Registration to National Association:

Anybody wishing to pursue a Paddlesport Instructor qualification is required to centrally register with the appropriate National Association, in the case of candidates residing / working in England this is British Canoeing. For those who live outside of England, the other National Associations for the UK are Canoe Wales, The Scottish Canoe Association, and The Canoe Association of Northern Ireland respectively. 

Once complete, you need to register for the award with your chosen National Association. This is an online process through your British Canoeing membership portal and is currently set at £45.oo.

When to Register:

We recommend that you register for the Paddlesport Instructor as early in your development journey as possible to access all of the support and learning resources. As a bare minimum and to support your learning we would recommend registering at least two weeks before starting your course. It is worth noting that as a course provider, we will need to see evidence of registration two weeks prior to attending.

To be suitably equipped to attend a Paddlesport Instructor course you need to meet two requirements outside of the formal registration processes outlined above.

Personal Paddling Ability:

As a practical, water-based course you need to be able to paddle your personal craft, either a canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboard (SUP) or sit on top independently on flat water in a sheltered environment to adequately meet the personal paddling skills assessment criteria. We find that paddlers that have completed the Paddle Discover/Explore Award, meet the old 2/3* standard or with around 70 hours of personal paddling experience can focus on the training and get the most out of their course.

Recognised Safety and Rescue Training:

Candidates upon registering for the Paddlesport Instructor course must have previously completed and have certification for attendance on either a Foundation Safety and Rescue Training (FSRT) or the new Paddlesport Safety and Rescue Course (PSRC).

Candidates with evidence of previously completing a Foundation Safety and Rescue Training course will still meet the prerequisites and do not need to attend a PSRT course unless compelled to do so in aid of the development of their own personal safety and rescue skills.

If you don’t currently hold either of these qualifications we run a number of PSRC courses throughout the year, however British Canoeing advise a period of at least 6 weeks between both courses to consolidate your skills and build upon experience. If you would like to see the dates we have available, click here. 

Pre-Course E-Learning:

The British Canoeing eLearning package is designed to support both current instructors and aspirant instructors through varying topics of knowledge and skill. There are 9 topics to choose from, along with a knowledge audit which will help you understand areas you may need to develop further. The activities are free to access, can be accessed in any order and each has a statement of participation that can be downloaded upon completion.

Simply choose the package you want to study and then open the link to access the eLearning.

Topics Include:

• Meeting Individual Needs
• Activities, Boats and Paddles
• Health and Safety
• Group Session Management
• Providing Feedback
• Delivering to Support Individual Needs
• Fundamental Skills
• Performance Models
• Your Philosophy
• Knowledge Audit

If you would like to access the eLearning package in question, please click here.

Assessment:

Our course tutors will inspire and promote learning through a wide range of practical activities, with the specific assessments for the course woven into and part of the overall learning, therefore, you can put your mind at ease and focus on enjoying the course.

By the end of the course you will have to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the following three areas:

• Profesional Standards
• Personal Paddling Skills
• Rescue Skills

You will know when, where and how you’re going to be assessed and have plenty of chances to shape those decisions. Upon successful completion of each of these tasks, the tutor will recommend you for certification. Certificates will be emailed to you with the craft stated on your certificate.

Please note, you do not need to repeat the BCAB Paddlesport Instructor course to have a certificate for every craft. It will be up to you where you work or volunteer to decide what you need to allow you to work in other craft, this could be by undertaking a Personal Performance Award or a competency check performed by your deployer.

If you’re nervous about your personal skills and want to make sure you’re ready for your course we suggest you drop us a message or give us a call. We’ll be able to talk through your worries, discuss the skills checklist in the course guide and where appropriate,  support you in gaining your Paddle Explore to check that you’re ready.