Engineering Instructor - One week Summer Camp - 2026

Education Unlimited; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing provided

Meals provided

Travel stipend

Job summary

A summer camp organization is seeking an Engineering Camp Instructor in Palo Alto, CA, for their summer programs. The instructor will teach engineering concepts to students entering grades 4-12, supervise campers, and lead curriculum labs. Candidates should have a passion for science education with at least 2 years of teaching experience. Housing, meals, and a stipend will be provided. Join a collaborative environment that fosters innovation and learning in young minds.

Qualifications

• 2+ years teaching experience or significant subject-matter knowledge.
• Experience working with middle, high school, or college-age students.
• Preference given to those with advanced degrees.

Responsibilities

• Teach the Education Unlimited curriculum and supervise campers.
• Organize and lead classroom labs.
• Execute a finale showcasing student work at the end of camp.

Skills

Teaching experience

Mentoring experience

Organizational skills

Passion for science education

Education

Graduate degree in science

Job description

Education Unlimited® provides academic summer camps & pre‑college summer programs for students entering grades 4‑12. Our summer programs include public speaking camps, college admissions prep programs, science camps, summer acting camp, writing camps, computer camp, leadership camp, video production camp, and college tours.

Engineering Camp Instructor

Education Unlimited seeks energetic and experienced science instructors for our fun, activity‑based summer program.

Available sessions: Please indicate your availability on your application. Instructors may be hired for one or more sessions based on availability. Housing, meals, salary, and travel stipend are provided for the selected candidate.

• UC Berkeley (Grades 9–12): June 28 – July 4, 2026
• Stanford University (Grades 4–6): July 19 – July 24, 2026; July 26 – July 31, 2026
• Stanford University (Grades 9–12): August 2 – August 8, 2026

Education Unlimited offers two levels of Engineering Courses:

• Intro to Engineering for rising 4th to 6th graders
• Engineering 9th‑12th for rising 9th to 12th graders

Course descriptions can be found below for both courses.

Intro to Engineering Course Description:

In Intro to Engineering, students will learn the basic principles of engineering design and use this process to solve a variety of build challenges, which must survive performance trials and unexpected obstacles. Students will work collaboratively with one another and our instructors to study the principles of force, energy, mass, and other fundamental properties in Newtonian physics.

Using real‑world buildings and other edifices as inspiration, campers will start the week by defying gravity to build the tallest skyscrapers and strongest bridges. They will then move onto air resistance and density, studying how different types of planes, boats, and cars operate, seeking unique ways to build and optimize designs.

Students learn how engineers must build with earth’s forces in mind—including gravity, air resistance, friction, buoyancy, and centripetal force—and how to work both against and with those forces in their designs.

As the week continues, students tackle tasks that combine physics knowledge with ingenuity and the ability to work together within a budget. Campers also create windmills, helicopters, rockets, and planes, and preserve a spinning top using centripetal force. The camp finale is an egg‑drop demonstration where teams attempt to keep a delicate payload safe under pressure.

High School Engineering Course Description:

This immersive camp gives students a hands‑on introduction to diverse fields of engineering, guiding them through the full design process across multiple specialties. The week begins with a human‑centered design challenge—creating a functional wallet—then progresses into electrical engineering with basic circuitry involving switches and light bulbs. Mid‑week, students tackle an environmental challenge by designing and building water filtration systems, followed by a biomedical engineering project involving a prosthetic hand and the exploration of biomechanics. Mechanical engineering is next, with rubber‑band powered car builds that emphasize force, motion, and design iteration. The camp wraps up with an exciting Engineering Olympics—a friendly, fast‑paced competition that brings together all the skills students have built throughout the week. Along the way, students practice budgeting, build bills of materials, and present their projects, gaining skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

Responsibilities

In‑person camp responsibilities include teaching the Education Unlimited curriculum, supervising campers both in and out of the classroom, organizing and leading classroom labs, and executing a finale showcasing student work at the end of camp. Instructors will also be responsible for tracking student work and handing in any deliverables to the camp director and EU home office. Additionally, instructors should assist the camp director with active supervision, recreational activities, and some administrative tasks; be mature, reliable, and work well with fellow staff. Instructors act as mentors and assist with field trips and guide students on excursions. Overnight staff may commute to camp each day or stay overnight on campus, receiving full room and board and will be expected to help with evening supervision duties.

Qualifications

Instructors are usually year‑round science teachers, are studying science at the graduate level, or have significant teaching/mentoring experience in the area of cardiology.

• 2+ years teaching experience or significant subject‑matter knowledge.
• Experience working with middle, high school, or college‑age students in an academic setting.
• Preference given to those with advanced degrees.
• A passion for science education.
• A calm and professional demeanor.
• Self‑motivation and follow‑through.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.