Certificate in Bushcraft Leadership NCFE Level 3 - 1 year instructor course

[Tony]

he he, another good point, we're lucky enough to enjoy the pastime and it not be life or death for us, you've hit on a key aspect of it all

 

[timboggle]

on my policy which is worldwide

It's changed then because when I took customers on overseas courses to Borneo, Norway, Australia, etc, I had to declare it and they charged extra, upto £450 in one instance just recently for 12 people to Norway, put 3 to 5 group trips abroad a year and it added up - I'm sure you'll find your policy is for UK only.

Insurance maybe not interesting to talk about but as you pointed out yourself James, essential , even more essential to understand the parameters of your policy.

Well done on passing your course and goodluck with your new enterprise.

 

[jameswhite]

Hi, you are right to a point in actual fact they have allowed me 3 trips overseas without extra as long as i let them know, since i only take trips to sweden in summer and winterthis does me, i will bow to your experiance on doing more than this, apologies if what was said was misleading i am sure if i did more they would charge! Do you do the trips for business as a school or pleasure.

 

[timboggle]

Do you do the trips for business as a school or pleasure.

No problem mate, I used to mainly operate commercially as a school but now as a freelance guide, though I do insure personally with the BMC, also, I find that if you operate as a company, certainly as a Limited company, you will be hammered by insurers as opposed to operating as an individual/personal name.

Hope all goes well

 

[maddave]

Well, you could add most of the schools world wide to that and they'd not come up with many between them. (Answer to Mad ninja Daves post )

I wouldn't expect you would. Most bushcrafters spend years honing their skill sets through pure dedication to the craft...There's no shortcuts to good practice

 

[timboggle]

I wouldn't expect you would. Most bushcrafters spend years honing their skill sets through pure dedication to the craft...There's no shortcuts to good practice

totally agree mate !!

 

[forry]

Hi, i am interested in the NCFE level 3 - 1year course but i was wondering if anyone knew of anywhere i can do this in Scotland.

I live in glasgow and the current course at wood craft school in west sussex is a bit far for me.

If anyone knows of any courses or similiar in scotland i would appreciate it if you could let me know

thanks a lot

 

[Adze]

If you want a good example of where 'bushcraft' is going to end up in terms of accreditation - take a look at fly fishing and casting instruction in the UK.

You can still learn off your own bat if you like - but the first advice that is trolled (pun intended) out to all beginners on various fly fishing forums is 'pay for some casting instruction from a qualified instructor' .

For my money that's a bit like telling someone who want to build their own model railway to go out and buy a ready built one because they'll enjoy it more.

If it does go the same way, I wonder how long it will be before there are bushcraft competitions in specially prepared, seeded and planted 'forests' - I can see it now - Speed tipi building - advanced friction firestarting in the rain in under 10 seconds (qualification to level 15 on the Mears/Falt scale and relevant insurance essential for entry) - uber carving fastest spoon wins the race - grand prize £25,000 and all the sponsorship deals you can eat.

The real question is - will it be bushcraft?

 

[Jusali]

I'm inclined to agree Adam!
I have been self taught I took a keen interest in it since getting my first SAS survival handbook when I was 11 or so. I was lucky enough to live on Dartmoor so would go off and play in the woods making camps, fires, traps, trying to fish etc
I really want my boy to learn all these things and look forward to him being old enough to come with me on a Father son expedition.
I tend to think that Bushcraft is an incredibly spiritual thing and is inately linked to nature environmentalism and the nature of the person practicing it. I think people need to 'find' bushcraft and not bushcraft finding them, Ray Mears and his ilk evangelising this art is kind of bitter sweet for me. Because now all of a sudden people are finding ways to commercialise it and incorporate as a way of living but also for financial gain, thus as a result legislation is introduced and you start getting qualifications, insurance and all the capitalist bull, bandied about. Suddenly all the baggage of the society one is trying to leave behind by going out Bush is suddenly part of the program.
Personally I think the library or bookstore is a great resource for those that want to know and of course sites like this where one can talk to like minded people, meet ups are good too.
Courses though, just smack to me of middle class people with too much money looking for a different thing to do, something a bit edgey, on a weekend in the safe secure knowledge that they can get a nice insurance payout should they cut their finger. I'm being ironic to a degree but................does everything have to be commercialised, rubberstamped, legislated, de-risked?

 

[Tiley]

I really want my boy to learn all these things and look forward to him being old enough to come with me on a Father son expedition.

Suddenly all the baggage of the society one is trying to leave behind by going out Bush is suddenly part of the program.

Personally I think the library or bookstore is a great resource for those that want to know and of course sites like this where one can talk to like minded people, meet ups are good too.

Courses though, just smack to me of middle class people with too much money looking for a different thing to do, something a bit edgey, on a weekend in the safe secure knowledge that they can get a nice insurance payout should they cut their finger. I'm being ironic to a degree but................does everything have to be commercialised, rubberstamped, legislated, de-risked?

All good, thought-provoking stuff. I would agree that it is sad that something that is essentially the expression of, if you like, ultimate freedom in a specific type of wilderness setting should be burdened with the commercial considerations of the twenty-first century. I would agree, too, that books and forums are a great and economical way of getting started and groping your way to a level of expertise. However, for those who prefer to learn by watching and then practising some of the quite complex skill sets involved in bushcraft, courses are a good - but by no means the only - way forward. To brand every course participant as leisured, thrill-seeking, moneyed and middle class is, to a degree, both unfair and rather inaccurate. Ironic? I would say more 'cynical'.

It is, however, an endless debate. I have successfully completed John Rhyder's course. It was brilliant, both as an experience and as a source of learning and instruction. Have I rushed off to set up my own company so I can rifle through the pockets of the gullible financially advantaged? No, I have not. I am hoping that the qualification will complement my teaching qualification and, as well as affording me the chance to teach bushcraft in schools, will allow me to use the skills and experience to benefit more disadvantaged kids.

I suppose the next question is, "Do I need a qualification to be able to do that?". Sadly, in this day and age, the answer is, "Yes." Without some form of certified proof from an acknowledged accreditation agency - in this case, the N.C.F.E. - (and that's another whole debate...) that you have reached a certain standard, you won't stand an earthly of doing anything useful or faintly charitable with anyone.

In response to Adze's question - "Will it be bushcraft?" - the answer, inevitably, has to be: "It's bushcraft, Jim, but not as we know it."