Development Instructor Pathway Progression
The list below represents awards that could be achieved through the Berkhamsted School Development instructor position. We would like candidates to consider what they would like to achieve in the first year of employment. Be realistic awards such as Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round. Rock-Climbing Instructor and Mountain Leader demand a lot of time and effort. Read carefully the information provided in each section and consider your current experience and desired progression.
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
Climbing CWI (Climbing Wall Instructor Award) CWDI (Climbing Wall Development Instructor) RCI (Rock Climbing Instructor) Climbing Coaching Mountaineering and Walking Hill and Moorland Leader Mountain Leader Water sports Canoe Award Canoe Leader Award Paddle Sports Leader Award Centre based activities Archery GB Instructor ERCA high and low ropes ERCA Adventure Park Outdoor First Aid D1 Driving Licence
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
Climbing
CWI Climbing Wall Instructor
Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round.
The Climbing Wall Instructor qualification trains and assesses candidates in the skills required to supervise climbers on purpose built artificial climbing walls and boulders. It is ideal for people who work at climbing walls or at venues with permanent or mobile climbing towers. To get started on the Climbing Wall Instructor qualification you need to meet the following prerequisites: ·You must be at least 17 years old (18 at assessment) ·You should have at least 6 months of experience of using a variety of climbing walls ·You should have an interest in climbing and in supervising groups on climbing walls ·You must be a member of a mountaineering council: BMC, Mountaineering Scotland, or Mountaineering Ireland (you can join one when you register if you're not already a member) Achieving this qualification requires you to be able to lead climb around French 5+ as well as attending both a training and assessment. The award can be achieved quickly by a dedicated climber who keeps a good logbook. While at Berkhamsted School you will assist in running climbing activities up to twice a week allowing you to gain the experience needed for this award in around 3 months.
CWDI Climbing Wall Development Instructor
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
The Climbing Wall Development Instructor qualification trains and assesses candidates in the skills required to develop climbers beyond the basic skills. This includes teaching lead climbing on indoor or outdoor artificial climbing walls and structures with fixed protection.
Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round.
It builds on the skills gained through either the Climbing Wall Instructor or Rock Climbing Instructor qualifications, one of which must be held in order to access the scheme. This award requires a much greater commitment to personal and professional instructing in climbing. In order to attend assessment a candidate must have completed the RCI or CWI, attended the training course and have at least 100 logged lead climbs at least 50% of which must be a French grade 6a and above in three separate climbing venues. The award can be achieved by a dedicated climber in around 6 months to a year, or more quickly with lots of prior experience.
CRCI Rock Climbing Instructor
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
This qualification is all about taking people climbing and abseiling on single pitch crags and Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round. artificial structures. Whether you're a parent, a volunteer or an outdoor centre instructor, the Rock-Climbing Instructor qualification trains and assesses experienced rock climbers to instruct climbing. To get started on the Rock-Climbing Instructor qualification you need to meet the following prerequisites: ·You must be at least 18 years old. ·You should be an experienced indoor and outdoor rock climber. ·You should have a genuine interest in climbing and the supervision of groups. ·You must be a member of a mountaineering council: BMC, Mountaineering Scotland, or Mountaineering Ireland (you can join one when you register if you're not already a member) The RCI allows instructors to run climbing sessions both indoors and outdoors teaching the skills needed to place protection for top rope, and bottom climbing on single pitch venues around the UK. It is considered a must have instructional ticket for most outdoor centres around the country. The award requires outdoor lead climbing at British Severe grade or higher. The RCI is a greater commitment then the CWI as it requires experience climbing both indoors and lead climbing at outdoor venues. Berkhamsted school run two annual climbing trips in the UK as well as a biannual overseas trip allowing for individuals to gain experience climbing indoors and outdoors. The award usually takes between 6 and 12 months to achieve or sooner for experienced individual
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
Mountaineering and Walking
Hill and Moorland Leader
Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round.
Get away from the paths and enjoy our wild places as a Hill and Moorland Leader. This qualification is ideal for walkers who want to learn the skills required for effective group leadership in the hill and moorland areas of the UK and Ireland.
Mountain Leader The Mountain Leader scheme is designed for people who want to lead groups in the mountains, hills and moorlands of the UK and Ireland. If you love being out in the mountains and want to share your enthusiasm with others, become a Mountain Leader and you’ll never look back. Both awards require a committed undertaking with either award requiring at least 40 logged days in the relevant environment. At Berkhamsted School you will conduct multiple mountain expeditions in the Brecon Beacon mountains, Snowdonia and Lake District as well as lowland expeditions locally in the Chilterns, New Forest, and peak district. In order to achieve the ML or HML additional days will need to be pursued. Either award can be pursued but the ML gives greater scope. Achieving either award takes around a year of commitment.
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
Water Sports
Although Berkhamsted is a long way away from many large rivers or the sea we conduct a Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round. DofE Gold programme that includes paddle sports with plans of a Canoe expedition running in August of 2023. We recognise that paddling and having a paddling ticket is an important step in qualification at outdoor centres. We see paddle sports as an additional activity that could be pursued as part of your professional development.
Canoe Award This award tests the competencies of the canoeing ability and replaces the old star system that used to be used by British Canoeing. The award will give you the competencies to progress your ability to control and paddle an open canoe in up to grade two rapids. This award along with a paddle sports leader award opens possibilities to progress onto the leadership awards in canoeing. The award can be achieved with a little commitment over a few weekends providing that you are able to pick up the required skills to pass the assessment quickly.
Paddle Sports Leader Award
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
This award will support you to run safe and enjoyable trips, based on your group’s needs Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round. and aspirations. You will lead journeys, on sheltered water, for a range of mixed craft. As a Leader, you can work independently or be deployed by a club, centre, or organisation to lead trips and journeys. The purpose of these trips may be wide ranging from educational experiences, social adventures or trying something new. After completing the paddle sports leader award, you will be able to run kayaking and canoe session on a mix of craft in sheltered water environments. This award is well worth pursuing if you can master your own paddling on sheltered water. The award can be achieved in around 3 months with some commitment to practicing personal paddling skills.
Canoe Leader Award
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
If you are already a competent paddler you may consider the White-Water Canoe award. Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round. This leadership award allows you to guide and lead groups on graded rapids across the UK up to grade two. To achieve the award, you will need to be a competent canoe paddler and have a logbook of experience on graded rivers and on mulit-day trips. This is committed undertaking that requires at least 3 years previous experience paddling plus holding of a white-water safety rescue certificate and attending the training and passing the assessment for this award. It will only be able to be undertaken if you have previous experience and a passion to develop your canoeing leadership in white water.
Centre based activities The school runs and operates a series of games sessions based at our Haresfoot site which includes a high ropes course and adventure park course designed to develop pupil’s confidence and ability to deal with stressful situations. You will receive training in all activities undertaken at the school including training in the above qualifications. However, in house training is not nationally recognised and as such we would want to push successful candidates to pursuit qualifications in the activities undertaken on site.
Archery GB Instructor
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
The Archery GB Instructor Award is the industry’s leading training course for archery. Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round. The course is designed for learners with little or no prior experience of archery. Learners must be at least 17 years old by the first day of the course. The course is a two-day course and includes a practical assessment. The successful learner will gain an Archery GB Instructor licence which lasts for three years. After this it can be renewed by successfully completing an online renewal module. The licence does not provide the instructor with insurance. These are some of the skills you will learn on the course: How to shoot arrows How to prepare and deliver archery sessions How to select appropriate equipment How to set up a range How to ensure safety on the range
ERCA high and low ropes
Make sure to use Gills Sans Font
The Traditional Ropes Course Instructor course is designed for anybody who operates or Hours of work: 8.30am-5pm Monday to Friday, all year round. works on traditional high ropes courses; these are courses with activities such as Jacob’s Ladder, Leap of Faith, High All Aboard and Crate Challenge etc. Typically, these courses use an assisted belay system. This course meets the standard for a person to be qualified as a European Ropes Course Association (ERCA) Traditional High Ropes Course Instructor as set out in EN15567 part 2. The high and low ropes course offers facilitation of learning tips to help make you a better instructor and is a week-long. The ERCA Adventure Park Course is an additional 2-day course that adds experience on adventure park courses such as those seen at go ape and other establishments. Although the courses are useful you will receive all training to instruct at the high ropes course regardless of if you wish to pursuit this award.
Outdoor First Aid Working in the outdoors industry requires you to hold a 16-hour first aid certificate which we will look to organise early on if you are successful.
D1 Driving Licence If you are over 21 and have been driving for 3 or more years you may be able to pursuit the D1 endorsement for driving allowing you to drive minibuses of up to 21 seats. This endorsement is very useful for anyone wishing to work in an outdoors centre anywhere in the country.