Job Description
Can you build trust with hard-to-reach young people and use practical, outdoor activities to deliver "sneaky teaching"?
We are recruiting a resilient, practical, and highly empathetic Instructor / Unqualified Teacher for an innovative, nature-focused Alternative Provision (AP) in Barnoldswick.
No QTS is required for this role. We are actively seeking professionals with real-world experience working around complex SEMH, substance/drug misuse, domestic trauma, neglect, or youth justice. If you have a background in youth work, residential care, outdoor education, or specialist PRU settings, this setting values your presence, life experience, and ability to de-escalate crisis above formal teaching qualifications.
This is a true 50/50 balance between practical outdoor engagement and classroom-based projects. You won't be lecturing from a whiteboard; you will deliver functional literacy, numeracy, and life skills through "sneaky teaching"-weaving core learning into outdoor bushcraft, woodwork, horticulture, animal care, sports, and project-based hands-on challenges.
The Role & Responsibilities
Engage vulnerable pupils (Key Stages 2 to 4) who have experienced trauma, school exclusion, or significant disruption at home.
Deliver engaging, disguised learning ("sneaky teaching")-embedding maths, English, science, and life skills into practical outdoor tasks and workshop projects.
Split your timetable between outdoor woodland/farm-style spaces and high-ratio nurture classrooms.
Work in small, high-support bubbles (typically 3 to 6 learners) with dedicated support staff.
Act as an on-the-ground pastoral mentor, recognizing crisis signs, handling dysregulation, and setting firm, therapeutic boundaries without confrontation.
Support pupils through a trauma-informed lens, understanding the real-life impacts of drug/alcohol misuse, emotional trauma, and neglect on behaviour.
Seamlessly transition from a weekly PAYE contract into a permanent staff post paying up to £33,000.
Candidate Profile & Experience
Background: Proven experience working with vulnerable adolescents facing complex Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, trauma backgrounds, family breakdown, or substance misuse.
Qualifications: No QTS needed. Relevant backgrounds include Youth Outreach, Residential Support (Children's Homes), Outdoor Activity Instructors, Specialist HLTAs, Ex-Forces, or PRU Cover Supervisors.
Outdoor Mindset: Enthusiastic about being outside in all Lancashire seasons-practical skills in bushcraft, gardening, mechanics, DIY, or sports are highly valued.
De-escalation Skills: Calm, unflappable, and skilled in restorative conversations and non-violent crisis intervention (Team Teach, MAPA, or equivalent is an advantage).
Safeguarding & Compliance: Must hold or be willing to undergo an immediate Enhanced Child Workforce DBS on the Update Service, backed by verifiable employment references.
Transport: Reliable personal transport is strongly recommended due to the semi-rural Barnoldswick location.
What We Offer
Competitive Earnings: Day rates equivalent to up to £33,000 per annum with a direct route to a permanent school contract.
Term-Time Routine: Consistent Monday to Friday schedule (8:30 am - 4:30 pm)-no night shifts, sleep-ins, or weekend rotas.
Autonomy in the Curriculum: Freedom to take learning outside and design creative, practical projects tailored to what makes each learner tick.
Fast-Track Start: Walk straight into the role as soon as your DBS and vetting checks are completed.
How to Apply
If you have the life experience, empathy, and outdoor mindset to reach pupils who have slipped through the mainstream cracks, apply today.
Click 'Apply Now' with an up-to-date CV, and our team will get in touch immediately to discuss compliance checks and fast-track your trial visit.
Alternative Provision, AP, PRU, SEMH, Unqualified Teacher, Instructor, No QTS, Outdoor Education, Bushcraft, Substance Misuse, Trauma-Informed, Barnoldswick, Pendle, Colne, BB18, East Lancashire, Temp to Perm, £33k, PAYE.
