Work with us

 

Hands on, feet in, and nearly always outdoors.

〰️

Hands on, feet in, and nearly always outdoors. 〰️

 

At Playology, our classrooms have tides, trees and a lighthouse. We're the team behind the UK's first Ofsted-registered beach school. Every day, we help children aged 2 to 5 learn through play on the beach at Seaham Harbour Marina, in the woods at Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve and in and around Souter Lighthouse National Trust.

Our educators are called Playologists. They work with and in nature, follow children's curiosity wherever it leads and know that learning through play is one of the most skilled and important jobs there is. If that sounds like you, we'd love to meet you.

 

A day as a Playologist

No two days are the same, but most of them involve wellies. A day might include:

  • welcoming children and families, and hearing what's been happening at home

  • checking the beach or the woods, the tide and the weather before the children explore

  • following children's ideas, from rock pooling and den building to minibeast hunts and campfire cooking

  • being a key person for a small group of children, so they feel safe, known and cared for

  • noticing and capturing children's learning, and sharing it with their families

  • packing up, reflecting with the team, and planning tomorrow around what the children loved today

Three aims guide everything we do. Playologists:

  • build children's independence, giving them the time and space to do things for themselves

  • raise children's resilience, building their problem-solving toolbox alongside them, not solving problems for them

  • promote children's positivity, praising effort over outcome and helping them through the tricky moments

 

Why join us

Be part of something new. Join the team behind the UK's first Ofsted-registered beach school, and help shape what it becomes next.

  • Work in the fresh air. Your classroom is the Durham Heritage Coast, the woods at Castle Eden Dene or the cliffs at Souter Lighthouse.

  • Keep learning. Ongoing CPD and unique Playology training, with real routes to progress.

  • Stay warm and dry. Playology kit and clothing are provided.

  • Term-time contracts. Our preschool roles run for 38 weeks a year, with some paid holiday club work on top.

  • Family-friendly perks. Discounts on childcare for your own children, and with outdoor clothing companies and at shops and cafés on our sites.

  • A team that cares. Passionate, forward-thinking colleagues: we'll be making waves together.

 

Who we look for

We don’t look for people who tolerate the outdoors. We're looking for people who are genuinely, enthusiastically in on it.

You'll thrive here if you:

  • light up around young children, and they can tell

  • are happy outside in every season, even when it's raining

  • get stuck into play rather than watching from the side

  • are curious, reflective and keen to keep learning

  • take keeping children safe seriously, every single day

  • enjoy being part of a close, supportive team

Most of our Playologist roles need a full and relevant Level 3 early years qualification. Forest School or Beach School training is a bonus, not a must.

 

Current Vacancies