Sailing instructor

Sailing instructors teach people to sail yachts and boats.

• Starter salary£16,000 a year
• Experienced£28,000 a year
• Typical hours36 to 38 a week

What you'll do

In your day-to-day duties you could:

• prepare and present lessons
• teach safety on dry land and drills on water
• demonstrate boat handling and sailing techniques
• assess your students' abilities
• keep attendance records
• record and report accidents or boat damage
• inform students of changes to lessons due to bad weather
• help to maintain the boats

Working environment

You could work in a sailing club or at a marina.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers and physically active.

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
• the ability to teach pupils how to do something
• leadership skills
• the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
• thinking and reasoning skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

How to become a sailing instructor

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• specialist courses run by professional bodies

College

You could work towards this job by doing a relevant college course, for example:

• Level 3 Diploma in Sport and Outdoor Activities

You'll need to check that your chosen course includes the professional qualifications to become a sailing instructor.

Entry requirements

You may need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You could start by doing an outdoor activities instructor advanced apprenticeship.

This usually takes around 12 months to complete as a mix of learning on the job and study.

Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other routes

You can do Royal Yachting Association (RYA) courses . The RYA is the national governing body for sailing, and sets standards for training instructors.

You'll need to be:

• over 16 years old
• physically fit and able to swim
• a competent, experienced sailor

You'll also need to pass a sailing assessment and do further study before you can start training as a sailing instructor with the RYA.

Courses are done at local sailing clubs or with private training companies.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• be over 16 years of age

You'll need to be a member of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to qualify or revalidate as an RYA instructor.

Career path and progression

You could move into a supervisory or management job within a sailing club.

You could also become an instructor for other types of sailing vessels, like yachts and powerboats.

Sailing instructors can work on a contract or freelance basis.

Career tips

You'll need to requalify as a sailing instructor every 5 years, and must have a valid first aid certificate.

Guides for this industry

• Education & Teaching: pay, interviews and getting started →

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