Bushcraft as a job??!!!

[WoodWildling]

Hi everyone, I'm a new member on here and just wanted to know if anyone has any tips on learning to teach bushcraft? Do you get taken on as an apprentice or do you attend lots of courses? I'm still very new to bushcraft but really love it - would like to (eventually!!!) make a "living" out of it.
In the meanwhile I guess it's just a case of getting out there, practising and enjoying it?

Cheers for any advice

 

[ANDYRAF]

Hi welcome.
My advice would be............???
Do many courses, visit many lands. Look Listen and Learn, but most of all if it aint fun your doing it wrong.
Andy

 

[Chips]

I don't believe doing courses is vital to learning bushcraft. A lot of stuff you can learn from experience, or the internet/books.

Practice alot. Go out into the wildest lands.

 

[Joe]

Hi,

I do agree that self teaching is quite often the most satisfying way of achieving something but if you want to eventually teach you should attend a few courses with different instructors to give you an idea of the best way to pass your knowledge on. You will learn just as much from the bad instructors as you will from the good ones.

 

[ZDP-189]

It's a hobby and a way of life. But beyond book learning and taking instruction, you'll need a lot of practice. These days you may find yourself training people with more experience than yourself.

 

[Mr Adoby]

You also have to be good at the social side of teaching, bushcraft and leadership.

Actually, I think that is slightly more important than to have really good technical bushcraft skills. You could make a nice living and just teach only very basic skills, provided that it's a really nice social experience at the same time. And perhaps even sometimes use a little of the expertise of others in the group to fill out your lack in knowledge and experience.

The really good teachers are the ones who are happy to learn from their students. And who are ready to acknowledge that they don't know everything. What teaching bushcraft really is about, is to help people grow and be confident in the outdoors. Not bolstering your ego.

So try to arrange some sort of nice outings or picknicks for friends, relatives and collegues. Bring your own. Just sitting around a campfire with something to eat and drink. Perhaps work in a little bit of bushcraft in the event. Demonstrate things. Let others demonstrate what they know. Experiment a little.

If you don't like organizing stuff like that for people you know, or if you have a hard time making others interested, then perhaps you should reconsider? Teaching isn't for everyone. We have all experienced bad teachers, I guess...

But if you can get people to enjoy outings like that, and ask for more and perhaps even try some of what you demonstrate, then you are on the right track. You just might be one of the really good teachers...

So start for free in a small scale in your spare time. Then when/if you feel good about it, try to get paid doing it.

You don't just need bushcraft experience, you also need outdoor teaching experience, and social skills, to be able to teach bushcraft so people feel good about it.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Welcome to the forum..

Hi,
I do agree that self teaching is quite often the most satisfying way of achieving something but if you want to eventually teach you should attend a few courses with different instructors to give you an idea of the best way to pass your knowledge on. You will learn just as much from the bad instructors as you will from the good ones.

Agreed, Being good at something is one think, being a good teacher is something els.

 

[Rhoda]

The really good teachers are the ones who are happy to learn from their students. And who are ready to acknowledge that they don't know everything. What teaching bushcraft really is about, is to help people grow and be confident in the outdoors. Not bolstering your ego.

I totally agree, you can begin teaching just the very basics in your local area, stick with teaching what you know and as your knowledge grows over time so will your teachings. Before you know it you could be running your own school offering all sorts of courses. On the other hand you may well find that it is not for you and you enjoy the doing of it but not the teaching!
The key is to enjoy learning and if you love something then your enthusiasm for the subject will help you to pass your knowledge on to others, if you decide that is what you want to do. Not many people are naturally brilliant teachers. It takes time, experience and humility to learn how to teach well (and I'm not saying that I am there yet!)
I have found that through teaching both yoga and tracking I have had many students who knew more than I do or who have a different approach to me. If you do decide that you want to teach keep an open mind, learn from every teacher and every student you encounter - good and bad, and above all have fun!

 

[spiritofold]

I think you just need to get out there and start learning, get the experience to start with.
Be confident in the basics of bushcraft. A willing crowd to pass your knowledge onto always helps, maybe cubs or scouts?

 

[WoodWildling]

thanks everyone - loads of really great advice!!
i love learning and bushcraft is just an inexhustable
subject, i'll never be bored

 

[BigShot]

I'm not sure I can add much.

I've taught things before - nothing even vaguely related though, so I'll speak from that experience.

The advice Joe gave about taking courses is one of the best bits of advice you'll be given.
When I started teaching a while back (and it was informal teaching much like bushcraft is) I had a way of doing things and got mixed success. Then I attended a load of workshops and picked up methods, stock phrases to illustrate a point and some incredible ways to explain the same things. Not to forget the teaching and social style they used.
In some classes I was only learning things I could already do - and learned more about teaching them than I've learned in months of trying to figure out the best way.

So yes, being taught and paying attention to how you're being taught is a very useful thing.


I can appreciate where you're coming from - it just so happens I was talking to someone about this very thing last night. I'm like you "I love learning" and bushcraft has a very similar appeal to me.

Good luck.

 

[Lodian]

I do agree that self teaching is quite often the most satisfying way of achieving something but if you want to eventually teach you should attend a few courses with different instructors to give you an idea of the best way to pass your knowledge on. You will learn just as much from the bad instructors as you will from the good ones.

I don't really thing there is such a practise as self taught. I mean self taught would be if you go out without knowing anything and just kept trying different practises. You can agin expereince by trying different things but for example using a knife or lighting a fire chance are someone told you or you seen a picture on the tv or in a book.

Anyway thats my rant over

Lodian

 

[BigShot]

I'd say there's a difference between knowing it can be done and being taught to do it.

Teaching is the bit where you go from one to the other, you either figure it out your self or someone shows you.

 

[Joe]

About the self teaching thing - I agree with Lodian in that the chances are you may have seen the skill in a book or on the TV, however it's often not easy to pick up all the little hints and tips needed to make something work from those limited sources. Therefore, you have to fill in the gaps by trial and error eventually (hopefully) succeeding. In my mind this could be considered as being self taught.

Passing that information on so that other people can understand it and put the method into practice is another skill altogether. Also, combine that with the ability to plan ahead, think clearly in a crisis, motivate a group when you are just as tired /cold /wet / hungry as they are, identify strengths and weaknesses within a group and adjust accordingly and be humble but knowledgable and inspiring at the same time. These are some of the ideals that I would aim for as an instructor.

So I think that the best path for training to become an instructor would be a carefully balanced combination of self teaching (because you can stamp your own identity on a particular skill that way and it will be with you forever - even if it takes slightly longer to get to grips with) but also to look at other teachers and instructors in all fields (not just bushcraft, try first aid teachers, mountaineering instructors, driving instructors, crafts teachers etc) and take note of all their good bits and bad bits. At some point, becoming an assistant to an instructor of some sort would be invaluable because then you'll get the chance to see from a different viewpoint why certain decisions are made. Lastly, don't beat yourself up over any mistakes you make along your journey as they're all valuable and important lessons in their own right.

 

[woodstock]

I'd say there's a difference between knowing it can be done and being taught to do it.

Teaching is the bit where you go from one to the other, you either figure it out your self or someone shows you.

I told a student that I taught a dog to whistle when asked can the dog whistle I replied no I said I taught the dog to whistle I did not say it had learned to whistle
I have taught martial arts for many years I can teach the mechanics but not the mindset that comes from within

 

[drewdunnrespect]

a great teachers never teaches anything all they do is show you the skills to learn the subject of your choice. i.e my history teacher was ausome at this. What he would do is set us away on creative reseach and development progect about a perticular time in history, then lets go of on what ever path we wanted aslong as it was with in the specturm of the topic. then during the lessons all he would ask is that we kept him up dated to were we were at. The other thing he would do is give us a dead line at which we had to be finished then each person would then present our findings to the class so in a fect teach each other.
So to be a good teacher is a natural thing because it is all about i would say and maybe i am wrong respect and being able to bring the best out of and develop a student in away not known to the student.
drew

 

[dommyracer]

I am a trainer by profession, and would agree that learning skills and techniques to deliver effective training / teaching is just as important as the knowledge itself.

I regularly sit in on courses where I already know the subject matter, just to watch the trainer...

 

[WoodWildling]

I understand that completely - a bad teacher makes even the most interesting subject dull !!
In the meantime, I will just grin and bear my job (after all it is just a way of funding my twin bushcraft and kayaking obsessions lol)