Teacher Naturalist Intern

Location: Townsend

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS INSTITUTE AT TREMONT

POSITION DESCRIPTION

POSITION TITLE:

Teacher Naturalist Intern

Reports to:

Youth Programs Director

Job Status:
Paid Internship

Compensation and Benefits:
Starting salary $350/week + meals and lodging. On-site

housing provided with monthly utilities paid by the Institute.

Duration of Employment:
May 26, 2026 - July 17, 2026; opportunity for additional paid week.

Paid professional development including First Aid/CPR, Red Cross Lifeguard Certification

Our Values and Culture

We create experiential education programs focused on the natural world, knowing such learning and research opportunities are uniquely suited to bring about life changing outcomes in individual passion for learning, sense of worth, and behavior.

We believe a lost connection with the natural world can be repaired beginning with experiences that take place in the original classroom-the outdoors. We believe such experiences produce cascading results that enrich individual lives, strengthen communities, and empower citizens.

We celebrate the distinctive setting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) provides as a living laboratory to explore the biodiversity that forms the building blocks of healthy ecosystems, examine past and present human impacts on the land, and navigate questions about how to best support the land that supports us.

We carry out our mission with both urgency and joy, recognizing that the work of connecting people and nature could not be timelier.

Our Ideal Applicant

We are seeking passionate people who want to learn how to use nature to make a difference in children's lives. People who thrive in this role have experienced awe and wonder through time outside in nature, and want to facilitate these experiences for others. Teacher Naturalist Interns will gain skills for creating positive and healthy relationships with youth campers, and they see value inherent in every young person.

They have a heartfelt desire to take care of children, knowing that time outdoors does just that.

Teacher Naturalist Interns help create atmospheres of welcome, warmth, and belonging. They seek to understand that one's prior connections to the natural world are dependent on aspects of identity and demographics; some communities and backgrounds are excluded or disenfranchised from connections with nature. They work to welcome youth into exploration of nature by creating accessible experiences outside that affirm the inner nature-love of all our campers.

Teacher Naturalist Interns work effectively with varied audiences. Throughout the summer, the Teacher Naturalist Intern will meet and work with a wide variety of program participants. They will facilitate experiences for young children, school-aged campers, and adults. They will seek to connect to participants from many different backgrounds and life histories, working in a way that allows each individual to make their own connections to self, others, and the natural world.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

The following duties are normal for this position and are noted in priority order. The omission of specific statements of the duties does not exclude them if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this position.

Summer Camp Programs

Work in all aspects of implementing summer residential camp programs for youth including developing and facilitating daily outdoor experiences; conducting evening programs like campfires or skit nights; supervising campers in the lodge; possibility of co-leading a backpacking trip; and other summer camp related activities.

Take a keen interest in the social and emotional development of young people, and work to facilitate social and emotional learning in campers through direct experience and reflection.

Make good decisions regarding personal and participant safety, anticipate problems, and act within scope of first aid training.

Tremont Community

Strive to maintain an atmosphere of inclusion, value diversity, and actively promote equity.

Contribute to our caring community by taking care to set-up, clean, and maintain program spaces as needed for programs.

Communicate needs and concerns openly and clearly.

Maintain a positive attitude and energy to accomplish individual and collaborative projects.

Leadership and Growth

Prioritizes personal and professional growth throughout the summer season.

Incorporates feedback from mentors and year-round staff to further their skills as outdoor educators.

Collaborate with the cohort of interns on group projects and work on individual professional development assignments.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Provides assistance to other employees or departments as needed.

Assists with facility setup, cleanup and maintenance (buildings/equipment/other manual tasks as assigned).

Assists with manual labor projects including maintaining campus trails, with use of equipment as needed (shovels, pulaskis, loppers, and hand saws).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Experience and

Education:

One year or more of college or commensurate…