Marine Educator

South Street Seaport Museum seeks experienced, enthusiastic educators, preferably with waterfront or sailing experience, to teach programs on board our historic schooner Pioneer. South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries, and education spaces, working 19th-century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of "Where New York Begins." Job Summary As a South Street Seaport Museum Marine Educator, you will co-lead experiential programs onboard the schooner Pioneer. You'll bring a sense of the Seaport's history and New York Harbor's continued importance as an ecosystem and as an economic waterway to grades 3-12 and college students, teachers, and educators, as well as public and family groups from around the city and around the world. You will engage with all kinds of learners, of all backgrounds, through inquiry-based, student-centered instruction, seeking to explore context and create connection in every way. You will communicate with visiting teachers and chaperones, your teammates, and other departments in a way that makes complex logistics look effortless and enhances the experience for all. The schooner Pioneer sails with school groups, primarily for 2-hour sails, from May through October. Students on board engage in a variety of activities, from active sail-raising to ecology studies to learning basic navigation, as well as investigating science and history content. Most of our programs are interdisciplinary in scope, with as much attention paid to how students are learning as to what they are learning. See our website /group-programs-on-the-water for more information. Essential Duties and Responsibilities ? Teaching programs on board a sailing vessel underway to visiting school and camp groups as scheduled, and occasionally leading staff development and public family sails, ? Conducting programs in a safe, engaging and informative manner, with a focus on the learner, and attention to pedagogy, social and emotional learning, and logistics as well as to content. ? Meeting the needs of diverse learners, including different age groups, amounts of background knowledge and experience, ethnicities and cultures, learning styles, and educational and physical requirements. ? Managing time, space, and logistics, smoothly moving groups of students and adults through activities. ? Working collaboratively and communicating effectively with fellow educators, ship's crew, and other departments to plan and conduct activities.? Communicating effectively with teachers regarding their class, content, and students. ? Setting up before and cleaning up after programs. ? Assisting with maintenance of science equipment and a fish tank of small local marine organisms. ? Assisting with vessel operations as needed, including line handling and at times assisting with docking. ? Participating as a member of a professional learning community in ongoing group and individual professional development, including regular co-observations and debrief sessions, to increase your content knowledge and skill, as well as engaging in self-study to enrich background knowledge in content areas and pedagogy. Additional Responsibilities ? Participate in safety drills aboard Pioneer and be prepared to assist crew with emergency procedures as needed. Pioneer occasionally does education sails up the Hudson River or in other locations that offer the opportunity for an overnight trip or multiple days commuting out of the city. Marine educators may be asked to join these trips to offer education programs to groups in other locales. Professional Qualifications ? Experience teaching to school-age children, preferably in a shipboard, museum, classroom, or outdoor setting, or similar experience, preferably with grades 3-8. ? Experience with sailing or shipboard work; tall ship or schooner experience preferred. ? Bachelor's Degree in a field related to education, maritime studies, history, or science, OR a Bachelor's Degree in an unrelated field with extensive experience in a related field OR equivalent relevant experience. ? Demonstrated interest in our particular content areas. ? Desirable but not required: ? Second language proficiency ? Experience with Access/Disability/Special Needs audiences ? Teacher certification ? Experience teaching science and math ? Theatrical experience Personal Qualifications ? The ability to communicate well and capture listener attention in outdoor public settings. ? Eagerness to learn new content and pedagogy. ? Understanding of and awareness of students and their learning. ? Professional and personable demeanor. ? Flexibility, positive outlook, and team focus.? Reliability and excellent team communication skills. ? Ability to look at your work critically and reflectively, a desire to continually improve practice and skills, and to thoughtfully and kindly observe the work of others. ? NOTE: At times museum Marine Educators may play safety sensitive roles aboard our vessels. Federal regulations require any staff member working onboard in a safety-sensitive role to be enrolled in a random drug testing program. To comply with federal regulations, all Marine Educators are required to pass a pre-employment drug screening before being hired and will be enrolled in a random drug testing program as prescribed by the United States Coast Guard. Marine Educators may be selected at random for screening for drugs (including marijuana) for the duration of the sailing season (April - October). Required Availability ? Applicants MUST be available Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9am to 5pm, May 1st through June 23rd. ? Mandatory training sessions will take place beginning April 9th. Applicants must be able to attend trainings every Thursday (April 10, 17, and 24), as well as a few April training dates on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Physical Demands and Work Environment The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions. Applicants must be able to: ? Spend several hours walking and/or standing in indoor and outdoor public spaces. ? Adapt to a changing environment while working outdoors in hot, cold, and/or inclement weather (foul weather gear will be provided), as long as it is deemed safe to do so by a superior. ? Climb and descend ramps, stairs, and ladders. ? Work comfortably standing on a moving vessel. ? Job will require stooping, bending, reaching, pulling, and occasionally carrying weights of up to 25 pounds. Compensation/Benefits Seasonal position, April - October. Part-time/hourly positions, no full-time positions available. This is a non-exempt position. Salary: $22/hour Note: Marine Educators are also encouraged to become Visitor Experience and Engagement Associates, sharing the museum's galleries, ships, and exhibitions with the visiting public, as well as Museum Educators, leading programs on our docked vessels, in our galleries, and on walking tours through Lower Manhattan. How to Apply Email your resume and cover letter with "MARINE EDUCATOR" in the subject line to: educationjobs@. Applications without an attached cover letter will not be considered. No phone calls, please. South Street Seaport Museum is an equal opportunity employer. Non-traditional applicants and/or those with suitable alternatives to the above criteria are encouraged to apply. The Seaport Museum strongly encourages applications from members of groups underrepresented in careers related to museums; we seek to foster a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as New York City and our audience.

Created: 2025-03-03