NOLS Field Instructor Courses

The first step of applying involves submitting an application for the specific Instructor Course you're interested in. The applications for spring ICs will open in late summer.

The application is made up of the following sections:

• Resume
• Trip Log
• References 
• Questionnaire 
• CPR/Med Cert upload
• Applicant Information
• Scholarship Form 

The questionnaire is the most weighted part of the application, so please take your time answering these questions. If you wish to apply please fill out the entire application and submit it on our website.

We will open the application process in late boreal summer, and the application will be open for 2-3 months.

Note that, at a minimum, you'll need to have at least two references who've completed their Letter of Recommendation by the deadline. Any Letters of Recommendation we receive after the deadline will not be considered. It is your responsibility to make sure your references have sufficient time to complete their end of the process prior to the materials deadline.

The Instructor Course application is available online. Please use the current online application. Do not mail or fax us any paper material!

Yes! Please fill out the scholarship application within the online IC application. The vast majority of applicants apply for some assistance with tuition. We do our best to use our scholarship money to make the IC accessible. The majority of students who ask for financial assistance receive funds toward their tuition.

We do not look at scholarship applications when selecting applicants for an Instructor Course. Selection onto the IC is a need blind process.

You can also use 529 Education plans and/or AmeriCorps awards to pay for your Instructor Course. Currently one Instructor Courses (Rocky Mountain Hiking Instructor Course) is approved for VA benefits use.

No. The selection process and admission to any Instructor Course do not include access to financial information. This means we do not consider scholarship applications until after we select candidates. Our advice is to ask for the amount of scholarship money you need in order to make the Instructor Course possible for you (see above for scholarship information).

You can expect to hear back from the IC selection committee within 2 months after the application closes.

Yes. Most years we receive over 200 applications, and most years over half will not be enrolled in an Instructor Course in the first round.

The IC selection committee is looking for well-rounded individuals who are excited to teach and mentor students to facilitate exceptional educational experiences.

When selecting candidates, we look for the following:

• Experience working in outdoor experiential education
• Backcountry or outdoor skills from personal trips
• Experience teaching in traditional or nontraditional settings
• Leadership experience—volunteer service, community engagement, military service, or leadership training
• Strong recommendations based on your leadership, communication, teaching, and mentorship from colleagues or supervisors
• A willingness to receive feedback and build awareness surrounding diversity, inclusion, and equity best practices
• Investment in the student experience

The IC is primarily a field-based course, with a three-day in-town classroom based leadership and education component. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to receive instruction, coaching, and feedback from senior NOLS instructors and peers. You will receive both informal, and verbal feedback during the course as well as a written evaluation at the end of the course.

The goal of these evaluations is for us and you to get a sense of your strengths and areas for growth. If you are selected to participate in an IC, we want you to be an instructor and work with students in the field. The IC is meant as training and not a “job interview.” Some people can feel stress or anxiety in an evaluative environment. We hope the IC is a rich educational experience to welcome new instructors into the NOLS community.

On the first read of all of the Instructor Course applications, we remove protected class statements related to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, genetic information, disability unrelated to admission requirements, or veteran status. This is a step that helps balance the potential subjective biases of the NOLS application readers. Names and contact information are reintroduced to the selection committee once applicants have made it past the first qualifying round for the purpose of scheduling phone interviews.

If you have any questions about this, please contact us at [email protected]

We require a minimum of a 70-hour Wilderness First Responder (WFR). A current Wilderness EMT (WEMT) is more than adequate; a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) certification is not adequate.

We also require a current adult CPR certification to apply for an Instructor Course. The training must include a hands-on component.

Your medical certification (WFR or WEMT and CPR) must be current through August 31 following your IC. This means that you will have a current medical cert in order to work for NOLS the boreal summer following your IC, which is a non-negotiable qualification. If you do not have a WFR/CPR yet, or if it expires soon, you can submit proof of registration for a course or recertification course, so long as your certifications would be valid from the start of your IC through August 31.

When applying to an Instructor Course, you should apply to the course(s) for which you are most qualified. If you have gone sea kayaking for one day in Prince Williams Sound, Alaska and totally love it—you probably are not qualified for the Sea Kayaking Instructor Course. However, if you have spent three seasons as a sea kayak guide, then you are probably qualified to apply for the Sea Kayaking Instructor Course!

The majority of our applicants are most qualified to apply for a hiking IC. That’s great because we run a lot of backpacking courses, and need instructors to work those courses!

We encourage applicants to request recommendations from a professional and/or relevant source. This could be a supervisor, professor, co-worker, etc.

Fully complete applications are moved in our database from the "assembling materials" holding space (ICAP) to the "pending review" holding space (ICRV). If your application has been moved from ICAP to ICRV, you will no longer be able to see it/access it. This is not a cause for concern, it simply means your application has been moved along to the next step.

If you want to edit something before the deadline but can no longer see your application, please email [email protected]