Vacancies

Bushcraft Lead

There is a particular kind of confidence that grows in a young person once they have lit their own fire, or built a shelter with their own hands. At Huckleberries, we see it happen again and again, and we are looking for someone who can help even more children and young people discover it. 

Huckleberries is a nature-based mental health and education in Elstead, Surrey. We support children and young people with their emotional wellbeing, and provide alternative, nature-based education to those struggling to thrive in mainstream school. Everything we do is rooted in the belief that every young person deserves a place to be me. 

Nature connection sits at the heart of our work, and bushcraft offers our community a direct, embodied way to build confidence, resilience, and a lasting relationship with the natural world. Through our Go Wild Programme, we are expanding these opportunities so that more children and families can learn, explore, and thrive outdoors, and we now need a Bushcraft Lead to help us do it. 

About the role 

This is a new and varied role at the heart of our Go Wild Programme. You will bring strong, lived bushcraft skills into the daily life of Huckleberries, working directly with children and young people, and helping the wider team feel more confident bringing nature-based, hands-on bushcraft learning into their own practice. 

You will: 

• Support our Friday Nurture Farm sessions, working alongside the Learning Guide to provide tailored, nature-based learning support to children with emotional wellbeing needs 
• Lead our established Wild About Huckleberries after school club (ages five to eleven), giving it continuity, energy, and your own bushcraft expertise 
• Set up and run a brand new Go Wild Teen Bushcraft after school club, offering young people aged approximately 11 to 16 a chance to build real, hard-earned outdoor skills 
• Establish a six-week programme of parent and child Go Wild Bushcraft Saturday courses, running three times a year 
• Share your skills and enthusiasm with colleagues, helping to embed a genuine understanding of bushcraft into Huckleberries’ culture 

This is a unique opportunity for someone with a real depth of bushcraft skill to shape a growing programme from the ground up, helping children and young people feel, quite literally, at one with nature. 

What we are looking for 

• Strong, demonstrable bushcraft skills and passion, gained through experience, training, or lived practice: fire lighting, shelter building, tool use, tracking, foraging, wild cooking, off-grid living, and strong knot and cordage skills 
• Genuine enthusiasm and proven experience teaching bushcraft skills to children and young people aged approximately 8 to 16 
• A deep respect and joy of working with young people, with a relational, non-behaviourist approach 
• An understanding of trauma-informed approaches and a holistic view of child development 
• A passion for nature-based, self-directed, outdoor learning and environmental stewardship 
• Experience of safeguarding and child protection for young people 
• Confidence leading sessions independently outdoors, in all weather, and a good level of fitness and mobility 
• Strong organisational and communication skills, and a curious, collaborative approach to shaping a new programme 

A recognised bushcraft, forest school, or outdoor education qualification is desirable, as is experience mentoring others or delivering income-generating programmes, though we place equal value on proven, lived experience. 

The details 

Huckleberries is committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. An enhanced DBS check will be required. 

How to apply 

Please see the full Job Description.

In line with safer recruitment guidance, applications are via Application Form only. Please return completed application forms to info@huckleberries.org.uk by the closing date

Closing date for applications: Monday 24th August 2026

Start date:  mid-late September 2026

We will contact applicants after the closing date.  

We particularly welcome applications from those with a neuro-affirming approach to life, and from anyone who shares our belief that children and young people deserve a place to be me.