Work on the water and teach students about environmental stewardship and local history on traditional Chesapeake Bay vessels.
Since 1985, the Living Classrooms Foundation has built strong, equitable, and sustainable communities. Our programs leverage surrounding environmental assets and maritime resources to serve as “living classrooms.” We disrupt the cycle of poverty, and help communities become safer, stronger, and healthier by meeting individuals where they are and building skills for life.
Our main campus is located in downtown Baltimore in the historic Fell's Point neighborhood.
About Living Classrooms Foundation
Would you like to work on the water and teach students about environmental stewardship and Baltimore history on traditional Chesapeake Bay vessels?
This season we anticipate running day trips and overnight programs with students as well as some private charters for adults.
NEW for Spring and Summer 2024 we are expanding our multi-day overnight programming! These programs are sailing and camping adventures where youth sail during the day on the boat and camp in tents at night. We run 3-, 5-, and 6-day overnight trips during the late spring and summer. You would go with the ship and travel the Chesapeake while teaching and camping with youth ages 11-16.
Spring, Summer, and Fall Programming:
This season we anticipate running day trips with students, evening private charters, some weekend programs, and some 4-to-6-day overnight sailing and camping trips. During the summer we are offering 3- and 5-day overnight extended programs and a few day trips. Our educational day trips are typically 3-5 hours long and serve up to 30 students per day. We serve grades 4 and above, but mainly see 4-8th graders. Our STEM programs are designed to introduce students to the environmental and ecological significance of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Among the many activities onboard, students learn about water quality, oysters, estuarine ecology, navigation, weather, plankton and the economics and history of the Bay. Each boat trawls for fish and occasionally dredges for oysters. Our history-based programs are run in conjunction with the National Parks Service at Fort McHenry and focus on the Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812. Each crew member is an active participant in all programming and is expected to teach every day.
Most of our programming this season will be in Baltimore Harbor and the Patapsco River. However, we expect to offer programs in Philadelphia aboard Sigsbee and in Washington DC aboard Mildred Belle. Mildred Belle will spend 4-6 weeks in Washington, DC during the summer and 4-6 weeks in Washington, DC in September/October. In October, we hope to send Sigsbee to Philadelphia for 1-2 weeks and then to the schooner Sultana’s Downrigging Weekend festival in Chestertown, MD. Our season ends shortly before Thanksgiving.
For one-two weeks each season, each of our vessels will go into dry-dock for sanding, painting, caulking, etc. This is dirty and physically challenging work. Crew members are expected to participate fully with completing the maintenance work aboard their vessels. At the culmination of our sailing season, crew are expected to assist winterizing the vessels, a process including down rigging and covering each boat.
The Employee Experience
The Maritime Education Department is the oldest program run by the Living Classrooms Foundation. We have been sailing boats and teaching students since 1986 when the Schooner Lady Maryland was built by local Baltimore teachers and their students. We value experiential hands-on learning where students lead by asking questions about the world around them. We look for crew members who are curious, thoughtful, and hard-working. This season we plan to carry on the 35+ year tradition of taking kids out of the classroom, showing them the natural wonders of the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, and hoping the experience with inspire them to be better stewards of our shared environment.
It is not easy to teach students every day and also maintain the traditional wooden vessels that we use to run our programs. Our season is 9-months long and certainly has its sweet and sour parts. No one really like to scrape, sand, and paint the hull of the boat during the annual yard period. But, I think that everyone agrees that steering that same boat with the wind in your hair and the river stretching out before you makes all the hard work worth it.
Because the work is hard and the days are long, the crew always forms tight bonds with numerous inside jokes and a common culture. Some of my best friends were made during my seasons working and teaching on the boats. Working on the water on traditional boats teaching students to love the environment and appreciate their local history has been the most rewarding experience of my life.
Ideal Candidate
We look for crew members who are curious, thoughtful, self-motivated, and open to new experiences. To be successful at Living Classrooms you should be: flexible, inventive, hard-working, and adventurous.
A FEW IMPORTANT DETAILS:
- To be officially employed you must first pass an initial Coast Guard regulated drug test and then be in a random testing pool throughout your employment.
- You must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination by date of hire to be considered. Proof of vaccination will be required.
- You must have a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record.
- Everyone who is hired will undergo finger printing and a background check (at employer's expense) since you will be working with children.
- All crew members are required to have current First Aid and CPR. We will provide training to new crew. If you have a current First Aid & CPR certification that will not expire before your employment here ends, a copy of the certification is all we need.
- All crew members are expected to teach every day. We will rotate through teaching stations so that no one has to teach the same lessons day after day.
- All crew members are expected to help with vessel maintenance. There are times during the season where you may be expected to help during annual yard periods, when the boats are hauled out of the water. Maintaining wooden boats in top condition is hard work and these yard periods are often full of long, dirty, physically taxing days.
- This is a physically demanding job that requires a moderate level of physical fitness.
Room and Board
Shore-side Housing:
New for 2024 is the crew shore-side housing!
We recently renovated the first floor of the building where our office is located to accommodate seasonal crew. This space has bunk beds and private bathrooms and showers. There is a living space with couch, TV, and a basic kitchen area with toaster, microwave, crock pot, coffee machine, etc. There is ample storage space for clothes, gear, and things like bikes. The crew housing area has WIFI internet and there are laundry machines in an adjacent building.
A quick note on meals: Every crew member is provided lunch on every work day. Meals are covered during all traveling periods during the summer and fall seasons. When operating day trips all crew members will have to provide their own breakfast, dinner, and weekend meals.
Sigsbee and Mildred Belle Housing:
When traveling, both boats have bunk-style accommodations. Each boat has a small toilet, called a "head", and running cold water. Both boats will travel for about 6 weeks during the summer and 3-4 weeks in the fall. The Mildred Belle will be headed to Washington, DC for the summer and fall and during those times crew will sleep onboard. Sigsbee will run a summer camp style program during the summer and most crew will sleep in private tents while camping with youth. Sigsbee will also spend 3 weeks in Philly during the fall and crew will need to live onboard during that time.
There is very little storage on board the boats, you will have your bunk and one shelf/cargo locker to store your things. You can also store things in our shore-side offices. The boats dock on a private pier which is closed to the public at night and on weekends. The pier is located in Fell's Point which is a historical neighborhood in downtown Baltimore, MD. This location puts you right in the action, close to bars/restaurants, public parks, museums, and other local attractions. Plus, it has an amazing view of the harbor which is positively magical at night.
Employee Perks
All our current openings are for seasonal-salaried positions starting at $15/hour. Housing is available to crew members in our recently renovated crew quarters. Lunches will be provided during every workday. However, crew members are on their own for other meals.
Other tangible perks:
- if you don't already know how, we will teach you to sail!
- discounted parking in a private garage near our campus where the boats dock for anyone who needs or wants to bring a vehicle
- free Wilderness First Aid CPR/AED training course with SOLO Outdoor School
- opportunity to purchase discounted health insurance through employer
- some discounts from local merchants and big retailers like REI, West Marine, and Patagonia
- employer provides field trips to local attractions like Fort McHenry, the Port of Baltimore, Domino Sugar Factory, nuclear cargo ship Savannah, annual Orioles baseball game, crab feast, and others TBD.
Other intangible perks:
- opportunity to live in Downtown Baltimore in the historic Fell's Point neighborhood
- live on the water near to bars/restaurants, museums, public parks, and get a front-row seat to yearly festivals like: Fleet Week, 4th of July Celebration, Fell's Point Funfest, Pirates of Baltimore Festival and many others
- learn to sail, learn to camp, and travel the Chesapeake!
Getting Here and Getting Around
Crew members can bring their own vehicle if needed/wanted and can purchase a discounted parking pass for a private garage located near our campus where the boats dock. Bikes are encouraged! We have a few bikes available for the crew to use during the season.
Our location is easily accessible by public transportation. If you arrive by airplane, train, or bus there are local buses and the light rail system that can get you to our location in Fell's Point. We could also come to pick you up!
There is excellent public transportation in our area. Baltimore has a free bus system called the "Circulator" which has 4 lines that can take you to most places in the city. There are also traditional buses that charge a small fee. There is a light rail system that is relatively inexpensive and water taxis that can take you all around the harbor. I love getting around by renting electric scooters!
Plus you could always bike or walk to work. And if you live on the boats, you wake up where you work!
For Fun
Our campus and the dock where the boats live is in Fell's Point, Baltimore, Maryland. Fell's Point is a waterfront historic neighborhood in downtown East Baltimore. This location puts you right in the action, close to bars/restaurants, public parks, museums, and other local attractions. Plus, it has an amazing view of the harbor which is positively magical at night. Picture yourself exploring cobblestone streets on your days off, visiting maritime museums, exploring parks, viewing monuments and public art, ducking into little music shops, going out to dinner, and drinking beers on tap in local bars.
Baltimore has a great zoo and hosts the National Aquarium, both are easily accessible by car or public transportation from our location. There is a free art museum uptown, a Museum of local Industry, and the wonderful magical Visionary Arts Museum. Plus, Fort McHenry Historic Monument and Shrine is a great place to explore and wander since it is free and open to the public. Baltimore also has an arboretum, conservatory, botanical gardens, and the original Washington Monument (built before the one in DC)!
Patterson Park and Federal Hill are both city parks that offer a respite from pavement and storefronts. Patterson Park is about a mile from where the boats dock and is a great place for jogging, soccer games, or reading under a tree.
If you have a car, Baltimore is near many state and county parks like Patapsco Valley, Loch Raven, Druid Hill, Oregon Ridge, Leakin, and many others.
Some yearly festivals include: Fleet Week, 4th of July Celebration, Fell's Point Funfest, Pirates of Baltimore Festival and many others.
How to Apply
To apply please email us your cover letter and resume with a brief reason why you would like to work here (just 1-2 sentences). Your cover letter can simply be a few well-thought-out sentences about why you would like to work with us this season.
We will contact you right way to set up a conversation via phone, Zoom, or in-person if you live nearby Baltimore, MD.