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Group Leading
Our Group Leaders have the best job. Why? Because they make a really positive difference developing children.
The Role
Group Leading is more than being an outdoor activity instructor. Our Group Leaders use themed and adventurous activities to develop children over a three-day course. Incorporating the 12 qualities we develop into sessions whilst delivering a fun and safe experience.
In short, you’ll be giving children memories that could last a lifetime and developing skills to help them at the KS2 level and beyond.
As you invest in the children, we invest in you. Developing your skills through an industry-leading training and development programme. Whether staying as a Group Leader, moving up to senior positions or moving into a different career. Being a Robinwood Group Leader will provide you with skills that will last you a lifetime.
Activities At Robinwood
We typically have 15 high-quality activity sessions packed into three days. Some sessions differ from centre to centre, but all centres run a similar programme, focussed on key stage two. There are some variations according to the time of year.
Day One. You will start the day with a staff meeting where a manager will explain important information or safety updates. After this, you and the other Group Leaders will set up the dormitories and do any centre set-up required. It is a team effort where everyone gets involved.
After the rooms are finished you will have a meeting about your school led by your Course Leader. Where you will get the information about each child in your group as well as the development points the school would like to focus on.
Off you go to meet the school and be introduced to your group. Get to know them, learn their names, find out their meal choices for their visit and for the children to visit their rooms. At Barhaugh Hall and Dobroyd Castle, this involves a walk to the centre as their coach parks are off-site.
Once lunchtime is over, the real fun begins. Your group’s first activity. The rest of the day involves another 3 – 4 activities punctuated by an evening meal before saying goodnight to the group as they sit down for a hot chocolate and review of the day with the Course Leader.
Day Two. Shortly after the children’s breakfast, it’s back to the action where you will take your group on 5 or 6 activities, punctuated by lunch and an evening meal. After a jampacked day, you say goodnight as the children relax with more hot chocolate and another review.
Day Three. There is just enough time to fit in another 2-3 activities, lunch, a review and lots of goodbyes. Wave your group off on their coach before finishing the day by creating certificates for the children and teachers using our app. Your Supporting Course Leader will review the course with you all.
And relax… A packed three days, but it’s worth every minute.
As well as running a three-day course each week you will also work an additional one or two more days in a supporting role, helping out with another course that is running on those days.
Timetable
Here are some examples of five-day working weeks at Barhaugh Hall, Dobroyd Castle or Maes y Nant on a Monday-Friday contract:
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Support Shift
|
Support Shift
|
Off
|
Off
|
Or
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Support Shift
|
Support Shift
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Off
|
Off
|
Dobroyd Castle operates seven days a week. These are the same examples but for a Wednesday-Sunday contract there:
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Off
|
Off
|
Support Shift
|
Support Shift
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Or
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
Sunday
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Off
|
Off
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Group Leading
|
Support Shift
|
Support Shift
|
Support Shifts
Whilst you are running your group lead there will be a brilliant team of staff behind you supporting the course. When they are running their group leads, you will form part of their support team.
Each day there is a team of staff who do a Wake Ups shift. This shift starts around 7.15 am and comprises waking the children up, organising them ahead of their day, supporting them and their Group Leaders on activities and supervising meal times. This shift finishes between 2 and 3 pm depending on the day and centre. This gives you plenty of time left in your day for whatever you like to do outside of work.
There is a crossover point in the day where the Beds team arrive to take the baton from the Wake Ups team. A Beds shift can start anywhere between 12 – 2 pm depending on the day, centre and responsibilities on that day. During this support shift, you will also supervise meal times, help out the Group Leaders with activities but also start winding the centre down for the day and supervise the children at bedtime. This shift ends at 10.30 pm once all the children are in bed asleep.
We offer our customers 24-hour care as part of our courses and so the team that bridges the gap between Beds and Wake Ups is the Night Duty team. These heroes start around 8.45 pm and finish 12 hours later. They are on hand throughout the night for the children and teachers as well as getting the centre ready for the following day. We share this shift out amongst the whole team so you will do a set of two or four nights around three times a year.
If you would like to spend some of your support shifts assisting the catering team then this is also an option. It will depend on the need for this at each centre when you start.
On occasion, you might not have a group of children on your group lead days. Instead, you will spend those three days in a Course Support role assisting the schools and the Group Leaders in many different ways. Duties will include helping with harnesses, assisting larger groups or groups with additional needs, mealtime supervision, centre presentation and much more.
What Our Staff Say About Working At Robinwood
