Job Description

About British Exploring Society

British Exploring Society is a world class youth development charity with a unique heritage, founded on the belief that challenging experiences can transform lives, empowering and equipping young people with the courage, skills, resilience and determination to make the most of their future.

We prepare and take young people on expeditions to remote locations where they face challenges, gain skills and learn about themselves - as well as acquiring knowledge relevant to their lives and to the fragile environments that they explore.

What is a Knowledge Leader?

The role of a Knowledge Leader is to inspire the curiosity of young peopl in science, media and the environment throughout the expeditition. Our leaders give young people the tools to explore their curiosity through the development of skills and practical techniques. To achieve this, it is the responsibility of the Senior Knowledge Leader, Knowledge Leaders and the collaboration of all leaders to design and deliver a programme of inspirational, educational projects.  

We are looking for applicants who are:

• Able and passionate about leading, inspiring, and facilitating sessions with young people.
• Comfortable spending extended periods in remote and sometimes harsh environments.
• Able to commit to all pre-expedition training events. 
• Available for expeditions for 2 to 6 weeks from mid July.

As a charity, all Leader positions are undertaken on a voluntary basis and Leaders join for the intrinsic value of adventure, education, and personal development of young people. You do not have to fundraise to lead on our expeditions.

Benefits of being a volunteer Leader with us:

Prior to expedition all volunteer Leaders will receive training and support. We ask that first time Leaders cover the cost of their flights as part of the group booking booked by British Exploring Society, who will then reclaim the cost from Leaders. Flight costs will be covered for all returning Leaders. Leaders will need to provide their own personal kit as well as vaccinations and visas (if applicable). Leaders may claim expenses for UK training events. All other expedition costs are covered, including insurance, specialist equipment, expedition food and accommodation.

Community - Our Volunteer Leader community come from a variety of backgrounds, ages and professions bring a diverse range of skills and experiences. Not only will you become a Member of British Exploring Society after leading with us but will leave with strong bonds and shared memories.

Courage - Set in wild, remote and sometimes harsh environments that young people aren’t used to. Working in this environment and supporting young people requires Leaders to show courage and be adaptable and dynamic, allowing for a unique and new experience - 100% of Leaders said they had acquired new skills.

Challenge – Our expeditions can be challenging. To prepare Leaders we provide high quality training and personal development. This offers Leaders the opportunity to develop & stretch their skills, such as youth work, technical, leadership and facilitation - 74% of Leaders said that volunteering with us had furthered their career.

Self-belief - From beginning to the end, you will be supported whilst developing their confidence. - 90% of our Leaders said they were more confident after expedition.

Upcoming opportunities for Knowledge Leaders in 2024

Science and media play an integral role on our expeditions, as such British Exploring Society recruits passionate, skilled volunteer Knowledge Leaders. These Leaders bring with them experience working with young people in remote settings and can inspire and facilitate the personal development of young people through curiosity in science, media and the environment they are in. You can read the Knowledge Leader role description here.

Working in partnership with other expedition Leaders, they will be responsible for safety, wellbeing and development of 8-12 Young Explorers. They will take lead on designing and delivering activities and projects including the John Muir Conservation Award, scientific fieldwork and creative media activities. Our aim is to recruit multiple Leaders, with expertise across these areas and allow Leaders to play to their strengths and expertise to design and deliver engaging, relevant and meaningful projects for our Explorers. 

Previous projects on expedition have included biodiversity surveying in the Amazon, environmental change in the Himalayas or expedition filmmaking, journaling and painting. Previous Knowledge Leaders have been academics and scientists with fieldwork or expedition experience, educators experienced in delivering environmental education (e.g Forest Schools) or have been creative professionals including filmmakers, animators and journalists. This list is not exhaustive and would strongly encourage applications from other specialities and disciplines.For more information, please see the job description attached.

Expeditions are between 2 and 5 weeks long and take place during academic holiday periods. We are currently recruiting volunteer Leaders for all our expeditions for Summer 2024 and 2025.

Our committment to inclusivity 

We are committed to building an executive and volunteer team that together represent a diverse variety of backgrounds, skills, and perspectives on the world. The more inclusive we are, the better we think we’ll be at delivering our charitable aims.

We are an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate on the grounds of gender identity, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability, or age.

If you are interested in applying and require any accessibility adjustments to the interview process, please do let us know when you apply.

Leader Recruitment Pack

For more information about what volunteering with us looks like, please refer to our Leader Recruitment Pack that can be found on our website.