JOB DESCRIPTION

Role:

Freelance Environmental Educator

Reports to:    DSWF Education Manager

Hours:

Flexible as required – ideal availability a minimum of 5 days per month

Pay rate:

£150 per day or £75 per half day (plus travel and subsistence).

Location:

Work will mainly be in the Southeast, London and West Midlands. There may
be some occasional overnight stays.

The Role:

Wildlife education is one of David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s (DSWF) three strategic
pillars. DSWF and its partners fundamentally believe that the long-term solution to
biodiversity loss and species extinction is in the education of future generations to better
understand the issues and in turn advocate for the solutions. The freelance Environmental
Educator (EE) joins a small team that support the Education Manager in the delivery of
wildlife education. The DSWF education strategy is based on four main principles:

1.  We will use the best evidence currently available on how children and young people

learn to provide them with the tools needed to enhance their confidence,
knowledge, verbal communication, and leadership skills.

2.  The programme will help children and young people understand the lived experience
of local communities that co-exist with endangered animals and share their habitats.

3.  Effective collaboration with DSWF funded conservation projects and other selected
partners will be at the heart of the development of new education products and
services. It will also include more opportunities for children to problem solve in new
contexts and experience working with real conservation data.

4.  Our offer will use the best of the digital and art assets from DSWF’s considerable

wildlife art experience and reach to engage and inspire young people.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

The main responsibility of the role is to deliver online and face to face talks and longer
workshops to a variety of educational establishments, including schools, clubs and library
groups. DSWF’s range of age-appropriate talks and workshops have been developed by the
Education team over several years and are constantly being refined and updated.

Educational Talks:

Talks are generally 30 mins long, including time for questions, depending on the age group
and the requirement of the person booking the talk. At Reception age, Keys Stage 1 and Key

Stage 2, talks may be in person or online (dependent on availability and cost). They cover
aspects of the primary curriculum, including habitats, food and feeding, predators, aspects
of art and design and engineering design thinking.

Workshops:

These are usually an hour to an hour and a half. They include more hands-on activities that
complement the talks and lead to a deeper understanding of the issues of biodiversity and
conservation. They include activities around clay modelling, line pencil drawing, creating
creatures and problem solving. They are stand alone and can be delivered individually. They
are popular sessions in libraries during the school holidays.

Evaluation and development:

This role will support the Education Manager on the constant evaluation and development
of talks and workshops to achieve the main principles.

Administration:

The booking and allocation of talks will be managed by the Education Manager, who will
require support from the EE to determine availability and agree the final details for each
session. The EE will work with the Education Manager and DSWF administrators to plan the
availability of sufficient resources for each session.
The EE will invoice DSWF monthly for work undertaken and associated expenses.

Other Responsibilities:

•  To always represent DSWF professionally and act as an advocate for DSWF’s work
•  To ensure that all aspects of the DSWF Safeguarding Policy are always followed
•  To stay up to date with DSWF’s mission and conservation work

Person Specification:

•  At least six years' experience in school teaching either in the UK or abroad (primary

preferred)

•  Some experience of curriculum design and development of learning materials for

primary or secondary aged children

•  Personable and flexible in approach with schools, libraries and other informal

settings

•  An interest in wildlife and conservation (training will be given)
•  The ability to teach children from a diverse range of backgrounds and learning

settings is desirable

•  A DBS check will be required (we can apply for this after commencement of the role)

NB - Successful freelance candidates will be expected to supply their own laptop and IT for
use in sessions (DSWF will supply all teaching materials), along with their own public liability
insurance.

How  to  apply:  Please  email  dswf@davidshepherd.org  with  your  CV  and  a  Covering  Letter
(Covering Letter to be no more than one A4 page explaining why you are appropriate for the
role). If you would like to talk to someone about the role, please email Education Manager,
Mark Ellis at mark.ellis@davidshepherd.org