What qualifications do you need to be an outdoor instructor?

There’s no single route, but most outdoor instructors need nationally recognised qualifications in areas like paddlesport, climbing, first aid, and safeguarding. Many start by completing a structured training programme, like Land & Wave’s Outdoor Instructor Training course, which provides 23 qualifications in just 15 weeks.

How much does an outdoor instructor get paid?

Salaries for outdoor instructors in the UK vary based on experience, qualifications, and the employer. Entry-level positions typically offer around £24,000 to £26,000 per year. With experience and additional certifications, instructors can earn between £27,000 and £36,000 annually. Senior roles or specialised positions may offer higher salaries. Some positions also include benefits like accommodation and meals, which can add value to the overall compensation package.

What is included in outdoor training?

Outdoor instructor training typically includes hands-on instruction in paddlesport, climbing, bushcraft, first aid, and navigation. At Land & Wave, the 15-week course also covers safeguarding, group leadership, and working with young people. You'll gain 23 recognised qualifications, plus practical experience in real outdoor environments like the coast, forest, and hills of Dorset.

What qualifications will I gain on the Outdoor Instructor Training course?

You'll gain 23 nationally recognised qualifications including paddlesport, climbing, first aid, safeguarding, and bushcraft certificates—ideal for launching a career in the outdoor industry.

Who is the course suitable for?

The course is designed for school leavers, career changers, gap year students and anyone aged 18–45 looking to start a new adventure in the outdoor sector.

Where does the course take place?

The course is based in Dorset, making use of incredible coastal and countryside locations for real-world, hands-on training.

When does the course run?

The course runs annually from November to February, over a 15-week period.

How do I apply or learn more about the course?

You can attend a free Open Day to meet the team and see what the course involves. Book your place via the website.

Outdoor Instructor Training

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The Course

15 weeks of professional Outdoor Instructor Training in Dorset. Lots of experience. Lots of adventures. Lots of qualifications. 32 trainees.
Start a new career. The best job in the world.

Location

Outdoor Instructor Training is based in Dorset, one of the best adventure landscapes in the world. The course includes trips to white water rivers, crags and moorland.

23 Qualifications

Paddle UK

Paddle Explore Award
Paddlesport Instructor
Paddlesport Leader Training
Canoe Award
Sea Kayak Award
Stand Up Paddle Board Sheltered Water Award
Paddle Safer Award
Paddlesport Safety & Rescue Training
Sea Kayak Safety & Rescue Training
Coastal Navigation & Tidal Planning

Mountain Training

Rock Skills Introduction
Rock Skills Intermediate
Rock Climbing Instructor Training
Lowland leader Training
Lowland leader Assessment

Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS)

NWSMP: Inland and coastal waterways
Beach Lifeguard

Bushcraft Accredited by NCFE

Level 2 Bushcraft Instructor

National Coasteering Charter (NCC)

NCC Coasteering Training

Health & Safety

Level 3 Outdoor First Aid
Level 3 Principles of Safeguarding
Food Hygiene Level 2

Course Dates 2025/26

First Day: 03 November 2025
Last Day: 27 February 2026

Course Dates 2026/27

First Day: 02 November 2026
Last Day: 26 February 2027

The next course starts in...

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Hours

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Fees 2025/26

£6,750 (Training & Assessment)
£3,600 (Food & Accommodation)
£1,140 (Kit Package worth £2500)
Total – £11,490

£550 deposit secures your place

Finance Options

Land & Wave has partnered with Ideal4Finance to offer you a finance option for the training course. This can be paid back from 1 to 5 years.

For more info click the button below

Free Open Days

Saturday 24 May
Saturday 21 June
Saturday 19 July
Saturday 23 August
Saturday 20 September
Saturday 04 October

We also run 1-to-1 site visits on days that suit you

Instructor Training Hub

Once you sign up, you’ll have exclusive access to our Instructor Training Hub.

This is your gateway to loads of resources designed to help you prepare for the course. Sign up today and gain instant access.

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More about the course

The beauty of Fast Track Outdoor Instructor Training means you gain 23 National Governing Body qualifications in just 15 weeks. It’s the fastest way to retrain and launch your career in the Outdoor Industry.

The Land & Wave Outdoor Instructor Training course in Dorset is the one of the most established Outdoor Instructor Training courses in the UK. We have over 10 years experience training people to become professional outdoor instructors. Each year, we hone the Outdoor Instructor Training course to ensure it remains one of the most productive and valuable courses of its kind.

Our employment rate following the course this year was 100%. Everybody who applied for an outdoor instructor job got one, thanks to their newfound qualifications and skills. Our professional coaches have an extensive network of contacts within the outdoor industry across the UK and overseas, which means you’ll have priority access to job opportunities. Land & Wave also employs 10-15 people from the course every year – a job interview with us at the end of the course is always guaranteed!

Dorset is the perfect training ground to become a qualified outdoor instructor. Located on the Jurassic Coast, our limestone cliffs are the perfect backdrop to progress your climbing skills. Get your head for heights in atmospheric, iconic locations such as Dancing Ledge, where you’ll learn to master Sport Climbing with the waves below. We then head down to Dartmoor’s iconic granite towers of Hound Tower and Dewerstone for a week-long experiential climbing expedition to perfect your Trad Climbing skills. This is all essential training in preparation for your Rock Climbing Instructor Training – a Mountain Training accredited award.

Swanage Bay and Poole Harbour is a paddlesports playground; perfect for canoeing, paddle boarding and sea kayaking. With iconic landmarks such as Old Harry Rocks, Brownsea Island and Durdle Door just a paddle away, our Paddle UK-accredited paddlesports training is not only comprehensive, but breathtaking too. To step up your training, we’ll spend a week at a bunkhouse by the River Dart to perfect your white water kayaking and canoeing skills – a highlight of the course.

Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is also home to some of the UK’s best Coasteering. The National Coasteering Charter Coasteering Guide, is a new training framework, which enables you work with groups in the water. Playing in the sea swell, exploring sea caves and leaping from the cliffs is a brilliant part of your training – something many courses are unable to offer.

For the land-lovers, our Dorset countryside offers ancient woodland, rolling hills and views for miles – the perfect stomping ground to gain your Lowland Leader Award accredited by Mountain Training. Head deeper into the woods and our private woodlands are an atmospheric base to get to grips with traditional bushcraft techniques like friction fire lighting, wild game butchery, knife skills and forest craft. Woodsmoke, campfire cooking on an open flame and an appreciation for the natural world are all skills you’ll gain during your Bushcraft Level 2 Training and Assessment.

We could go on and on about every qualification, location and benefit, but the best way to find out more is to join us to get a feel for the place. Please visit us anytime and we’ll have a chat and get you out shadowing an instructor for the day, or else jump on a free open day and joining a whole bunch of like-minded people looking to take the leap and change their career. Call us for a chat or jump on a free open day as soon as you can. You won’t regret it.

Accommodation Tour

Finance Options

There are a few options for financing the training course with Land & Wave. The most important thing to us is to make sure you don’t put yourself into any financial difficulty trying to complete the course. The main thing to know is the course needs to be fully paid before you begin.

Option 1: You pay in full or in instalments via our payment plan set out by our finance team.

Option 2: Take out a loan

To make finding the best loan for you super simple we’ve partnered with Ideal4Finance who match a finance plan to your own personal situation to ensure you get the best deal possible, basing their decision on factors such as your personal credit profile, the amount you want to borrow and your requested repayment period. This can be from 1 to 5 years.