Teaching Sailing with JST, St Mawes Sailing Club

Most of our instructors learned to sail with JST. If you are interested in becoming an instructor read on!

You will need to be:

* A good dinghy sailor, who enjoys sailing in their own time
* Able to commit to working on set days, and to turn up on time on those days!
* Be patient with young children, remembering that was you only a few years ago.

In return we will help you with your training and advise you as and when to progress on to the next level.

The first stage is as a ‘Probationer’ working towards being an Assistant Instructor. You will be supporting an experienced Dinghy Instructor – helping to get the boats ready, keeping an eye on the children etc. This is subject to a probationary period of 1 week, to check for suitability to the task. After at least 20 hours in this role the Senior Instructor/Training Manager can sign you off as an Assistant Instructor (AI). You will also need to have taken one of the RYA’s advanced dinghy modules – Seamanship/Day Sailing/Spinnaker handling. It would also be preferable (but is not a requirement) if you have an RYA Powerboat Level 2 and a First Aid certificate.

AIs always work under the supervision of a Dinghy Instructor or a Senior Instructor, and the certificates are valid at St Mawes Sailing Club.

After a season or two of working as an AI and depending on your age (minimum 16), maturity and the Training Manager’s assessment, you can progress towards becoming a Dinghy Instructor (DI). The first stage is your pre-entry sailing assessment coordinated by an RYA Coach/Assessor. For this you will need to demonstrate that you are a confident and competent dinghy sailor.

Having passed your sailing assessment you can then enrol for your Instructor training course which lasts 4-5 days . Additional requirements are Powerboat Level 2 and First Aid. Your DI certificate will be recognised not just in St Mawes but across the world in RYA training Centres, so it will be a useful qualification. The cost of doing your Dinghy Instructor qualification is down to the individual, but will be at cost if provided by St Mawes SC.

At the start of each season (usually over the Easter holidays) we organise our own staff training for Probationers, Assistant instructors and Dinghy Instructors. This will include;
* On the water training, including powerboat refresher and for DIs leading a teaching session
* Ensuring familiarity and understanding of the Centre’s operation procedures
* An understanding of Child Protection issues
* First Aid course (charged at cost)
* Powerboat level 2 or safety boat courses (subsidised by the Club but charged at £50 per person)
* VHF courses, usually bi-annually

If you want to work for JST in the summer you will need to attend the pre-season training each year. To apply please contact our Training Manager

Current rates of pay:
Probationer £10 per day (£0 without Powerboat 2).
AI £35 per day
DI £ 60 per day

More information about teaching sailing is available in the RYA’s G14 Instructor log book, and on the RYA website www.rya.org.uk