Cairngorms
Chilly Scottish Trekking
Course Start Date: Mid October - Mid September
Fact: The qualifications employers look for require months of consolidation and experience with groups. Fast track courses cannot provide this: it's a one year course for a reason.
Hit the ground running: Our Outdoor Instructor Training course enables you to walk confidently into your first job as an outdoor professional. There's really no substitute for first-hand experience; giving you time to gain a genuine depth of knowledge and skills to underpin your delivery is our priority.
Which qualifications?
Mountain Training & other climbing
· Summer Mountain Leader (Training & ASSESSMENT)
· Rock Climbing Instructor (Training & ASSESSMENT )
· Climbing Wall Instructor + Abseil Module (Training & Assessment)
· BMC Coaching - Fundamentals of Climbing 1
.CWDI Possible if up to standard
British Canoeing Awards
· White Water Personal awards In Kayak or Canoe
· Paddlesport Instructor
· Paddlesport Safety and Rescue
· Kayak & Canoe - Start, Discover, Explore
Also Included
· Paddlesport Paddle UK
· Start Award
· Discover Award
· Explore Award
· PRST – Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Training
· Paddlesport Leader
· NICAS – National Indoor Climbing Wall Award Scheme
· NICAS – Level 1 2 3 and 4
· Experience and quality mountain days (QMDs) for logbook towards International Mountain Leader
· Hill and Moorland Leader
· NNAS – National Navigation Award Scheme
· Mountain Bike Instructor Award Level 1 & 2
· Sports Coach UK Safeguarding
· In-house Certificates: Bushcraft, Zipwire, Archery, Team games, Tree climb , Axe Throwing
· The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: Assessor (all levels)
· The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: Gold (under 25s)
· 16 Hour Outdoor First Aid
· Food Hygiene level 2
· Enhanced DBS
The Outdoor Instructor Training program has been designed to prepare you for a career as an outdoor instructor from speaking with industry experts and constant analysis of the ever changing outdoor qualification eco-system. We’re talking about walking straight into exciting roles as independent instructors for some of the best employers around. Head over to our testimonials and see for yourself.
Course structure
The programme roughly divides into three categories:
Your personal training and development
- You'll be spending time with our experienced team learning the trade of an outdoor instructor - whether that's learning to kayak for the first time yourself, or taking your skills in climbing and applying them to become a better coach.
Work experience with real clients
- This part really sets us apart from many courses - we know that to become a good instructor, you need to have experience instructing real people! Early on in the course you'll be shadowing and assisting qualified instructors, and as you progress and become more confident and qualified we'll give you more responsibility with groups.
Expeditions
- With two residential centres in Devon & The Lake District, you will be spending half the time in each , in addition to expeditions througout the UK , on top of a sport climbing trip in Spain, Winter sports and snowshoeing in Poland, and a summer expedition elsewhere in Europe.
We know what you're thinking, "there must be some hidden costs in here?". Nope - all flights, transport accommodation and activities are covered in the course fees, except for food. Some of these trips are in because you'll need them for awards such as your Mountain Leader, some are skills based, some will be leading groups, and some are just because we believe there's so much to gain from experiencing other countries, how other cultures interact with the outdoors, and just because it's plain old good fun!
Take a look at the gallery below for a few snaps of the sort of places you're likely to visit if you join the course.
Please see our 2023/24 programme to give you an idea -
2023
Oct 1-15 Devon
Oct 16 - Dec 3 North Wales
Dec 4 - 18 Devon
Dec 19 - Jan 7 Christmas break
2024
Jan 21 - 28 Poland
Jan 29 - Feb 17 Devon
Feb 18 - March 11 Italy
March 12 - May 6 Devon
May 6 - 17 Scotland
May 17 - July 7 Devon (with short expeditions away)
July 7 - 14 Slovenia
July 15 - Aug 5 Devon
Aug 5 - 11 Peak District
Aug 12 - Sept 1 Devon
Sept 1 - 8 North Wales
Sept 8 - Course Finishes
Sardinia
Deep Canyon Exploration
Brecon Beacons
Hiking in South Wales
Slovenia
Lots of Jumping in!
Spain
Costa Blanca Sport Climbing
Peak District
Gritstone Trad Climbing
France
Camping beside Lake Annecy
Poland
Snowshoeing in the Tatras
Course cost
Residential: £15950
Non-residential: £12995
Outdoor Instructor Training course fees cover:
- Your accommodation in Devon and The Lake District, scotland , north wales and all year and during any expeditions
- All expedition travel costs
- All of your training - including your certificated courses and assessments
- Your activities insurance
The fees are split into 4 parts: a deposit to ensure your place, then three equal stage payments spread throughout the year.
Start Date: Monday 2nd October 2023 - Mid September 2024
For even more information, download our brochure here
Where in the world are we?
You’ll find us in the heart of Devon .
Based in Dartington next to best kayaking rivers in the UK, the River Dart, in the South Hams, we’ are sandwiched between the awesome coastline and the wilds of Dartmoor. Surfing, white water paddling, incredible hiking and rock climbing, caving: all on our doorstep - it really couldn’t be better. An outdoor adventure hub to call your own.
Your adventure playground - come and explore!
You'll be based at Meadowfields Campsite, Velwell, Totnes, TQ9 6AB, where you'll share a bedroom, kitchen, and lounge area—a perfect base for your outdoor journey.
