Who's an Adventure Sports Instructor?
Love the idea of climbing tall mountains, swimming with marine life or jumping out of a plane and watching the ground get closer? For any other person, that’s just a special adventure, but for an adventure sports instructor, it’s a part and parcel of their daily life!
Adventure sports instructors, as the name suggests, train and guide enthusiasts for all kinds of adventure sports activities. These could be land activities like rock climbing or snowboarding, water activities like river rafting or scuba diving, or air activities like bungee jumping or sky diving. As an adventure sports instructor, you may choose to specialise in a particular activity and train people to attempt these activities in challenging areas.
As an adventure sports instructors, you could work with various sports clubs, tourism firms and companies that specialise in adventure activities. You could also start your own adventure sports organisation. Your primary job will be helping people get their adrenaline fix through adventure sports.
Do you love going on adventures? Want to pursue it as a future career option? Explore a day in the life of an Adventure Sports Specialists- Mrs. Dipti Thakoor and Mr. Chandan
What will you do?
Where will you work?
How do you get there?
What skills would you need?
Technical Skills
Technical skills refer to the specific knowledge and abilities required to perform particular tasks, often related to technology, engineering, computer science, or specialized fields. These skills encompass a wide range of competencies, including proficiency in software applications, programming languages, data analysis tools, and technical writing. Mastering technical skills allows individuals to effectively utilise tools and technologies relevant to their job roles. Strong technical skills will enable professionals to troubleshoot issues, implement solutions, and contribute to innovation within their organisations. build this skill
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail means being careful and noticing small things that others might miss. It involves checking your work carefully for mistakes, following instructions exactly, and making sure everything is done correctly. This skill helps you do accurate work and avoid errors. In jobs, attention to detail is important for tasks like writing reports, managing data, or following safety rules. build this skillHow do you make it to the top ranks?
Trainee
You will be involved with observing and learning the ropes at this stage. You would help with the maintenance of equipment, assist the trainer with sessions where you can be used as an example of what should and should not be done. Your main focus must be on learning.
Assistant
At this stage, you will perform more administrative tasks such as keeping client records, collecting forms, handling applications, etc. You could also take on training session and activities under the supervision of your seniors.
Specialist
You will lead your own groups of people into performing different sports activities. You will train them, prepare them, help them understand the risks and join them in the activities from time to time.
Administrator
Once you have gained a couple of years of experience, you can be involved in planning activities, deciding adventure spots, procuring equipment, etc. You can even start your own firm or training school.
Pursuing your career locally VS abroad
To become an adventure sports instructor in India, you don’t really require any formal qualification, but experience earned is unparallel. Register yourself for a course at any institute offering a certified training course in India. Pursuing adventure sports in India gives you a good idea of the market here and would help you get a job easily. With lots of adventure startups, holiday resorts, commercial recreation centres, athletic clubs setting up in India, there is a good demand for adventure sports instructors in the country. Top institutes from where you can pursue adventure sports training in India are Himalayan Mountaineering Institute Darjeeling, Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering, Winter Sports Skiing Centre, National Institute of Watersports, Wings and Flights, etc. The duration of these course range from a few weeks to months. The fee for a certified adventure sports course ranges from anywhere between INR 14,000 – INR 20,000 depending on the duration and the university you are getting trained from.
Pursuing adventure sports training overseas would give you an opportunity to travel and explore the world and also interact with the people there. By building a good network, you can always look to get a job in the country you are pursuing the course from. Top universities from where you can pursue adventure sports training abroad are the Northeast Bay State College, Granite State College, Granite State College, Southern Vermont College, Salem State University, etc. The duration of these course range between two to six months, depending on the area of specialisation and university you have opted for. The cost of pursuing the course abroad is anywhere between INR 4,00,000 – INR 10,00,000. Pursuing adventure sports overseas helps you learn various techniques and skills that would help you enhance your knowledge in the field. From handling equipment to interacting with clients, the courses abroad help you touch base with everything that you require to establish a successful career in this field.
How much would you get paid?
The exact number will depend on which activity you specialise in, your location, skill-set, etc. But here's a rough idea.
What are your career options?
Adventure Tour Facilitation
An adventure tour facilitator is a professional expert in executing fun and challenging adventure sports activities for the tourists/campers. You would assist in developing safe sports activities and also in preparing documents of operation, safety and emergency procedures. Your job would also involve identifying and reporting potential risks associated with the operation of the camps adventure programmes.
Adventure Camping
Adventure camp counsellors are responsible for creating a safe, positive, energetic and enjoyable environment for the campers. You will be required to follow all safety and operational procedures as regulated by the organisation. You would assist the guides in performing various sports activities such as mountain climbing, rock climbing, rafting, etc.
Trekking and Mountain Guidance
Trekking and mountain guides escort individuals or groups on sightseeing tours on mountains. You would guide participants on basic techniques of climbing on rocks, snow and ice. You would need good knowledge of map reading, navigation, mountainous areas and medical hygiene. There is a huge demand for trek and mountain guides in India as the mountains here offer good cultural and heritage site tours.
Adventure Tour Guidance
Adventure tour guides lead groups of tourists on different outdoor activities such as snowboarding, camping, skiing, rafting, backpacking, etc. You would need good knowledge of all the sports activities and should have effective communication skills. You would also need to have strong risk management policies in place and a thorough understanding of administering first aid to help tourists in case of any health emergency.
Water and Aero Sports
This is one of the best career options for people who love water and air sports. You can opt to become a rafting or paragliding specialist, provide training or guide tourists on how to do the activities. You will need to go through a rigourous training course to be qualified to get a job in this field.
Gear Designing
If you enjoy adventure sports and have a knack for designing, you can establish a career in the field of gear designing. Your job would involve designing adventure gear and accessories that are lucrative as well as safe to use. There is a huge demand for gear designers due to varying sports activities that involve using gears and equipment for safety and fun purpose. A degree in fashion technology or fashion designing would help you here. You can pursue these from the National Institute of Fashion Technology or Pearl Academy in India.
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