A brief view of Hemlock Overlook through the year:

In the spring and fall, many 5th and 6th grade classes from public, private and charter schools in Fairfax, Loudon, Fauquier and Prince William counties, the cities of Falls Church, Arlington and Alexandria, the District of Columbia, Prince Georges’s county Maryland, and as far south as Fredericksburg, VA come for one day (4-6 hour) or overnight programs. Many schools come every year, so these kids have heard about us and are ecstatic to finally be here and experience the Zip Wire and Peanut Butter Pit. An ideal facilitator at Hemlock Overlook will enthusiastically facilitate team development throughout the day, keeping kids excited about learning and transferring experiences back to the classroom (even though some kids won't want to “learn” or “think” on a field trip.) This job may challenge your facilitation skills (maintaining risk management and group management while observing processing points and gauging the group’s development,) it may challenge your patience (not all groups will buy into the goals easily,) it may challenge your confidence (not all groups will develop in 1 day,) and it may also make you really happy to be outdoors interacting with different children everyday.

School groups have the option of choosing a 2-hour Environmental Education (EE) topic in conjunction with a four hour TDC program. We love our EE program and hope to develop it in the future; however some facilitators who prefer to focus on EE don’t feel we have enough programs to keep them learning and growing at this time.

In the summer our TDC program is booked primarily by community and private groups such as scouts, church groups, H.S. sports teams, private camps, community centers, and university groups including some of their international and peace keeping programs (usually 3-5 a week.)

As an outdoor center with limited indoor facilities, even northern Virginia gets enough cold and snowy weather to keep clients from booking with us year round. During the winter months the administration works on booking programs for the next year, but all wages staff will have about 3 months to fill with outside employment during our down time (if planning to return in the spring.) This area is very developed, and many staff find interesting retail or restaurant jobs nearby. Some staff work as substitute teachers, ski instructors, administrative assistants or find unique opportunities.

A brief view of a typical day at Hemlock Overlook:

Programs may start anytime between 7am and 11am, but most start between 9am and 10:30am. Facilitators should be available from approximately 9-5 on days they are available to be scheduled. Most days are 6-hour courses, plus a paid ½ hour both before and after the course for facilitator briefing and debriefing. A ½ hour unpaid lunch is spent in a separate staff eating area while the group’s own chaperone oversees the participants. So the typical day here is 7 ½ hours long, with 7 hours on the clock. Some days may be shorter or longer. A full time facilitator will facilitate about 35 hours a week, with occasional opportunities for more hours.

Each facilitator will take a small group of approximately 10-15 clients for the day. We rarely have the same group for more than a day, so each day will be a blank slate and 12 new names to learn. (Some days you will be sad to see your group leave, and others, well…maybe not so sad.) You will take your group through low challenge course elements in a progressive order while processing experiences throughout the day with them and trying to transfer concepts back to school. The ultimate goal each day is to improve the teaching environment back in the classroom. We are outside all day in any weather, which can be challenging as the facilitator, and for the participants. Most groups experience our Zip-Line/High Ropes complex, which you will be trained on.

Our Total Team Challenge™ (TTC) series is an all day program for high school and adult groups that staff may be trained on depending on experience.

Other Information and Things to Consider:

The broad area around Hemlock Overlook is well developed, but there are not any restaurants or stores close enough to visit during your ½ hour lunch break. We do have a fridge and microwave available for staff use; you should plan on packing a lunch every day. The kitchen in the dining lodge is primarily for on-site staff use and caterers serving our clients. Facilitators may also use the kitchen, but are responsible for cleaning up after themselves during lunch (not after the course.)

Limited on-site housing is available for out-of-state facilitators, and includes specific duties and responsibilities. A central bath house and the dining lodge are shared by all on-site staff and overnight groups.

Our main training is held before the spring season in March. Rolling trainings are held throughout the year as needed. All training includes observing a veteran facilitator for 2 days, and being observed as a facilitator for 2 days, as well as various other requirements including a day at the Zip Wire and passing quizzes including the Hard and Fast safety rules.

If you are interested in developing a career in the experiential education field, then Hemlock Overlook is an excellent place to gain a lot of experience facilitating…rather quickly. Working full-time for one season, you will facilitate approximately 80 courses with 960 participants. During a year, you will facilitate approximately 175 courses with 2100 participants! Imagine working with us for 4 years. There is a lot of learning happening here, both for you and the participants.