OUTDOOR ACTIVITY INSTRUCTOR ACADEMY

Like the idea of living by the coast, and getting paid to work in the outdoors with fresh air in your lungs? Then a career as an outdoor activity instructor could be just what you’re after. 

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Newquay Activity Centre to offer our Women + Waves Outdoor Activity Instructor Academy. Run over three months, the course will harness you with all the training, skills and assessments you need to get qualified. It could see you bag a job in Newquay, New Zealand, Morocco, Bali or beyond. This is your ticket to a life on the beach. 

You’ll learn how to instruct, guide, coach and save lives at sea, in Newquay – the UK’s surf capital. What’s more, you’ll get real on-the-job experience – as part of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to shadow top instructors at Women + Waves Weekends and Retreats.  

The group on your course won’t be all-female, but you’re sure to meet other like-minded women – and mates for life. You’ll be united by your passion for the outdoors and a desire to get into the outdoor industry and live a healthy lifestyle, in Cornwall or further afield.

Coastal living embraces the best of the outdoors – from wild swims before work, to lunchtime surfs and sunset stand-up paddleboarding sessions. We want to share this lifestyle with you. This is your ticket to follow your passion and live the life you’ve always wanted.

Like the idea of waking up to a sea view in a self-catering apartment that’s a short walk from the beach? We have twin and single room options available in our coastal holiday apartments. It’s not essential that you stay in our accommodation, but those that do absolutely love it. Accommodation is not included in the course price.  See our Price tab for costs.

Choose from Sunset Views Apartment in Pentire and Newquay Bay Apartment at The Harbour, which both sleep up to four people and are handily located near Newquay’s beaches, shops, restaurants and cafes.

Newquay Activity Centre’s ‘Sunset Views’ Apartment, Pentire, Newquay 

Overlooking Pentire headland, this hugely spacious, two-bedroom apartment has amazing sea views and is excellently located near to Fistral beaches and Newquay town centre. You can also stroll to the Gannel Estuary or Crantock Beach in five minutes, taking either the coastal path or main road.

Located on the third floor (with elevator or stairs access), the apartment has  a spacious open-plan kitchen diner with Juliet balcony that receives the sun all morning. The diner has a large dinner table which is a great space to work or eat as it has inspiring views across Fistral. A large lounge with a sofa bed and a private, south-facing balcony. It’s perfect for catching some sun, checking the surf and watching those candy floss pink sunsets. It has the rare benefit of sun from dawn until dusk and is at the highest point in Newquay so the views from both sides of the apartment are stunning.

The two bedrooms have twin beds, wardrobe, drawers, bedside table and reading light. Both rooms have sea views. One is en suite with two hand basins, bath, shower and toilet. There is also another separate bathroom and toilet.

Newquay Activity Centre’s ‘Newquay Bay’ Apartment, The Harbour, Newquay

Just a two-minute stroll to Newquay Harbour (one of our favourite wild swim spots) and the town centre, this modern, quiet, two-bedroom apartment overlooks Newquay Bay. Based within the Newquay Activity Centre building, you’ll be only 30 seconds from your daily course.

The apartment was brand new in 2021 with a new kitchen, bathroom, fixtures and fittings. The huge lounge dining room has a sofa bed and huge 52” TV.  The dining table lends itself to group meals or a great place to work. The south facing courtyard – perfect for catching some sun or drying wetsuits. The lounge has 4 large windows that look across Towan, Great Western and 5 more beaches with views as far as Watergate Bay. Perfect for checking the surf each morning.

We often transform the huge lounge in to a lush workspace to deliver some aspects of the course.

The two bedrooms are both twins with wardrobe, drawers, bedside tables and reading lights.

Course days are Monday – Thursday 9am – 4.30pm. There will be a mixture of time spent in the classroom and on the water.

You’ll develop your skills and get trained in:

• Surfing
• Coasteering
• Beach Lifeguarding
• Stand-Up Paddleboarding
• Kayaking 
• Bodyboarding
• Bodysurfing/Hand planing
• Bushcraft
• Team Building
• First Aid
• And more… 

Your day-to-day schedule might include:

• Planning and preparing activities
• Participating, explaining, advising on and demonstrating activities
• Instructing in specialist areas e.g surfing or stand-up paddleboarding 
• Making sure all equipment and facilities are safe and clean
• Explaining safety procedures and carrying out risk assessments
• Completing log / work books and theory
• Centre cleaning and kit management
• Pre-class swims and post-work surf sessions go without saying – expect some real camaraderie on the course. We’ll do our very best to show you the most amazing beaches, coves, estuaries and gullies in Newquay!

We aim to supply you with the toolbox to become a successful outdoor instructor. This isn’t just leading activities – it also includes the less glamorous side of the job such as kit management and risk assessments. These small parts all build the bigger picture of a successful, internationally employable instructor. 

Pre-requisites:

You don’t need any previous qualifications to enrol on this programme. You also don’t need to be proficient in the course activities.  You do not need to be able to surf, we will teach you all the skills you need to become an instructor.

However, this course requires competent swimming skills and a good level of fitness. Are you passionate about the coastal environment? Great! You’ll also need excellent leadership and communication skills. Your office for the next three months will be beautiful beaches and your colleagues will be other like-minded outdoor lovers.

Paid work during the course

If you need to work while you are following the course please let us know. We hold relationships with local companies that offer flexible working hours so that you can receive paid work during the time that you are following the course. This ranges from care work, shop employment to other freelance rolls.

The course includes training/assessment, as well as shadowing hours, so you can instruct in a variety of areas. You’ll get the chance to find direct employment and further training opportunities, depending on your interests and abilities.

• 18+ years old
• Able to swim 
• Enthusiasm to learn
• Good level of fitness 

After the course:

After successful completion of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to interview for a job as an instructor or event manager with Women + Waves. You’ll also have the chance to interview to work for Newquay Activity Centre as a multi-activity instructor or within their logistics/bookings team. There will also be paid work available with their sister company Bodyboard-Holidays. And you’ll gain invaluable experience shadowing at Women + Waves events.

Newquay Activity Centre has an instructor exchange programme in place with (among others) an activity centre in New Zealand. Successful instructors who are looking for year round work can be employed from spring to autumn in Cornwall and then travel to New Zealand to work the summer season there.

Over the course you’ll have the opportunity to gain the following qualifications:

• ISA/Surfing England Level 1 Surf Coach
• RLSS National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification (NVBLQ)
• SLSGB Surf Coach Safety and Rescue Award
• BC Paddlesport leader award  (SUP & Kayak)
• In House Coasteering Guide award
• In House Super SUP leader
• In House Bushcraft & Foraging
• In House Snorkelling and wildlife awareness
• In House Incident management, safety and rescue
• In House Level 1 Bodyboard Coach (1st ever in the UK )
• Outdoor First Aid Award

Additional training included:

• Safeguarding
• RIDDOR awareness
• Risk Assessing (including COVID 19 RA)
• Health & Safety in the Workplace
• Manual Handling
• Longevity in the industry & personal development
• Interview & CV writing skills
• Coaching barriers and adaptations
• Team Building and icebreakers
• Housekeeping, (invoicing, time management, professionalism)

WOMEN + WAVES OUTDOOR ACTIVITY INSTRUCTOR ACADEMY £5,399 per person 

ALSO INCLUDED : 

• Equipment use in and outside of course hours (Surfboards, Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP), Super SUP, Bodyboards, Fins etc)
• Discounts with Rip Curl, outdoor brands and local businesses
• Regular surfing and swimming coaching sessions
• Unlimited shadowing hours
• Work experience and live group experience
• Opportunity to work with Women & Waves and Bodyboard Holidays
• One-on-one skills clinics when required
• Final assessment & employment planning
• Guaranteed interview for a lead instructor role at Newquay Activity Centre, Women + Waves and Bodyboard-Holidays
• Subsidised kit package
• Opportunities for paid flexible work alongside the training course (please ask for details)
• Access to an exchange program through Newquay Activity Centre’s partners in New Zealand and other international surf camps and activity centres.

ACCOMMODATION

Sunset Views Apartment £600pp per month

Newquay Bay Apartment £500pp per month

This is for a shared twin, same sex room.

Apartment allocation is made by us and determined by the dynamic of the students on the course. You will be told which apartment you will be staying in, a week prior to the course start date. Both are great, so don’t stress! Full payment for accommodation is due 6 weeks prior to the course start date.

HOW DO I BOOK? 

• If you’d like to book please click our ‘Book Now’ complete the online form and we will be in touch.
• Once paid you’ll be sent an email confirmation and an enrolment form to complete.
• Payment plans are available.

Due to the ever-changing restrictions around COVID-19, we are constantly monitoring the latest news and making sure our practices are always up to date with Government guidelines. Any classroom work will follow all relevant social distancing guidelines and will be explained in full on your first day. The majority of your classroom work will be delivered via Zoom. Outdoor sessions are delivered in suitable ratio, at distance. We will ask those travelling from high Tiers to present negative Covid tests.

We ask all of our students to be transparent and honest if they, or any member of their family, develop any COVID-19 related symptoms. If you think you may have contracted the virus, we ask you to self-isolate for the appropriate amount of time (generally two weeks) before joining the course or returning to the course.

It’s important for us to stress that you will not miss out on the course as we are able to offer online learning through platforms such as Zoom while you are self-isolating. We have delivered this successfully on numerous occasions. We are regularly updating our Covid policy in respect of this course and can supply it to you upon request. All pupils receive the policy as part of their pre arrival information.