Instructor courses and certifications are generally required when a paddler is in a leadership role such as in clubs and youth organizations, outdoor ed programs and teaching private lessons. They are the best way to develop your paddling, communication, group management and other leadership and teaching skills. There are three possible paths to becoming an RCBAC Instructor:
1) Take an Instructor Course in the discipline you are interested in (Lake Water, Moving Water, Tripping, SUP, etc.).
2) Be mentored during courses. You can assist an Instructor Trainer during courses to gain experience and certification, without taking an instructor level course.
3) Transfer Your Previous Certifications. If you have previous experience or certifications from other organizations you may be able to transfer or challenge an RCABC certfication.
Take an Instructor Course
This is the traditional route to becoming an instructor. All instructor courses are advertised here on the RCABC website. For descriptions of instructor course content, visit each paddling discipline found on our home page.
The advantage of an instructor course is that you'll be learning with a group of other instructor candidates.Other advantages are that it is easier to focus on higher level skills, to practice, and and develop in a hands on but easy learning environment. Another advantage is that you typically get the certification all done at once.
Be Mentored During RCABC Courses
RCABC has developed a mentoring system to encourage the growth of more instructors. Find an Instructor Trainer that is running a course and ask to assist teaching, using the experience towards your instructor certification. This is particularly helpful in areas where courses do not happen often, or for certifications that are not as common. A person that is being mentored still needs to meet all of the conditions specified for that instructor certification. These are all specified in the RCABC Instructor Manual. Contact the Instructor Coordinator for more details.
Transfer Your Previous Certifications
RCABC welcomes anyone with any existing certification to apply for RCABC equivalency. Documents are submitted and examined by a small committee and the most appropriate certification is granted. If you are interested in this route, look at the certification descriptions on our home page to get a sense of RCABC's certifcation structure and details.
Note that all RCABC Instructor Certifications require proficiency in both tandem and solo skills and the Lakewater Instructor Level 2 Certification is a prerequisite for all of our other Instructor Certifications, excluding SUP. The skills developed paddling the RCABC Tandem and Solo circuits are vital to completing the Lakewater Instructor certification. Some certification equivalencies may require an on-the-water assessment, endorsement by a current RCABC instructor or a video submission.
An RCABC Instructor Certification Challenge is similar to an equivalency and requires submission of documents and on-the-water assessment of skills and teaching methods.
