Candidates from the 15+ Years Section who wish to train to become an instructor are required to do a "Sailing Assessment" Trial Day which will be held during the Junior Club sessions. This is open to any member who was an assistant instructor during the summer with us. The Assessment will focus on basic sailing techniques - we do not expect candidates to be expert sailors, just competant sailors. The candidates will be monitored and assessed by one of our Senior Coaches who will de-brief every candidate after the session.

Successful candidates will be invited to participate in the in-house training programme composing of advanced sail training in the mornings of the junior club and instructor training in the afternoon of the junior club.

Morning Advanced Sail Training:

This runs every Saturday morning and will comprise of training in a variety of Dinghies. Laser Picos will be used to hone basic skills and RS Fevas and Laser II's provide a platform for more advanced sailing. Candidates will be given all the training and direction they need to be as prepared as the can be for the Pre-Entry Assesment.

Afternoon Instructor Training:

Commitment and maturity on the part of the candidate are key to their success or failure - motivation, a 'can do' attitude and enthusiasm are what we need to see in a young sailor for us to take them on. Lack of knowledge is not a problem - that can be addressed over the course of the Junior Club. As part of the programme we cover countless areas, including:

- Presentation Skills - Public Speaking, Confidence Building etc.

- First Aid, VHF, Navigation, Code of Ethics and Powerboat Courses.

- Respect for Equipment: How to care for Boats, Wetsuits, Lifejackets etc.

- Clubhouse Logistics - Gents / Ladies, Classrooms, logistics.

- Hospitality - Meet & Greet, Problem solving, Liaising with parents and children.

- Punctuality, Appropriate Dress, Responsibility, Attitude, Respect.

- Understanding the transition from being a Sailing Student to becoming a Sailing Instructor - I am no longer the priority - the children I am teaching are.

All of the above topics will be covered in a live teaching roll where candidates will, under the direction of Instructors, will be given the opertunities to be involved in the teaching of Junior Courses. All of the candidates will be monitored by a senior instructor who will guide them through all of the skills needed for and componants of the RYA Dinghy Instructor Course.

Assignment 1

Assignment 2