UKC

High Sports are expanding and are looking to recruit additional staff as Shift Supervisors and Instructors

SHIFT SUPERVISORS
Responsibilities include serving customers, both at reception and on the telephone, retail sales and general day to day tasks required to maintain an efficient and smooth running centre.
Must be available evening and weekends

INSTRUCTORS
Active climbers required to help run our junior programmes and beginner courses. High Sports fully train all instructors in house so while an SPA or local SPA qualification would be desirable, full training will be given to the right candidates. Experience of introducing others to climbing, either indoors or outdoors would be an advantage.
Must be available evenings and weekends

If you are interested in either of these roles, please contact Rob or Fran to discuss further and to receive an application form.

Tel: 01293 822884
Email: recruit@high-sports.co.uk

You shouldnt be doing in house trainning anymore that is why the SPA system exists, I have seen so many accidents in climbing walls that do in house training, and you are doing the National Governing Body no favours.

In reply to davidwilson:
What a load of tosh.

In reply to Andy S: David Wilson is right. If every wall did thier own training how would instructors be able to move easily between jobs. One wall couldn't possibly know how loads of other walls do thier training. One central system makes the whole thing alot safer and more reliable both for those teaching and those being taught. Thats not to say taht High Sports or any other walls in house training is not relevant but it should be in addition to a nationally recognised qualification.
Comments like what a load of tosh are in fact just that!

In reply to styman: for gods sake..climbing is not rocket science. Its easy to learn to climb and even easier to teach someone. I instructed hundreds of people over a 4 year period (in both basic climbing techniques and lead climbing) and I dont have a qualification to my name. I might add that not one of them has come a cropper.

In reply to Anonymous: I think you've missed the point. You try getting a job at a decent wall or centre by saying it's not rocket science, I've been doing it for years.

In reply to styman:
I don't think you're right, but I can't be bothered to debate the issue, so that's my last post on this thread.

In reply to Andy S: I am right and you are wrong. If your debating skills equal what you've managed to write here then I can't see that you'd have the Brain cells to know right from wrong anyway.

In reply to davidwilson: Depends on the quality of the in-house training. Now if that training was delivered by a MIA (eg Rob at High Sports) and was at least equivalent to SPA would it still be bad?

In reply to davidwilson: Ever heard of the MLTE booklet that has a title something like 'Guidance notes for site specific schemes'

In reply to High Sports:

Why teach someone to climb outdoors, place protection etc when all they need to do is belay and be able to teach belaying and tie in etc, as someone said its not rocket science, i've seem lots of near misses and accidents when groups are 'supervised' by SPA or higher.

In reply to davidwilson: just because you have SPA doesnt make you a good instructor or a safe instructor! experience of climbing and good alround knowledge is whats needed, not a bit of paper!

In reply to davidwilson:

There's nothing to say that the training isn't to SPA level, and I'd expect them to want to push their employees towards SPA to cover their own asses. Wonder if the wall would like to clarify, before everyone goes nuts...

In reply to psd:

the poor bugger's just trying to advertise a couple of jobs, not asking for advice about how the wall is managed. And he's payed through the nose for it as well.

Wonder if the wall would like to clarify, before everyone goes nuts...

Wow! never thought a simple job ad could generate so much interest but non-the-less some interesting points of view. Some feedback from the High Sports team.

1.We've been providing a Site Specific scheme for over six years now. Before it was introduced we looked at the MLTE's Site Specific advice doc (and other schemes), followed the advice of a local MIC and the MLTE's training officer at the time at various draft stages before settling on a sound syllabus. We have been happy with it's success. I won't go into the detail of it but it's delivered by an MIA and after appropriate consolidation assessed by an external MIC. and yes, we're keen to encourage instructors to move onto SPA and beyond.

2. The SPA scheme, although covering climbing walls does not, quite rightly, concentrate on them. Site Specific schemes tend to fill this gap at present.

3. For some time now there has been a call for a national indoor supervising / instructor ticket that would be transferable. This is gaining some momentum at present and has been discussed at various national meetings. We shall have to wait for the slow wheels of the national bodies to turn before anything comes of this I suspect.

4. Sadly, experience alone is not enough. You need only ask any climbing wall manager about how much their insurance has risen in the last few to understand that having untrained, unqualified instructors is not only foolhardy but would severly restrict their ability to secure insurance. NO INSURANCE MEANS NOWHERE TO CLIMB.

5. Finaly, if you're still awake. High Sports is based near Gatwick airport so applying for a job with us if you live in Scotland ain't gonna work.

Cheers