Career opportunities as an adventure sports instructor

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Adventure Sports Instructor, as the name itself reveals, is a specialist in providing training in adventure sports, be they Water Sports like Scuba Diving, White Water Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing, Cliff Diving, Snorkelling, Yacht Racing, Powerboat Racing, Wind Surfing, etc., Air Sports like Bungee Jumping, Paragliding, Sky Diving, Sky Surfing, etc., or Land adventure sports like Rock Climbing, Skateboarding, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, Trekking, Adventure Racing, Land and Ice Yachting, etc.

With the spreading of awareness among the masses about adventure tourism, hill resort culture, and the involvement of media channels like National Geographic, Discovery, AXN, etc., people have become more aware of adventure sports activities around them and want to plan an adventure holiday, thereby increasing demand for these experts as professional trainers.

Thus, adventure sports instructors have a good future in this field of Adventure Tourism. A lot of glamour has also been attached to this field at a higher level because of the worldwide approach of the adventure sports mass media. To become a successful Adventure Sports instructor, one must possess the necessary know-how and expertise in the field.

To get the necessary expertise, one can go for one or more of the following short-term and full-time long-term courses to make it a career: It requires a lot of hard work and effort, but at the same time, it offers enormous scope for building one’s career.

Former players, as well as young, energetic people with a desire and capacity for hard work, can get both money and satisfaction, along with the name and fame now attached to adventure sports.

Adventure Sports Instructor Eligibility

The desirable qualification required to become an Adventure Sports Instructor is the 12th grade with Physical Education as one of the subjects (it is not compulsory, although), followed by certification from any Adventure sports institute.

Important: Good swimming skills are mandatory for water-based sports. Also, proficiency in English or some foreign languages can be handy to handle foreign Adventure Sports enthusiasts.

Adventure Sports Instructors must have enthusiasm for sports, excellent communication skills, and the ability to inspire confidence and motivate participants.

They should have determination and patience, good organisational skills, and a sensitive and supportive approach.

They should have physical stamina and a commitment to sports participation for all.

How do I become an Adventure Sports Instructor?

There is no formal qualification required for those aspirants who themselves have been involved with Adventure sports as players. Former and senior adventure sportspersons can get the job as Assistant Sports Instructors (after getting the necessary certification or licence) owing to their knowledge and experience of the sport as players.

With some experience in the field as assistants, they can rise to the position of main instructors or chief instructors in due course of time. However, those aspirants who have a non-playing background but are energetic and have good knowledge of sport can undergo formal training and get into this field as instructors by following the below-given steps:

Step 1

An interested candidate has to join some adventure sports institutes or clubs like the National Institute of Water Sports and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering to do short-term adventure sports courses offered by them.

Step 2

Once they have completed the training successfully, they are provided certifications or licences that enable them to be eligible to become Adventure Sports Instructors.

List of institutes providing courses related to Adventure Sports instructors

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Jawahar Parvat, Darjeeling (www.hmi-darjeeling.com)

Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi (www.nimindia.net)

Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, IISM, Gulmarg (www.iismgulmarg.com)

Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports, Anantnag (www.jawaharinstitutepahalgam.com)

Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali (www.dmas.nic.in/)

Regional Mountaineering Centre, McLeodganj

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali

High Altitude Trekking & Skiing Centre, Narkanda, Shimla

Regional Adventure Sports Centre, Hatkoti, Shimla (HP)

Mountaineering Sub-Centre Jispa, Lahaul, and Spiti (HP)

Mountaineering Sub-Centre Bharmour, Chamba (HP)

The Ballooning Club Of India, New Delhi

National Institute of Water Sports, Aivao, Goa (www.niws.nic.in)

Adventure Sports Instructor Job Description

Adventure Sports require not only sporting skills but also a lot of motivation to perform adventurous acts, as they involve a certain amount of risk-taking. Thus, an Adventurous Sports instructor's Job description includes much more than teaching sporting skills. His work involves guiding groups through group initiatives, teaching proper spotting techniques, and teaching proper care and maintenance of ropes, carabineers, harnesses, and other life-supporting equipment, as they are very important for performing any kind of act properly. Besides this, he encourages campers and staff to try new sports and participate in other aspects of camp life. An Adventure Sports Instructor has to perform all those duties that may be assigned to him by the Adventure/Sports Director, Village Director, Programme coordinator, or Camp Director.

Adventure Sports Instructor Career Prospects

Enormous employment opportunities are available for Adventure Sports Instructors in private as well as public sector organisations. They can get a job in Excursion agencies, Holiday resorts, leisure camps, commercial recreation centres, sports centres, and athletic clubs. Tourism Departments, Adventure Sports clubs, hill resorts, etc. also provide a good opportunity for these professionals. Trained Adventure Sports Instructors can also open their own academies with the financial aid provided to them by corporate houses and various state and central governments.

Adventure Sports Instructor Salary

As far as pay packages and salaries of Adventure Sports Instructors are concerned, they can get anything from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 as an Adventure Sports Instructor in some good Adventure Sports Clubs or Hill Resorts to start with. If one goes for Personal assignments, one can get as high as one can think of; all this depends upon one’s own ability and demand in the field concerned.