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Outdoor pursuits manager: Typical employers/vacancy sources

Typical employers

Outdoor pursuits centres who offer specific hazardous sports to under 18s (such as climbing, caving, trekking and water sports) need to hold a licence issued by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA)  . There are currently nearly 1,200 licensed providers. Local authorities are still the biggest employer of outdoor pursuits managers, although much provision has been hit by cutbacks in recent years.

The private sector, which is growing all the time, includes small, independent centres and large organisations, which may run expeditions and outdoor activities abroad as well as in the UK. The market for courses includes:

• corporate clients who may use outdoor activities to develop leadership and teamwork skills in their staff;
• social and probation services who may want to provide positive, character-building experiences for disadvantaged and disaffected young people;
• groups of friends or work colleagues who use the activities mainly for fun, perhaps for stag or hen parties;
• schools in areas where there is no local authority provision of outdoor education.

National sports centres, national governing bodies and some charitable organisations, such as the Youth Hostel Association (England & Wales)  and the Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA)   offer management opportunities in outdoor pursuits.

Sources of vacancies

Search graduate jobs on this site.

• Leisure Opportunities
• Leisurejobs
• The Times Educational Supplement (TES)
• Guardian Jobs (http://jobs.guardian.co.uk)  
• Local Government Jobs
• Outdoor Staff  
• local authority websites, which can be accessed via Directgov
• local newspapers
• journals relevant to your sport (these are often available at high street newsagents, or you may need to join the relevant national organisations to subscribe to members' journals)
• national governing body for your sport.

Job titles may vary; warden, course director, chief instructor, head of centre, and operations manager can all be used to describe this type of work.

See also job hunting tips and applications, CVs and interviews.

AGCAS

Written by Annette Millar, University of Plymouth

Last updated:

June 2009

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