Deadpool2 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 7:32 pm
I am thinking of training to become one. Any advice, tips etc...
I was thinking more CBT sort of stuff, not the advanced stuff Spin does...
Thanks all. This is more of a hobby thing for me, not a career. I am trying to figure out what to do post retirement and if I don’t do something I will just veg.
I spent over a decade as a basic trainer (mostly alongside my post-test training) - I was one of the very first DAS qualified instructors in the country, and set a school up in Kent with a buddy 20 years ago... but I haven't been involved at basic level since 2007, so there will be more up to date advice.
HOWEVER...
1) it's not a hobby. It's a very serious job. You're frequently teaching the youngest, most vulnerable yoof to ride and mostly they don't want to listen - half of them had a go on their mate's scoot and think that qualifies them. You'll also be teaching older novice riders who often hold a car licence and may have considerable car driving experience and mostly they don't want to listen either - they don't think there's anything you can teach them about using the roads. Working with either group is almost always stressful and both think CBT is a con and the school's simply there to empty their wallets. And then there are the ones who are really nervous or just slow learners - it takes time to figure out how to approach riders who are struggling and often low in confidence. There ARE trainees there who really, genuinely want to learn to ride, who are receptive and pick it up quickly, and they are great to teach but they are a minority.
2) you may well have to put in some serious effort to get yourself up to scratch, even as a down-trained instructor, let alone a Cardington-assessed one. Aside from understanding core teaching techniques, there's a lot of basic theory to learn and your riding may need some tweaks too - can you perform Fig 8s, U-turns and e-stops to a good level? Just learning to use a radio link effectively takes time. It's not as simple as "turn up and give new riders a few tips" as one person some years back thought was all instructors did.
3) how are you going to get trained up? There are 'academy courses' but they are expensive, some promise jobs but the feedback I've had hasn't been great, and at the end of a week or even two weeks, it's unlikely you'll feel ready to run a CBT without supervision. I took a 6 day training course with CSM who were then the biggest bike school in the country. It was a very well thought-out course, and I learned a lot (I actually learned more about teaching than I did on a PGCE as it happens) but at the end of it I was nowhere near ready to run a real CBT.
4) the alternative is to get on-site training from an existing school where you'll work with a qualified instructor on site. In theory, this can work well but what often happens is that the instructor you're paired with is already working flat out to get their CBT trainees sorted and they don't have much time for a trainee instructor. This is what happened after my CSM training course - I spent several weeks at a CSM site trying to get qualified but was getting nowhere, occasionally getting some supervision whilst doing odd bits and pieces like fixing bikes with no pay/no expenses.
After a month, I switched schools to Cinque Ports in Kent where they put me under an experienced instructor. He put me through my paces, then set up courses for me to run and helped out where I needed it, before signing me off as downtrained about a fortnight later. But I'd say I still wasn't fully confident on CBTs for three months working full time. It'll take much longer if you're working just a few days a month - at another school I worked at, we had one guy training up for over a year, because he'd only ever come in on Sundays when the weather was nice. He never got anywhere near competent enough to be let loose with his own trainees. We all tried to avoid taking him on courses with us because it significantly added to our workload, having to deal with him too.
5) when you do qualify you'll often be getting to the school at 8am (possibly earlier) to get the bikes ready and prep equipment like radios, and not leaving again till after 6pm after you've fixed any damage to the bikes caused during the day, cleaned them and put them away. Don't count on a lunch break either. It's knackering.
6) most schools will want you at weekends for CBTs... usually both days, and every single weekend during the spring, summer and autumn. They may not be happy if you pick and choose dates.
7) You get paid naff all, you're almost certainly using your own bike in all weathers, and cleaning it after ten hours at the school probably won't be top of your list of priorities.
So deciding on boots is really the last of your priorities
