Instructor qualifications

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.

Hi guys,

Over the last 15 years or so I’ve always been the person who my friends ask if they want to learn to climb. Or if they have friends who want to learn.

As a result I’ve probably introduced 50 odd people to climbing and taught them the basics.

I have a few days a month spare with work and was talking to a friend who asked why I didn’t become a part time climbing instructor.

Years back in my uni holidays I did look at the SPA so I could teach at centre parcs but in the end a pub job seemed a better bet. I notice now the SPA doesn’t seem to exist?

My question to the hive mind that is UKC is this: what would I need to do to take a few people indoors, or on single pitch outdoors a couple of times a month? How best to insure myself? What if I wanted to take them up a few easy multipitches ...

Thanks in advance guys!

In reply to A Longleat Boulderer:

https://www.mountain-training.org/

SPA does exist (sort of), just a different name.

You've not asked for career advice so apologies for the tangent; it's a crowded market.

If I was to be cynical, I'd say there was more money to be made in training than in instructing at certain of the award levels. 

 spenser 22 Nov 2019
In reply to A Longleat Boulderer:

SPA has now been replaced with Rock Climbing Instructor which covers single pitch Sport, Trad and Bouldering. As far as I am aware this covers indoor activities in the same way that SPA did, however Climbing Wall Instructor spends more time on training and warm up activities.

Rock Climbing Development Instructor is a bolt on which covers single pitch leading.

Multipitches bring you into the realms of Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor which necessitates doing the Mountain Leader award first.

There are lots of details on the Mountain Training Website:

https://www.mountain-training.org/

 Bloodfire 22 Nov 2019
In reply to A Longleat Boulderer:

If you are doing this without the intention to charge people for it as many friend or club member may do, then you don't really need any qualification to do this. In any case to take people multi-pitching, as Spencer rightly mentioned, you would first need to complete the ML and then the MCI (maybe the RCI in the meantime for single pitch too), the qualifications will limit what you are legally able to do with them thus rendering  an insurance policy useless if you took a person multi-pitch climbing with just an RCI (SPA) ticket. 

There is a legal principle (I'm not a legally qualified person) which states 'volenti non fit injuria' - to a willing person, injury is not done). Basically, that climbing is a dangerous sport and if they decide to partake, there is a chance that injury could occur. It won't cover you for negligence or recklessness (again, I'm not a legal expert), but it does suffice for putting the onus of participation on the other person. 

Hope that helps. 

3
 jezb1 22 Nov 2019
In reply to A Longleat Boulderer:

Rock Climbing Instructor training, 3 days £190

RCI assessment, 2 days £140

Insurance through Mountain Training Association £170 (inc MTA membership)

Loads of fun and a very worthwhile process to go through, geeking out about climbing with other keen climbers whilst learning lots.

(Prices may vary a bit, these are mine)


New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...