Survival/Bushcraft Instructor, would you.....

[lannyman8]

Hi mate, you home from your "holls" then?

ha ha ha ha ha, no mate not yet, im still "chilling"...lol

posted soon after i get back but hope to get a brokers in before i go, but you know how it is, work, family and the move... the wee man is getting massive he has changes so so much since i was last home, cant wait to get back and have cuddles with the little Bear....

 

[demographic]

There are some very good people out there already doing the job, I imagine its quite a hard thing to get to the point where you are established.
Not impossible, hard.

 

[lannyman8]

There are some very good people out there already doing the job, I imagine its quite a hard thing to get to the point where you are established. Not impossible, hard.

this is very true, that being said, it is true of all trades and jobs in the world, i suppose its just having enough bottle to risk it and just have a go and see what happens i suppose????????

 

[TurboGirl]

I'd offer something to drag the lasses in too- wives are often the motivaters behind holiday choice so if you could offer an all round appeal- farm for the young uns, craft courses for the wives/ partners, excellent locally sourced produce, a choice of camp or glamp etc, it might help with the Unique Selling Point.... oh oh oh and an offroad landrover course!!! I'll be your experienced instructoer for that one!!! And it'll be like the best Alton Towers ride ever, we'll be MINTED, matey!! =D

 

[lannyman8]

oh oh oh and an offroad landrover course!!! I'll be your experienced instructoer for that one!!! And it'll be like the best Alton Towers ride ever, we'll be MINTED, matey!! =D

lol....its a deal, of i ever get enough land for all that with my pittance i will holler, but i dont think that will be any time soon, and i would be right there with you too... thanks Sally...

 

[Perrari]

There is that old saying 'Nothing ventured nothing gained' . As you say you have to take the risk.

this is very true, that being said, it is true of all trades and jobs in the world, i suppose its just having enough bottle to risk it and just have a go and see what happens i suppose????????

 

[lannyman8]

right, im off to bed folks, very late here, so keep safe all and thanks for the advise, will check in soon all being well.

regards.

chris.

 

[rik_uk3]

thanks Bare, food for thought, and i know what you mean about the currant market, i would need some sort of enticing thing that other companies do not offer, i have some ideas but its not cheap, and im not so sure it would be cost effective, not for the forum at this time though....lol

I'd guess that setting up as a survival/bushcraft instructor would be a fast track to bankruptcy. Even Woodlore are not filling courses like they used to or at least as fast as they used to. Problem is every Tom, Dick and Harry is an 'expert' these days in a saturated market where I believe the bubble has burst. 'Bushcraft' is I think on the wane and has been for a year or two.

Its OK saying I don't care about the money so long as I can feed the family but sit down and work out exactly how much you need to generate per year to do just that do an honest assessment and you'll be surprised just how much you do need; also remember that when your self employed there's no holiday pay, no sick pay etc. Being self employed is not easy at the best of times and at the moment times are not at their best. People are having to cut back on many things just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. I'm sorry to sound negative but I really don't want to see you going breasts up mate; think very long and hard about this and talk it through with your loved ones because at the end of the day your actions will impact on them too.

 

[sandbender]

"...sit down and work out exactly how much you need to generate per year to do just that ..."

Wise words.

The other thing to bear in mind is that you will have to deal with the public, often a very positive experience, however you will also have to cope with people who whine, people who cancel at the last minute, people who cancel at the last minute and demand a full refund, people who quit after the first day of a seven day course and take you to court to recover their course AND transport fees, people who poison themselves, people who chop bits of themselves, people who drive vehicles into trees, people who are just plain stupid.... the list goes on.

 

[Chiseller]

Chris, I've only been backwoods with you once. Go for it and don't look back. Your a fine young man. Life is too short to look back and say.....I wanted to, but didn't try......
More to life than money.....a wage and happiness at home and work is enough reward. I've met many in your firm, serving and ex. Most I've no time for due to how they come across. You however are a gent who has a gift for sharing knowledge through practical guidance that I feel all would warm to and benifit. Go for it.....git r dun :thumbup:

 

[TurboGirl]

It's a huuuuge potential life change, my lovely! I can see the temptations We used a redundancy to fund working together and it's been... fun at times, blooming frustrating at others ... but never well paid. Watching your kids grow up is a bonus absolutely worth it, though

 

[jackcbr]

Well here's my twopenneth worth which has absolutely no founding in bushcraft instructing or business.

People like Paul Kirtley paid there's dues working for someone else and then branched out on their own. He was lucky to ride the wave of the bushcraft high and had a reputation as a good instructor before going out on his own. His courses aren't the cheapest, but not the most expensive either. And for my money have been the best ones I've been on. But I feel he spends a lot of time promoting himself, which to be successful you've got to be good at. He collaborates with other bushcraft guys to add breadth to his courses, almost sub contracting to some extent.

the other route I've seen is the supplementary approach. This has been where the bushcraft has been a weekend money spinner on the side of another job. Hard work to do and a big commitment as you'll be sacrificing your leave solely to the bushcraft.

As for the market, yes it is suppressed at the moment (I know this as I'm unemployed for the first time in nearly 20 years) but there maybe a new avenue opening.

bear grylls has opened his venture recently, so there's likely to be a wave of interest in similar courses. Now he's not pushing it as a bushcraft school as such, more the survival experience. This could be the new craze for the outdoors.

anyway, if you do go out on your own and need a designer for your publicity and website, I'm about if you need me.

 

[Shingsowa]

I've been working in the 'outdoors' since 2006 and running my own company since 2009. It's great fun, the best office in the world - and hard work.

I started off (and still do occasionally) working for other people. I gained my Summer ML in spring 2006 and led charity groups doing the National 3 Peaks all summer - 18 times! Other work with D of E groups, days guided walking here and there and working with school groups took up the next 12 months, with bits and pieces of work elsewhere. I gradually built up the experience, contacts and hopefully reputation to branch out on my own a few years later. I gained more qualifications, tried to go on as many trips into the middle of nowhere in 'interesting' and kept practicing my skills. Most of my work was in the mountains but I developed skills elsewhere, following my interests.
Once I set up on my own I offered a range of courses, from mountain nav to foraging and bushcraft. Linking up with other local businesses helped as we could cross-promote. I built my own website and learnt how to use social media to my advantage, and tried to stay cheerful in the face of high costs and low pay - the same as any other small business I suppose.

Now my business is comfortably supporting me - but bushcraft is only a part of it. As others have said it is wise to diversify, and I love the fact that I get to work on the mountains, in the forests, sometimes in urban areas doing unusual things that I am interested in. On Wednesday I will spend all day foraging on a 70,000 acre private estate near Corwen for their wholesale gourmet food business, and spending the rest of the week updating the website, carrying on with building new tipis and shelters at the school site and getting teaching materials ready for this weekend's course.

Working in the outdoors is tough, and few make a good living from it. If you have your ML, SPA and a third 'ticket' such as BCU or mountain biking and are willing to live out of the back of a van occasionally then you could work as a freelance instructor earning about £15k per annum. If you go for a 'steady' job working in a centre or elsewhere (an increasingly rare option these days though) you might be able to push that up to £20-£25k. That's all pre tax and costs etc. I would strongly recommend anybody going into teaching outdoor/wilderness skills getting an NGB award such as the Summer ML. Military experience is good, something semi-transferable such as the JSMEL would be even better - but convincing your insurers that you are competent to lead a civilian group in a hazardous environment could be tough. The Summer ML has few links to what we would call bushcraft, but it does cover navigation, group leadership, wild camping and other related stuff in depth. There is no industry-standard 'Bushcraft' qualification at the moment, although courses do exist.

The above sounds a bit negative - it isn't intended to be, I love my job and couldn't sit in an office all day. It's just a conversation I have regularly with people so I'm used to trying to give a balanced view on the practicalities of it.

I'll happily have a chat on the phone if you wish, PM me etc.

 

[Scopey]

I'm working towards a goal of running a part time venture with 2 friends, nothing massive , not full time more to fund our own adventures
I'm ex forces , my two mates are civvys - one an excellent woodsman the other is my mountaineering/climbing buddy. I'm doing my ML, mountain bike trail leader -and looking at doing the BCU stuff too Very similar to what Shingsowa says above these are excellent qualifications to have. I have a real passion for the mountains - more so than the woods, but I love anything outdoors and I feel offering something different and variety is the way forward. My interests are firmly more "Survival skills" than what many might consider "bushcraft" but then I think "bushcraft" means very different things to different people.
I'd say start with a safety net of something that will pay the bills but other than that go for it!

 

[vizsla]

Me personally no, I think it's being over done, for some reason over the last few years people have awoken to the fact that we have woodland In this country. I find it quite strange why people choose to go on courses In the first place and miss out on years of learning and exploring off there own backs, I realise for some it's the experiance, I've heard lots of people who are new to bushcraft after a few visits to the woods decide they won't to be a Instructor which I find annoying.
but all that said I feel I no the type of chap you are a little keen outdoorsman been practising bushcraft for many years ex army so not much fases you so I think if its what you fancy go for it and I'm sure you will give people there money's worth. But do bare in mind when running things from a company point of view you can probably double the wage you won't to take home to alow for over heads etc,
good luck chap

 

[Stringmaker]

Personally I wouldn't try and do it professionally because that changes the whole dynamic.

Most of my instructing time is with primary school kids, but sometimes with teenagers and adults. I am in the process of starting a small venture in my own right but not as a profit making activity.

As soon as you have to make a living from it then the pressure is on big time. If you can do it just for the love of it and showing others then the magic will still be there but without the external demands.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[johnboe522]

Go for it pal, as a serving member of the forces myself and leaving next year, that is exactly what I am doing, don't just focus on bushcraft though, look in to other activities you can teach. I instruct Coaststeering and work with youngsters doing courses in public services.

Set your self up as freelance and go for there. I have had some good feed back from companies doing this.

Good luck and what ever happens it beats sitting in a sand pit while the government messes with your pension!

 

[udamiano]

For a long time, it's been my dream to become a bushcraft instructor. However, not to long ago, Paul Kirtley said in an interview, that beeing a bushcraft instructor means being away a lot, having little spare time, and not making much money.

He's got the right of it there!!!
I spend far too much time from home, and when i am finally at home its sorting out marketing, courses, venues. or even just research

 

[Niels]

He's got the right of it there!!!
I spend far too much time from home, and when i am finally at home its sorting out marketing, courses, venues. or even just research

Purely out of curiosity: Is there any job you'd rather do?

 

[santaman2000]

If I'm honest I'm too old to even consider it now. Or more accurately, my health isn't good enough. But if I were still younger and healthier I'd probably go one of two routes with it:

1. The military SERE career field that's been mentioned. It offers you the chance to do it while maintaining the same steady pay and benefits you have now to support your family. And good luck if you do pursue that as you hinted.

2. Perhaps this one is only directly available over here but If I were younger I might pursue a career out West as an outfitter/hunting/fishing guide. It would take CINSIDERABLY more skill and ability than I now posess but I would dearly love to be able to do that.