Q I'm now in a position where I have the time to gain my RYA Dinghy Instructor qualifications but is it a bit late in the season?
We have a lot of people asking when is the best time to do their instructor training and when they should start applying for jobs for the following summer. The simple answer is as soon as you can to give you the best chance of getting a favourable outcome, as well as being in a position to choose to teach at your venue of choice and available dates rather than simply the clubs and centres that happen to have demand when you are available.
So for the majority of school and university leavers, students in their holidays, and anyone who prefers warm winds and water, the summer holiday provide the perfect opportunity to work through their instructor qualifications. This way there is plenty of time to gain some work experience by volunteering at clubs and centres local to home and build an attractive CV ready for the majority of sailing schools to open then next season recruitment process in the autumn.
This is particularly important for instructors who are not able to commit to a full season (April to October) and / or are newly qualified, as these are the jobs that tend to be snapped up first. It is also an attractive prospect for anyone taking a year out and looking for a winter season in the snow followed by a summer season on the beach as many companies operate both summer and winter programmes and will look attractively at applicants that can fulfil a key role in one of the seasons.
So, put simply would you rather spend some hours on the water in the summer sunshine or winter gales which would you prefer? If you have the option of either I know what my choice would be…