult with classroom teachers and FBES Directors to make decisions regarding students' conduct.
7.  Perform various duties (3-5 per week) such as breakfast or lunch dishes, dorm clean-up with students,
recreation or dorm supervision, and put-to-bed.
8.  Live on-site in staff housing.