Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a first-time paddle boarder, having the right kit is essential. The other key ingredient you should consider is how you will get the best use of the kit. An experienced instructor is an excellent investment in your outdoor experience, they will help you gain knowledge, maximise the fun, minimise the risk, and probably cost less than you think!

5 Benefits Of Hiring An Instructor

1. Safety: An experienced outdoor instructor can help you stay safe and injury free by teaching you proper techniques for using equipment, navigating terrain, and dealing with unexpected situations.
   
2. Skills development:   Admit it – there’s always room for improvement! By providing personalised instruction and feedback, an instructor will help you refine your techniques and learn new ones, whether you’re interested in hiking, camping, rock climbing, paddle boarding or another activity. Every day is a school day – embrace it and learn something new about your activity the next time you do it.
   
3. Confidence building:  Trying out new equipment or activities can be daunting. An instructor can provide guidance and encouragement to help you feel more confident and capable. Breaking down complex skills into manageable steps and providing positive feedback will help you build the confidence to tackle new challenges and enjoy the outdoors more.
   
4. Personalised instruction: You can watch YouTube Videos all day long, but they won’t give you feedback on whether you are doing it right or wrong. You have unique needs, and an outdoor instructor will tailor their instruction to your needs and goals.
   
5. Insider knowledge: An experienced instructor often has insider knowledge about local conditions, hidden gems, and the best times to visit certain areas.   They often have excellent local knowledge of the wildlife and flora in the area. They will point out interesting species, teach you about the area’s ecology, and help you appreciate the natural beauty.

How Do I Find A GOOD Instructor?

Finding an instructor using google search methods can be difficult as many outdoor instructors work independently and don’t have large marketing budgets. You can apply to join multiple Facebook groups, but instead, we recommend using a directory website like the Outdoor Activity Directory, which lists Freelance Instructors by area and activity. To keep choices simple, use this 4 point check list:

1. Qualifications. Look for an instructor with the relevant qualifications for the activity you want to undertake.   Accrediting bodies issue qualifications that have official training and assessment programmes. However, instructors tend to abbreviate the qualification names, such as ML for Mountain Leader, and abbreviations can make it difficult if you are unfamiliar with them. The Outdoor Activity Directory lists many of the Outdoor Instructor Qualifications and their common abbreviations to help you.
   
2. Availability. Where is the instructor based, and how far are they willing to travel to meet with you (or visa versa)? Most instructors have areas they know best, and going to these areas will probably be cheaper and enable you to expand your knowledge of the suitable regions for your activity. Be flexible with your requested day/time if possible, as most instructors do individual instructing part-time and only work on certain days of the week. You will also find that weekends in the Summer fill up quickly with work from regular customers or activity centres.
   
3. Recommendations & Reviews. Word of mouth from people you trust is the best recommendation you can get, so ask around within your friendship or work groups to see if anyone has used an Outdoor Instructor recently.   
   
   Failing that, you need to look at their reviews online but be careful it is surprisingly easy to generate fake reviews. Instead, look for reviews from an independent source such as Google, Facebook, Trip Advisor or Trust Pilot, including details on what they did with the instructor.
   
   5 * – “Joe Bloggs was brilliant – a great day.”
   
   5 * – “I am a new paddle boarder, and Joe was excellent at introducing me to the basics while giving my husband more challenging things to do.”
   
   The first review tells you nothing about how Joe works or what he did, and to be honest, Joe probably loved the review, but from your point of view, it’s useless.   The second review lets you know that Joe is good at beginner and improvement coaching – and can do both simultaneously!
   
4. Safety. Safety should probably be the first bullet, not the last. However, if an instructor has qualifications, they will have demonstrated the correct approach to safety during their assessment.
   
   If you are in doubt or have concerns, ask for an Activity Risk Assessment to gauge the safety approach of an instructor quickly. The Risk Assessment should include awareness of potential risks, the severity and likelihood of them happening, what the instructor does to reduce their risk, and the procedures should something go wrong. All good instructors will have these, so the alarm bells should be ready to ring if you have problems getting them!

How Much Does This Cost?

The cost of an instructor will depend mainly on their experience and qualifications, the distance you want them to travel and their availability will also play a part.

If you require beginner instruction and are willing to travel to their preferred location, then costs will probably start from around £150 a day. If you don’t want a whole day, expect to pay around £30-£40 an hour.

Instructors can work with more than one person at once, so you can split costs between a group of friends, or pay on a per-person basis if you are part of a larger group.

Freelance instructors are a great way to keep the costs down for a group booking for a corporate event, hen, or stag do. They can usually find additional instructors in their network if your group size is too large, (but only if you give them enough time).

Find Your Outdoor Instructor Now