PB instructor prep ?

[PeterM]

I've been mulling over becoming an instructor for a while - not really as a money making career move, but more because it may come in handy and its just something to be able to prove to myself I can do it. ( much like my comm APB that I did a couple of years ago). I've been a paid trainer (financial 'stuff' ) in the past and an unpaid gliding instructor .....so how hard can it be ?

Has anyone done this recently and any views on whats the best sort of prep for it ?

I'm working on the assumption of doing with a well known powerboat training school in Poole - who does from time to time read and post on here.

I'm hoping to sit on on a course or two in the spring, get my hand back in ( things always get rusty over the winter) , read some book in Jan and make sure I know whats on the course...but anything else I should do ?

There are lots of instructors on here so thought it may be a good place to ask.

[Tim M]

If you've got advanced powerboat and you're able to communicate with people then its a breeze I didn't do any prep when I did mine and got through it easily.

Interestingly when I did my pre assessment, there was a very young chap who was clueless - couldn't park the boat to save his life and didn't know how to read a chart, yet he still passed! I'm sure you'll be fine.

[Ribochet]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Interestingly when I did my pre assessment, there was a very young chap who was clueless - couldn't park the boat to save his life and didn't know how to read a chart, yet he still passed! I'm sure you'll be fine.

Not with me he wouldn't

[Tim M]

Unfortunately there are still quite a few centres where the only thing they are worried about is getting you through the door and taking your cash!

[Ribochet]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Unfortunately there are still quite a few centres where the only thing they are worried about is getting you through the door and taking your cash!

I am sure that Rachel Andrews the RYA's Chief Powerboat Instructor would be interested in hearing more about these centres.

For info for the OP - the standard for PBI entry and pre-assessment is clearly decribed in the following documents

http://www.rya.org.uk/sitecollection...at%20power.pdf

http://www.rya.org.uk/sitecollection...ce%20Notes.pdf

[PeterM]

Thanks for the replies & PMs . While I always think people should not do these sort of things lightly and without preparation I also think you have to have a degree of confidence to be able to do things to the best of ability.

Those that know me will know I always like to be fully and 100% commited & confident when I step on a boat and I guess its this part of me that prompted the post.

I do plan to have a chat with the place I want to go to and sit in on a course before hand. I guess I am a little frustrated by the need to undertake the pre course assesment - but I can see the direction this is aimed at, but my feeling would be if people aren't good enough to pass the actual course they should fail, if they haven't taken the time to prepare it shows they maybe dont the correct attitude towards the whole thing ?(but thats side issue really and I digress).

I will of course swat up on colregs etc etc - but anyone found a super useful 'thingy' that helped them ?

Of course everyone learns differantly , but I'm always willing to learn another approach

[SPR]

Originally Posted by PeterM

I will of course swat up on colregs etc etc - but anyone found a super useful 'thingy' that helped them ?

Of course everyone learns differantly , but I'm always willing to learn another approach

You buy playing cards with situations on front answers on back...pretty effective.

Like Rules of the Road Flip Cards | | Shop | RYA)

S.

[Paul Glatzel]

Evening

Good questions here and if you don’t mind I’ll throw my ‘two penneth’ worth into the fray.

The pre assessment is actually a really valuable part of the process of becoming a PBI and whilst it is a pre entry assessment the way to look at it is as part of the pre course preparation.

The problem that we had before the assessment came into being was that the first time that we saw a candidate’s boat handling and were able to assess their theory knowledge was within the PBI course itself. By stripping this out we are able to focus the PBI course on helping candidates learn how to teach, how to construct sessions, what the key teaching points are around each session and how to structure the course (amongst many other things). This allows us to focus the course on what we want to rather than be distracted by issues that arise from theory/boat handling. It gives us 3 days rather what had become 2 1/2 .

A well run pre assessment tests that you are at the right level and understand where you need to brush up ahead of the PBI course. It will also start to get you thinking as a potential PBI though rather than a very competent powerboater. Whilst pre-assessments and PBI courses will always vary in style according to the Trainer I would be devastated if I couldn’t get an attendee to feel they derived real value from the pre-assessment howsoever experienced they are.

Bear in mind too that there are various outcomes from the pre-assessment, typically these would be:

1) Well done, see you on the course
2) Well done, we’ll see you on the course but make sure/you must you spend time on A, B, C before you attend
3) We’d like you to get more experience in A,B, C before re taking the pre assessment

Of course option 1 is preferred but option 2 is the most common. Option 3 is rare but I’ve had a couple.

If possible attend the pre-assessment about 4 – 6 weeks ahead of the PBI course so as to have time to brush up. Through necessity though many people attend the pre assessment immediately before the PBI. It’s not ideal and carries some risk but is unavoidable for many.

Whilst I can’t really comment on the example given regarding a candidate that was felt to be below the standard I would say that the vast majority of the time that the Trainers running PBI courses get it right.

Whilst it is true that many centres run courses and therefore it is an opportunity to make money I would say that in my experience that Trainers involved with centres have no hesitation in creating an action plan that deals with the areas a candidate may need to work on. After all it takes a long time to become a Trainer so the last thing you would want is a PBI out there running sub standard courses that come to the attention of the RYA for all the wrong reasons. Action Plans are created to address any issues the Trainers identify – Trainers have no hesitation in creating them and there is no shame attaching to them.

As another poster said do report issues to Rachel. Whilst you are unlikely to hear of the specifics of what is then done I can assure you these things are looked into.

As to constructive suggestions:

• Go and sit in on a Level 2 course (you are welcome any time Peter)
• Get the Logbook and start to think about the sessions. Eg approaching a mooring buoy – what are the key teaching points we want to get across, where would you run the session, what skills would the person need before entering that session (this will all be covered on the course but its great to get your brain working this way)
• Read the books supporting the scheme
• Ensure you are at the level of dayskipper theory
• If you don’t have them Intermediate & Advanced courses are worth doing
• Practice your boat handling and try and do talk throughs as you do it – many find this quite challenging

Think that covers it – any questions feel free to ask and I’ll do my best

Regards, Paul

[grow45]

You mentioned in the original post that you are a gliding instructor already - same here. What may surprise you (it did me) is that there is no "patter" for demonstrating exercises to ensure standardization in the same way as a gliding/instructor would understand. You basically have to make up what you are going to say while doing it - although you have the logbook and instructor handbook to assist.

I also found Paul Glatzel's RYA Powerboat Handbook useful to remind me of some of the things I had learnt previously but had forgotten.

Hope this helps

[Paul Glatzel]

As you state there is no standard patter for each of the sessions that are run the view being that it is better for Instructors to marry the ability to teach the course with an understanding of the key teaching points per each session. In doing so they then apply their own individual approach to the course rather than a standard one size fits all solution.

Whilst all boats relevant to the powerboat scheme have a core set of handling characteristics that are the same the vast range of locations that courses can be taught, the variety of facilities that are available in each coupled to the variety of boats that can be used necessitates a more fluid approach.

For the last few years new Trainers and those that have gone through update sessions have been aware of the RYA’s preferred training structure for teaching Level 2 and the other courses in the scheme, this is:

EDICTS

E – Explain the session and its aims, reason
D – Demonstrate the manouvre
I – Allow the students to imitate
C – Correct and coach improvement
T – Allow students to practice the manouvre a few times to test they have got it
S – Summarise the key teaching points of the session

There are many such mnemonics but this is the one that is preferred for use by PBIs

Happy Christmas, Paul