Heritage Crafts Tutor
Please note that we are not recruiting Tutors over the Summer 2022. Please feel free to complete the expression of interest form at the bottom of this page and we will be in touch late Summer/ early Autumn when we will be recruiting Heritage Crafts Tutors again.
The Rewild Project CIC is a not-for-profit environmental education project, dedicated to enacting radical social change by teaching a range of heritage crafts, land-based and self-organisation skills, connecting people with nature and building community.
Our main weekly craft and land sessions are aimed at marginalised and disadvantaged groups here in The Forest of Dean. In addition, we work with schools, run youth projects and also run workshops and training courses which are open to the general public.
Our ultimate goal is to create a sustainable land based eco village community of craftspeople and land workers here in the Forest of Dean, running apprenticeship programmes, providing training & qualifications and building a real, workable local economy. You can read more about us on our website.
What it’s like working for The Rewild Project: We are a dynamic and exciting organisation to work for, operating on socialist principles of self-management and decentralised decision making. This means that every role within our organisation is a management role – you will be trusted to manage your time / diary and schedule to fit the project’s needs – with room to allow it to also adapt to your own lifestyle where possible. Each role is not set in stone – we are offering each job description as a starting point – you will have the power to adapt the exact roles and responsibilities to fit both yourself and the project’s needs.
To achieve this, we are recruiting authentic team members who are comfortable with taking responsibility and having freedom and flexibility within their job role. People who communicate effectively to work efficiently with their team. People who take initiative, and who ask their team for help and support when needed. People who love to build close bonds with their team and want to collaborate rather than compete. People who want to be part of an amazing vision for a better future. We are building our knowledge of authentic communicating through Non-Violent Communication (technique and books by Marshall B. Rosenberg), and base our policies around The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
We are looking for inspiring and passionate craftspeople who are excited about sharing their skills and working with us to build our programmes. We work with self employed crafts people who already run their own business. We also employ crafts people who would like to work for us on a regular basis.
Opportunities
Our focus is helping people to connect with nature through the medium of heritage crafts, such as willow weaving, spinning, leatherwork, woodwork, metalwork, ceramics – emphasis is on experiencing the materials, reaping the therapeutic benefits, and enjoying the process in a low pressure supportive environment.
As part of our ‘craft and land skills for disadvantaged groups’ we have funding to run sessions Tuesdays to Fridays. Sessions run 10am-3pm and we collect people from around the forest in our minibus. The sessions are relaxed with people arriving and leaving throughout the day, there is a strong social atmosphere, and we provide nutritious (local and organic where possible) food for lunch.
From September 2022 we will be running our level 1 & 2 CALS qualification (Craft And Land Skills) to give participants validation and motivation for their hard work.
We aim to involve long term participants by recruiting them as volunteers and ask craftspeople to bear this in mind and find additional tasks to delegate and give responsibility where appropriate.
In the next 1-2 years we will be expanding into larger premises where each craft will have its own studio / workspace and potential to take on apprenticeships and run many more training workshops and productive sessions, so building skills in our community now to be ready for this next step will be essential.
Our Weekly sessions
Our weekly crafts sessions for adults with support needs run at Kensley Sheds:
Tuesdays: ‘Try it out Tuesdays’ a different craft offered each week - semi-flexible approx. 6-week rota: Tanning & Skin work; Leatherwork; Textiles; Ceramics, Metalwork; copper smithing. We are open to adding other crafts and are looking for blacksmiths, weavers, papermakers, bushcraft teachers who fit with our vibe and want to help us achieve our aims.
Wednesdays: Green Woodwork – we are looking for bank staff to teach guest sessions in green woodwork and traditional woodsman skills.
Fridays: Forestry days – bank staff needed to supervise and teach woodland management skills.
Our Public Courses & Services
Evening and Weekend Workshops - We run workshops and courses which are open to the general public from various locations around The Forest of Dean with the aims of:
1. Sharing Crafts and stimulating interest in heritage, keep skills alive.
2. Bring in an income into the project to help us meet our running costs, enabling us to provide the weekly craft sessions for free and further our aims.
3. Showcase our project to many people, building our reputation and network.
Other Programmes: We have a number of teams delivering sessions and developing our CALS qualification in heritage craft skills such as Rekindle Youth (Youth at Risk) & Home Education. We are looking for talented craftspeople to assist in training our youth teams and occasional visits with the young people, offering expertise, experience and guidance, which will, over time stimulate interest in apprenticeships.
Teaching Development Programme - We are dedicated to providing ongoing support to our craftspeople in developing their teaching and mentoring skills and are looking for skilled crafts teachers to take on the role of coordinating this programme.
Job ROle
You will teach your specialised heritage crafts to course participants at sessions, workshops or courses at The Rewild Project. You will be an engaging and inspiring tutor. You will have the option of working at our workshops and courses open to the general public, or our weekday sessions with adults with support needs. There will also be the option to work with young people and families on occasions.
Terms & Conditions
As a self employed crafts person on our books, our Events Coordinator or our Session Coordinator would book courses, workshops or sessions with you in advance. As an employed crafts person, you would be offered a zero hours contract and worked will be booked in the same way as above. Excellent rates of pay and benefits. Pay is determined by the project budget.
Recruitment process for this round:
Closing date for initial expression of interest form via the website (link below): 23rd September 2022.
Initial telephone Interviews: between 19th -30th September 2022.
Closing date for full application pack: 30th September 2022.
Person Specification
Personal Qualities
Self-motivated and inspiring craftsperson.
Ability to share love of your chosen medium in a supportive, interesting, and engaging way.
Organised, reliable, flexible and adaptable.
Open-minded and willing to learn.
Be patient, tolerant, empathetic.
Understand the needs of disadvantaged groups and people with additional needs such as mental health challenges, learning disabilities and autism.
Be aware of health and safety issues.
Be able to work well with a team.
Have good communication skills.
Have a reasonable level of physical fitness.
A personal self-development / Rewilding practice is essential to work within The Rewild Project and S3 model of organisation.
Skills / Experience Essential
Natural teaching / tutoring skills.
Working with people in a nurturing setting.
Understanding of the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of people.
Understanding of learning and teaching styles.
Experience in sharing traditional handicrafts with people.
Skills / Experience Desirable
Engaging people in therapeutic activities, connecting with the natural world around the seasons.
Experience working / engaging with people with Additional Needs.
Experience living or working in cooperative or non-hierarchical settings, alternative settings, using Sociocracy /S3 or consensus decision making.
Interest / experience in alternative education provisions such as Steiner / Montessori / Forest School / Reggio Amelia.
Authentic relating / communication / NVC (Non-Violent Communication) – training can be provided.
Qualifications / certificates required – All training will be provided
Safeguarding level 1 & 2 (if working in our week day craft sessions).
Oliver McGowan Training (if working in our week day craft sessions).
Enhanced DBS with update service (if working in our week day craft sessions).
Sociocracy for All (The Rewild Project will provide).
Optional Training
Conflict Resolution
First Aid
Role and Responsibilities
Induction into The Rewild Project & agreement to support Rewild Project aims & values.
Working with the Rewild delivery team to plan and deliver supportive and therapeutic, fun, interactive and engaging craft sessions.
Preparing a risk assessment for each session.
Ensuring all policies and procedures are adhered to, following safeguarding policies and procedures.
We would like to hire staff who want to have a long term future with The Rewild Project. If so we offer ongoing staff training / team building across The Rewild Project. Occasional weekend / evenings by arrangement.
Agreement to ask for and accept help in the form of a conflict resolution process if / when a conflict arises.
If you would like to apply to work with us, click the button below which applies to you. This will take you to a google form to complete. There are two options. If you are a self employed crafts person and would like to run workshops through The Rewild Project, please click the button on the left. If you would like to apply for a job working with us as a crafts tutor, please click the button on the right.