Job Location: 12 Fulton Street, NY NY 10038

Job Title: Marine Educator 

Institution: South Street Seaport Museum 

About the Institution: 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.” seaportmuseum.org

Job Description: 

As a South Street Seaport Museum Marine Educator, you will co-lead, alongside a lead educator, experiential programs onboard the schooner Pioneer and the tugboat W.O. Decker. 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 K-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 trawling for marine life 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, seaportmuseum.org/group-programs-on-the-water, for more information.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Teaching programs on board to visiting school and camp groups as scheduled, plus staff development and family sails, in a safe, engaging, and informative manner, with a focus on the learner and attention to pedagogy and logistics as well as to content.
• Meeting the needs of diverse learners, including different age groups, different amounts of background knowledge and experience, different ethnicities and cultures, different learning styles, and different 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 marine animal collection.
• Assisting with vessel operations as needed, including line handling, supervising, 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.

• Experience teaching to school-age children, preferably in a 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, 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.

• Second language proficiency
• Experience with Access/Disability/Special Needs audiences
• Theatrical experience

Personal Qualifications

• Applicants MUST be available Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm, May 1st through June 23rd, and for approximately 6 training shifts in April.
• An outgoing personality with the ability to communicate well in 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 and desire to continually improve practice and skills, and to thoughtfully and kindly observe the work of others.

Applicants must be able to:

• Ability to spend several hours walking and/or standing in indoor and outdoor public spaces.
• Must be able to climb ladders and work outdoors in hot and/or inclement weather.
• Must be able to work comfortably standing on a moving vessel.
• Job will require stooping, bending, and occasionally carrying weights of up to 25 pounds.

This Position is: In-Person

Position Type: Seasonal

Salary Range: $20 - $22/ hour 

Salary Type: Non-Exempt

Benefits: Employee Discount on Museum merchandise. Complimentary sails aboard our sailing ships. 

Email your resume and cover letter with “MARINE EDUCATOR” in the subject line to educationjobs@seany.org. 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.