Outdoor Activity Instructor Apprentice
LONGTOWN OUTDOOR LEARNING TRUST
HEREFORD (HR2 0LD)
Closes in 30 days (Friday 3 July 2026)
Posted on 3 June 2026
Contents
Summary
Longtown Outdoor Learning Trust is looking for committed and enthusiastic individuals to join our team of outdoor professionals, delivering high quality outdoor learning experiences to children and young people.
- Wage
-
£16,640 to £26,436.80, depending on your age
National Minimum Wage
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
£8.00 an hour / £16,640 annual salary (40 hours a week over 5 days)
- Training course
- Outdoor activity instructor (level 3)
- Hours
-
40 hours per week over 5 days. Regular evening, and some weekend working.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
1 year
- Positions available
-
2
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Example qualifications include:
- Paddle Sport Instructor Award.
- Climbing Wall Instructor Training.
- Hill and Moorland Leader Training.
- Caving Leader Training.
- Archery Leader.
- Outdoor First Aid.
- In-house assessment: Zip Wire, Sky Trek, Low Ropes Course, Orienteering and more.
The main responsibility of an Outdoor Activity Instructor (Apprentice) is to run safe and enjoyable activity sessions.
Prepare for the session: Gather information about the participants and resources for the activity.
Deliver the session: Brief participants, maintain safety, provide on-going instruction and encouragement.
Meet session outcome: Support participants to achieve set outcomes (such as new skills / knowledge, personal or team challenge).
Close the session: Hand-over participants, return resources and equipment, log any issues.
Additional duties and tasks include:
- Helping to maintain activity equipment.
- Assisting the team with daily cleaning, tidying and catering tasks.
- Maintaining a high standard of health and safety.
- Attending staff planning meetings.
- Seeking out additional learning opportunities to diversify their experience.
- Completing portfolio tasks to a high standard.
- Acting as a role model for children and young people.
Undertake any other duties as may be reasonably requested by the management team to ensure the ongoing operational success of the centre and the delivery of excellent customer experiences.
Desirable Skills Required:
Personal proficiency in a range of outdoor activities.
Experience of working with children and young people.
Essential Skills Required:
Experience of a range of different outdoor activities and a desire to develop your personal skills.
An interest in instructing and coaching children and young people.
Where you'll work
THE COURT HOUSE
LONGTOWN
HEREFORD
HR2 0LD
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
CHANNEL TRAINING LIMITED
Training course
Outdoor activity instructor (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Find information on: the activity type and timings; outcome requirements; participant age; medical information; equipment and resourcing allocation; venue; weather conditions.
- Prepare sessions to achieve the required outcomesg. enjoyment, thrill seeking, personal or team challenges, acquisition of new knowledge or skills.
- Select methods to meet all participant needs g. visual impairment, mental and physical ability.
- Select methods to respond to potential changes in the environmentg. wind increasing in a sailing session or rain making conditions slippery underfoot.
- Collect appropriate equipment and resources.
- Ensure the venue is set-up and ready to be used.
- Maintain self and group safety when delivering the session.
- Deliver an effective session briefing with clear instruction and following organisational procedures.
- Perform a competent demonstration of the skills required for the activity or subject at the appropriate level for the session.
- Provide on-going instruction to encourage learning and progression.
- Follow organisational operating procedures to adapt to changes in the environment. E.g. thunderstorm, a wind shift to offshore in a surfing session.
- Select and implement organisational procedures to deal with routine problems.g. broken equipment.
- Provide basic First Aid to respond to accidents in a safe, prompt and effective manner. e.g. injured participant.
- Initiate organisational procedures to summon support in the case of incidents or accidents.
- Use the organisations set approaches for learning delivery.
- Support individual and group engagement and participation in the session g. energisers, sharing responsibilities, appropriate pace.
- Change the pace of the session to match participants’ speed of learning.
- Identify and support the individual participants’ needs g. give personal attention, active listening, allow additional time, encouragement.
- Apply simple techniques to deal with conflict and challenging behaviour g. redirection, increasing responsibility.
- Use simple review techniques to check the achievement of required outcomes e.g. thumbs up; rounds; memorable moments.
- Signpost participants to progression routes.
- Complete a session within time, including the restoration of the venue, return of equipment and resources and any logging or recording requirements.
- Use participant feedback and own reflection to suggest improvements to sessions.
- Communicate with customers and colleagues in a clear, concise and effective manner.
- Handle information in a way that conforms to policy and protects data.
- Assist with the development and preparation of resources and support colleagues delivering sessions
- Actively encourage whole group participation and promote equality and diversity.
- Undertake activities to further develop knowledge and personal skills.
- Reflect on own performance and make refinements.
Training schedule
We are based in Longtown, Herefordshire, HR2 0LD on the edge of the Black Mountains (Staff accommodation is available, consisting of a shared room with ensuite and a shared kitchen).
More training information
Channel Training Ltd is the Training Provider delivering the Outdoor Activity Instructor Apprenticeship Standard.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 3)
- Maths (grade 3)
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4)
- Maths (grade 4)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
- Physical fitness
About this employer
Our 120-bed residential centre, set in 16 acres of private grounds, is in the beautiful Herefordshire village of Longtown on the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. We work with over 2500 children people every year, providing residential and day courses for schools, youth groups and organisations working with young people with additional needs.
Our offsite activities include gorge walking, canoeing, hill walking, caving, and rock climbing. We also have a wide range of onsite activities including a high ropes course, zipwire, leap of faith, climbing tower, archery range and team challenges.
To find out more about the Longtown Outdoor Learning Trust and about the role, visit our website where you can download our candidate pack including an application form.
https://www.longtownoutdoorlearning.co.uk/work-with-us (opens in new tab)
After this apprenticeship
Successful apprentices can apply for one of our seasonal Activity Instructor roles or work for us as a self-employed Freelance Instructor. We have a culture of continual professional development, encouraging our team to broaden their qualification portfolio whilst developing essential facilitation skills to deliver high quality outdoor learning.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
CHANNEL TRAINING LIMITED
recruitment@longtownoutdoorlearning.co.uk
01873 860 225
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000033908.
Apply now
Closes in 30 days (Friday 3 July 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.