Bushcraft/survival training jobs

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spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
Ah the CET,great for firing un-tethered anchors into the woods,never to be seen again.

Worse than that is when the release mechanism wasn't re-pinned! You pulled the release mechanism (but you've only moved the handle, nothing else is connected so it all stays locked in place!) and fire the rockets and the aluminium armour starts to melt and engulfs you in noxious fumes! Aaaaah, them were the days!

:D

This is what we're talking about!

tractor-5.jpg


That's the back end, by the way!
 

dommyracer

Native
May 26, 2006
1,312
7
46
London
I am a trainer by profession, and whilst I agree with the statements about needing to know your subject matter well, there is always scope for learning from both sides in a adult - adult learning relationship, you will always learn somethign new.

Also there's nothing wrong with not knowing the answer to a question, as long as you know how to find out the answer.

Another important part of bushcraft for me is trying it out, getting it wrong, recognising your mistakes and learning from them, and one of the key things in any form of learning is providing the correct environment in which people can feel safe to make mistakes and learn from them. It's like any practical thing for me, its almost made for learning as long as you don't spend ages and ages talking about it....

One thing I would say is that learning about learning styles and methods is just as important to learning your bushcraft skills....
 

big_swede

Native
Sep 22, 2006
1,452
8
41
W Yorkshire
Worse than that is when the release mechanism wasn't re-pinned! You pulled the release mechanism (but you've only moved the handle, nothing else is connected so it all stays locked in place!) and fire the rockets and the aluminium armour starts to melt and engulfs you in noxious fumes! Aaaaah, them were the days!

:D

This is what we're talking about!

tractor-5.jpg


That's the back end, by the way!

Manly! Where do I get one? :D
 

shona

Tenderfoot
Sep 10, 2004
88
0
Scotland
I'm not a big believer of paying money to get a job, why not start your own company?

Arth - do you have a job? Presumably you had to do some sort of training to get the job, or to become proficient at it?
I'm an industrial chemist with many years of training, and had to do a minimum of 4 years at university just to get a start in my field and have since done loads of on-the-job training. No idea what it all cost, but quite a substabtial amount.
I certainly couldn't have come out of school and set up my own chemical company!

My point is that you need to be prepared to make a committment of both time and money if you want to work in a specialised field, be it IT, plumbing, chemistry or bushcraft. If you try to start up a company without the essential knowledge, skills and experience then you are probably doomed to failure.
Even worse, if you are offering training to others as a business without having the relevant experience, you would certainly be ripping them off.
:(
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
Manly! Where do I get one? :D

You should try driving it! I was always picking flies out of my teeth for days afterward due to the big grin! The only times I didn't grin was when I did a road move with a learner in the seat, it was raining and the steering brake bands were playing up! We did some crazy zig zagging across the road and nearly ended up in a ditch! Not the done thing with a 17 ton tank!

:eek:
 

Arth

Nomad
Sep 27, 2007
289
0
51
west sussex
Arth - do you have a job? Presumably you had to do some sort of training to get the job, or to become proficient at it?
I'm an industrial chemist with many years of training, and had to do a minimum of 4 years at university just to get a start in my field and have since done loads of on-the-job training. No idea what it all cost, but quite a substabtial amount.
I certainly couldn't have come out of school and set up my own chemical company!

My point is that you need to be prepared to make a committment of both time and money if you want to work in a specialised field, be it IT, plumbing, chemistry or bushcraft. If you try to start up a company without the essential knowledge, skills and experience then you are probably doomed to failure.
Even worse, if you are offering training to others as a business without having the relevant experience, you would certainly be ripping them off.
:(

Hi Shona

You can't really compare being a industrial chemist with teaching bushcraft. University is an education not employment. The point I'm making is you souldn't have to pay the employer for a job. :)
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
you souldn't have to pay the employer for a job.

If you are learning 'on the job' that then becomes education - something for which you have had to pay throughout your youth, however indirectly. Most employers/trainers also understand all too well that the vast majority of their 'pupils' in bushcraft will head off to do their own thing when they have got what they need. I suppose charging aspirant instructors prevents the freeloaders from pirating the system.

Perhaps there should be a set up similar to that of the mountain guides. While you are training, you are an aspirant guide whose progress is monitored by a fully qualified guide. Once you have completed your 'apprenticeship' and passed the various modules proscribed by the governing body, then you become a guide and are free to operate on your own merit. It's a long old process during which the aspirant does not earn a huge amount and has to pay for the necessary elements of the course but it does ensure the out-and-out quality of guides the world over.

Something as structured as this would not appeal to the bushcraft community who thrive on the freedom to go off and do what they will; but there should be a minimum set of standards and skills that aspirant bushcraft instructors should fulfil before they declare themselves as fully fledged instructors. Most of these, if not all of them, could be achieved through experience gained from practice but one then has the challenge of deciding who should oversee the whole thing - a complete and utter nightmare!

I suppose the upshot of what I'm trying to say is that you should expect to pay something for your training - education, if you will - but what you do with it afterwards, either working with your trainer or setting up on your own, is up to you.:eek:
 

Nagual

Native
Jun 5, 2007
1,963
0
Argyll
This is certainly a very interesting read, with some very good and positive thoughts being shared. Of course it should be no surprise that a forum of Bushcrafters who's passion for their hobby, would produce the kind of response we've saw here.

I've yet to attend a bushcraft course, although would like to, or better yet a Meet, but time and money like everything else ( well mainly money lol ) has stopped me. I have however been on the receiving end of various instructors over the years for other skills. To my mind there is nothing more off putting than an instructor who has no passion or 'oomph' for their subject. Perhaps they're only in it for the money, perhaps they've lost their way ot perhaps they're just plain crap. In my entire life through all course albeit Army or College I can count only two people whom I have really felt like I've not only learnt something from but had a good learning experience from them. Frank McCann my old army Sarg knew his stuff, better than most peeps did even the REME lol but he was a work horse, he made sure those under him did the jobs right and well. One of my college instructors was similar - he made you think hard about solutions to problems and not to accept poor work efforts. No doubt most other people can recall those inspiring people or groups that made you enjoy the learning process. Why am I bethering about this? It's simple - from them I learnt how to teach and instruct, and did so in my last job. I enjoyed seeing people come in with no real understanding for what was expected and leave sure in the knowledge that they have picked up will be of use. That to me is what an instructor in any subject is about. Would I like to teach bushcraft? Of course, who in his right mind wouldn't? Outside away from offices / computers / telephones etc... lol

Who knows what may happen in the future, perhaps various bushcraft schools may form together to create a basic code of practice that includes expected level of competence from it's instructors.

Peace.
 

combatblade1

Need to contact Admin...
Jun 1, 2007
303
0
"I won't have a Spydi"
I am a trainer by profession, and whilst I agree with the statements about needing to know your subject matter well, there is always scope for learning from both sides in a adult - adult learning relationship, you will always learn somethign new.

Also there's nothing wrong with not knowing the answer to a question, as long as you know how to find out the answer.

Another important part of bushcraft for me is trying it out, getting it wrong, recognising your mistakes and learning from them, and one of the key things in any form of learning is providing the correct environment in which people can feel safe to make mistakes and learn from them. It's like any practical thing for me, its almost made for learning as long as you don't spend ages and ages talking about it....

One thing I would say is that learning about learning styles and methods is just as important to learning your bushcraft skills....

So dommy what is your dominant learning style? Looking at your post count Actvist maybe or pragmatist.
 

Fallow Way

Nomad
Nov 28, 2003
471
0
Staffordshire, Cannock Chase
Dommyracer is right on a number of points.

I am lucky to have training and qualifications in delivering learning including learning styles, accelerated learning and much more. I am fortunate enough to draw on this experience to inform my instruction as it is one thing to teach technical knowledge, it is another to allow people to explore and experiment and be able to guide them through the experience based on your wider technical competency.
 

pothunter

Settler
Jun 6, 2006
510
4
Wyre Forest Worcestershire
Ive read this with interest, H2o you wish to gain employment in an industry teaching courses that you would not recommend? is this correct!

We all have gaps in our bushcraft knowledge some bigger than others (mines huge) and thats where courses are useful but only after discussion with instructors be sure that they understand what you need from them and that they can offer the goods.

I agree with others here that you need formal qualifications to teach if only in lesson planning first aid, risk assessment etc. and that volunteering is the place to start scouts or cadets if nothing else it looks good on your CV.

Also write an honest assessment of your own skills and hone them identifying strengths weaknesses and what you need to learn next this will give you a curriculum and something to show potential employers one day.

Just for the record I'm happy to share knowledge but would run a mile from formal teaching.

Good luck, Pothunter.
 

Jedadiah

Native
Jan 29, 2007
1,349
1
Northern Doghouse
OK, so i've lost an internet link and cannot find it. Basically, it was a school that did a Bushcraft Instructors course. It cost a couple of thousand pounds and was held over 10 weekends and 10 week days. The reason i ask is that on the home page, it specified that for Armed Forces or ex-armed forces personnel, it could be payed for with enhanced learning credits.

Obviously i'm getting old as i cannot remember the name of the site or school, all i remember is the above information and the fact that it covers ML, First aid, and everything else needed.

I'm not really that interested in doing it for a career, but if it get paid for by HM forces for me, it would be foolish not to take them up on it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, cheers,

Jedadiah
 

h2o

Settler
Oct 1, 2007
579
0
ribble valley
no pot hunter i didnt see i wouldnt recommend survival bushcraft courses.i said i didnt want to do stuff id done b4 ,some of u guys on here are quite pesimistic sometimes, think positive, be positive ,live positive
 

Geuf

Nomad
May 29, 2006
258
0
40
Eindhoven, the Netherlands
well h2o,

it just sounds that you are at D and you want to go directly to Z, but not trough EFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWX and Y. You haven't given any information about where stand right now in bushcraft or whatever. It basicly seems that you just say: 'I want to be a bushcraftinstructor, but I don't want to put an efford in it, where can I put myself on the list?

Please explain to us what you like about it, what you already know and have done and where you would like to be in a few years time. If you feel misunderstood, please give us more info to get this misunderstandig out of the way. That way people get an insight in what you want and mean and can help you.
 

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