Instructing - Learn To Sail/Learn To Race
The Canadian Yachting Association Instructor Development Program is one of the most highly regarded instructor training programs in the world. Certified instructors are in high demand across Canada and around the world.
Becoming a sailing instructor is a great way to teach others how to enjoy and excel at our sport. It’s also one of the best ways to spend your summer! There are hundreds of jobs and volunteer opportunities within BC to work with sailors of all ages and abilities.
There are 4 steps to becoming a certified sailing instructor: prerequisites, theory, technical and evaluation. All instructors had to read, sign and adhere to the Code of Conduct. Trained and Certified instructors must register with CYA and submit the annual coach/instructor dues to the CYA office. These annual dues cover the cost of instructor liability insurance as well as contributing to program development.
Prerequisites:
The minimum age to be a sailing instructor is 16. You can participate in clinics in the year you turn 16, but you will not be insurable until your 16th birthday.
The prerequisite courses are a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC), emergency-level first aid, a swimming award (Boat Rescue, Bronze Medallion or Bronze Cross), and a Bronze 4 or 5 certificate.
Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC): Every operator of a motor boat in Canada now has to have proof of competency in the form of a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. If you do not have your PCOC yet, you can take a test online or in person from an accredited school. You can also email your LF to arrange to take the test. This card never expires.
First Aid: Emergency level is the minimum required for a learn-to-sail coach, but Standard or higher acceptable. The courses offered by St. John Ambulance or Red Cross are recommended. These courses expire every 3 years. It is strongly recommended that you complete your First Aid course before Boat Rescue.
St. John Ambulance: http://www.sja.ca/BCYukon/Pages/default.aspx
Swimming Awards: Boat Rescue is the recommended course, and is a one-day course offered through BC Sailing. Bronze Cross and Bronze Medallion or higher are also acceptable. Boat Rescue expires every 3 years, and Bronze Cross and Bronze Medallion expire every 2 years. It is strongly recommended that you complete your First Aid course before Boat Rescue. You must also have your PCOC before participating in a Boat Rescue clinic.
Sailing Certificate: Every White Sail Instructor must be able to sail at a Bronze 4 level or higher (minimum Bronze 5 for Bronze Sail Instructors). This is shown by providing a copy of the CYA certificate you received at the end of your Bronze 4 or 5 sailing course. You will also have the opportunity to prove your sailing ability at the Technical Clinic. If you did not participate in a Bronze Sail course but know that your sailing ability is high enough, or if you did not receive a CYA certificate at the end of your sailing course, send an email to your LF.
A copy of all prerequisites must be sent to BC Sailing prior to registering with CYA. Please attach a copy of this form when submitting your prerequisites to BC Sailing. In order to process your CYA registration, your prerequisites must be received by BC Sailing prior to your Technical cliinic.
Theory:
The Fundamental Course is the required theory portion, and is a prerequisite for all future coaching courses. The Fundamental is a 2.5-day course which covers the theory behind coaching including professionalism, ethics, risk management, skill development, teaching methods, and planning a practice. The online ethics test must be completed at the end of the Fundamental Course. Fundamental courses are usually offered in February, March and June.
Technical:
The technical portion is completed at a Technical Clinic. At your technical clinic, you will be using the theory you learned in the Fundamental course to create and teach land and water lessons. This is a very hands-on course, so come prepared to go out on the water on day one!
There are 3 Technical Clinics offered. The White Sail Coach (Technical 1) Clinic is for coaches who wish to teach White Sail levels. The Bronze Sail Coach (Technical 2) clinic is for those coaches who wish to teach Bronze Sail levels. You can only teach the level you are certified in (ie. Bronze Sail coaches who are not also White Sail certified can only teach Bronze Sail). It is strongly recommended that first-year coaches take the White Sail Coach course, then the Bronze Sail Coach course after gaining some experience. The Level 3 coach technical clinic is for coaches who want to coach race teams or racing programs.
There are 2 outcomes from a technical clinic: in-training and trained. Coaches who are in-training need to redo some portion of the clinic, possibly teaching another lesson to become trained. Trained coaches are those who have completed the course and, provided they have all of their prerequisites and have paid their CYA instructor dues, can teach the appropriate CYA courses. The majority of instructors will be trained at the end of their technical course. Once you are trained, go out and coach!
Evaluation:
Once you feel comfortable coaching, you can contact BC Sailing to arrange for an evaluation, the final step to completing your coaching course. There are evaluation clinics held in September, or you have the opportunity for an Evaluator to come to your club or school. Upon a successful evaluation, you are certified and can then further your coaching career by taking more courses. Your evaluation must take place by December 31 of the year after you became trained. For example, if you received your trained status in May 2010, you must complete your evaluation by December 31, 2011.
Professional Development Courses:
In addition to the technical clinics, there BC Sailing is offering Professional Development courses available to all instructors and coaches, including first-year instructors. The one-day Optimist, Single-Handed (Laser) and Double-Handed modules teach instructors rigging and technical skills and are taught by LFs who specialize in each class. The Optimist module is required for those instructors wishing to teach Wet Feet or Optimist courses.
The Camp Instructor course is a basic one-day course for instructors who will spend the summer teaching basic sailing skills without awarding CYA levels in a summer camp.
The Program Manager module is for those who wish to learn the skills necessary to run a successful sailing school. Typically, this course is for sailing school directors and Bronze Sail certified instructors who wish to become a head coach.
Instructor Resources- report cards, teaching aids, etc.
BC Sailing Training Bursary Fund
BC Sailing offers Training Bursary to assist candidates in need of financial aid who are taking courses to improve their qualifications as Instructors or Race Officials by payment of a protion of the travel, registration, and course registration fees, please click here to download an application.
