How to hire a field instructor

How to hire a field instructor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step field instructor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a field instructor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new field instructor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a field instructor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The field instructor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect field instructor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of field instructors.

   Type of Field Instructor	Description	Hourly rate
   Field Instructor		$12-49
   Dance Teacher	Dance Teachers are responsible for leading dance classes to teach individuals or groups of people various dancing techniques. Dance Teachers are required to help their students improve their dancing skills by participating in amateur or professional dance competitions or performing in social events such as high school reunions... Show more	$15-34
   Martial Arts Instructor	A martial arts instructor helps people understand the philosophy and history of their chosen martial art and teaches them the skills needed to take part safely. They train students in combat techniques, mostly for recreation or for self-defense... Show more	$11-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Field Training
   • CPR
   • MSW
   • Emotional Safety
   • Student Intern
   • Responder
   • Substance Abuse
   • at-Risk Youth
   • GPS
   • Role Model
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Mental Health
   • Clinical Supervision

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and maintain field curriculum for BSW program.
   • Assist other CPP instructors in completing student orientation.
   • Assure TCI training and documentation meet state standards for child care facilities.
   • Certify CPR instructor; train and able to safely neutralize potentially violent situations.
   • Provide remedial support and guidance for students to successfully complete the CPP requirements.
   • Interview and place senior BSW students into community agency internships and conduct site visits.

   More field instructor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the field instructor job description is a good way to get more applicants. A field instructor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a field instructor in Oregon may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level field instructor. Additionally, a field instructor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average field instructor salary

   $52,928yearly

   $25.45 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level field instructor salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average field instructor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$95,012	$46
   2	New Jersey	$75,235	$36
   3	Michigan	$63,601	$31
   4	West Virginia	$63,542	$31
   5	Illinois	$59,224	$28
   6	Maryland	$55,643	$27
   7	Ohio	$54,842	$26
   8	California	$49,772	$24
   9	Oregon	$44,328	$21
   10	Texas	$41,198	$20

   Average field instructor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Oak Grove Tech	$76,423	$36.74	5
   2	Eastern Washington University	$68,403	$32.89	2
   3	Evoke Health	$65,815	$31.64
   4	University of Cincinnati	$65,321	$31.40	1
   5	Rink Management Services	$55,014	$26.45
   6	Irving Isd	$52,478	$25.23	6
   7	Dermalogica	$52,259	$25.12
   8	PDS Tech	$46,756	$22.48	14
   9	Acadia Healthcare	$45,351	$21.80
   10	New Vision Wilderness	$44,148	$21.23
   11	Unilever	$43,312	$20.82
   12	Educational Alliance	$41,507	$19.96	2
   13	Soccer Shots	$41,267	$19.84	103
   14	Managed Staffing	$39,552	$19.02
   15	Boy Scouts of America	$35,909	$17.26
   16	The Field Museum	$35,380	$17.01
   17	Brooklyn Botanic Garden	$34,816	$16.74	8
   18	Howard County Government	$32,539	$15.64

4. Writing a field instructor job description

   A job description for a field instructor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a field instructor job description:

   Field instructor job description example

   Job DescriptionField InstructorEvoke Has Been Chosen As One Of Outside Magazines Top 100 Best Places to Work Three Years in a Row!We Are 6th On The List for The Health & Wellness Category And The Only Outdoor Wilderness Program!
   
   A meaningful career in the outdoor industry. An office with a view. Being a part of a community that cares and spending your free time with friends being active in the outdoors. If this sounds like your dream job, then Evoke Therapy Programs is the place for you!
   
   This position allows you to transform your love of wilderness and community into a meaningful, life-changing career. Field Instructors role-model healthy expression of emotion and appropriate behavior, as well as lead by example and share their passion for healthy living and wilderness to help participants connect positively to their experience at Evoke. Instructors teach backpacking skills, low-impact camping ethics, yoga, mindfulness practices, and facilitate team-building activities and group therapy. Instructors act as a guide, teacher, role model, and constant support to the teens, young adults, and families with whom they work. Most importantly, our Field Instructors manage the inherent risk of the wilderness and oversee clients' safety while backpacking in the beautiful wilderness backcountry.
   
   Evoke Therapy Programs are clinically focused with Masters and Doctorate level therapists working together with Field Instructors as a treatment team to create treatment plans and goals. Field Instructors are empowered to be highly involved with creating a client's personal treatment plan and assignments. Treatment plans are individualized for each participant.
   
   Instructors work in a team of four to five with a group of eight to ten clients. The treatment team helps process the cause and effect relationship that living in the wilderness provides and guides participants in developing new choice-making skills. Evoke Field Instructors focus on teaching clients how to communicate assertively and be accountable for their choices.
   
   Evoke Therapy Programs is an owner-operated company. Check out our Leadership Team page to learn more about them. Aside from the friendship and the family-like feel, the position offers many benefits.
   
   We pay our Field Instructors a competitive wage (between 34-57K depending on experience). Staff must first complete a paid 24-day internship, due to state requirements. After that, pay rates vary by location. Please contact the recruiters linked below for location-specific pay scales.
   Commitment bonuses. Health and dental insurance plans A 401K Plan where Evoke will match a portion of your contributions after a year of employment Paid vacations. A $2,500 gear and housing bonus upon hire. Please contact recruiters for more information regarding these benefits. Evoke pays for Wilderness First Responder courses, professional conferences, hard-skills workshops, and other professional development. A variety of professional gear deals. All prospective Field Instructors attend a 7-day orientation period in the field. The orientation is an opportunity to experience first-hand how our program works and enjoy a week in the amazing wilderness. During the orientation, you will learn about our program philosophies from your trainers who are highly experienced Field Instructors. They will teach you how our philosophies apply in the field and role-play situations. We ask that you are open to leaving your comfort zone and trying new things. The orientation is designed to be an experiential learning process. We work with you to determine if the position is right for you. Participating in the orientation does not guarantee you a job. However, if you have been selected to participate in the orientation you have already met some of the requirements, and Evoke has high hopes for you to be hired. At the end of the orientation, you will be notified of your employment status. Minimum Requirements Must be able to clear State and Federal background checks. Minimum of 21 years of age for full-time positions, 19 years of age for summer seasonal or assistant field instructors at Entrada. First Aid and C.P.R. certification is required. Wilderness First Responder, EMT, or WEMT certification is preferred. A high school diploma or the equivalent is required. A Bachelor's degree in a related field or an equivalent amount of relevant experience is preferred. You must be comfortable in the wilderness. The professional wilderness experience is preferred. It is not necessary to have therapeutic training as we do in-company training. If concerned about acquiring items like backpacks or sleeping bags before attending an orientation, please inform the recruiters, as we have some of these items on hand to borrow during that period of time. Feel free to email or call one of our recruiters at the information listed below and thank you for your interest in Evoke Therapy Programs.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right field instructor for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your field instructor job on Zippia to find and attract quality field instructor candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit field instructors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new field instructor

   Once you've selected the best field instructor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new field instructor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a field instructor?