UKC

vimeo.com/64440054

Check out the film above by Dan Goodwin....

In reply to Saor Alba:

I didn't see any instructing going on, or any students for that matter.

Or any rain!


Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

It's about the lifestyle not the instructing itself.

In reply to Saor Alba:

Its not even about the life style is it? How many outdoor instructors spend their time roaming the hills in good weather on their own??

If it was about the life style it would be about getting up before the students, making sure breakfast is on the go, organising vans, kit and the like. Briefing students, ............ Checking on them.......Dealing with problems......... Making sure that everyone is in the van, knows what time dinner is, sorting out the kit.......checking whats happening tomorrow, listening to other instructors mishaps/.adventures etc., checking next days forecast, sorting your own gear out for the next day. Having some food. Having a bath, a pint and back to bed. Some life style video that'd be.

In reply to Dave Perry:

That may be at the same time the most miserable and most truthful takedown I've ever seen on here.

In reply to Dave Perry: it would be about working the whole climbing season, only getting 3 days off in the month of May, spending days off planning upcoming work and writing invoices, and then worrying wherer the money is going to come from in the winter!
I do love it, couldn't work a normal job, but it's not the life people imagine. (Saying that, I did have a cracking day today introducing a friend to scrambling in Glencoe )

In reply to girlymonkey:

Couldn't disagree more!

Work to live!

In reply to Saor Alba:

Unfortunately, if you really are an instructor, life-style is secondary.
If life style is important, then you are not an instructor and either well to do, supported by family or living in a fantasy world!

In reply to Dave Perry:

Em it is. I know the guy in the film personally, very well. We worked together at Outward Bound Loch Eil many year ago. It IS about his lifestyle. Maybe not Dullswater but on Mull things are a bit more exciting.

In reply to Saor Alba:

Ha ha. ()

In reply to Timmd:

touche!

In reply to Saor Alba:
Any instructors on here care to comment? Do you get paid to stroll the hills on your own?

In reply to Saor Alba:

/off topic

Irrespective of the pros and cons of outdoor instructing I thought the voice-over was very good and wish someone had given me some careers advice like that when I was young. Could have been interesting though "What do you really love to do?" "Erm...get high?". Instead all I remember was the Careers Adviser at University saying "Well I was a Classicist and I got a job."

/on topic

I remember once coming across a lonely instructor at Bonehill with a minibus load of be-helmeted mouthy yoof. Any aspirations I had in that direction evaporated that day! Respect to those that do.

In reply to Dave Perry:

I'm not sure what your problem with this is? I think you are confirming my view that many instructor types take things very seriously when actually this is just a light hearted video of someone who has many years experience, in different situations. I know the guy.

In reply to Saor Alba:
Saor Alba.

I do not have any issue with the words in the film. What the narrator says is absolutely sound. I've pursued what I wanted to do and have continued to do so. I wake up and look forward to the day's work. The music is just up my street too. The shots are stunning. But its entitled Outdoor Instructor Type.

Content should reflect title. I've been an outdoor instructor, freelance management trainer in outdoor centres and centre manager. The film's content does not reflect in any shape or way the title.

If I have one abiding memory of working in the outdoors it is being with people, communicating with people, and being aware of people all day, and sometimes in the evenings too.

This film as lovely as it is, simply does not reflect the 'dream' of being an outdoor instructor. Perhaps I'm missing a point. Is that what the film is supposed to reflect?

You may as well have a film entitled, "Want to be a ski instructor?" and have a film of someone skiing virgin powder in some remote lonely (and people free) location.

Nice film anyway

In reply to Dave Perry:

To be fair, the video is just a background to the narration, probably just poorly titled.

I completely agree that communication and people skills are 90% of any day at work. To be a successful and memorable instructor you need to "enjoy" your clients company (sometimes easier than others). Its a two way thing, if you don't, its just a crap day at work, like any other job.

I wouldn't swap it for being stuck in an office/indoors etc. Personally its the best job I have ever had. Get paid to play out FFS!

In reply to Saor Alba: I've recently retired from my job as a teacher (I'm nearly 62 now.) Determined to live the dream and get some work as an outdoor type. If my pension was enough to let me spend every day on the crag with my mates I'd still want to do some instructing. Can't help wanting to share the great joy that was passed on to me by a teacher long ago. And it feels good to get paid for doing something you love; same thing with playing the fiddle. It does look like the people who make a good living out of it spend an awful lot of time in the office, though (Thinking of centres here.)

In reply to Pete Pozman:

Hi Pete, I haven't forgotten about the group absail setup.

Cheers Adam

In reply to Saor Alba:

Fantastic - I've been meaning to stoke my existential angst by listening to that Alan Watts piece for ages, now I get to do it to Dan's footage.

Or at least I will once it has buffered on my slow Turkish wifi!

In reply to Gav M:

Inspiring words and images.

If you enjoyed the voiceover check out this one too, more Alan Watts with images from the creators of Southpark

youtube.com/watch?v=ERbvKrH-GC4&

In reply to Gav M:

Nae bother. Watch out for the waiters. Or are they Greek?

In reply to butteredfrog: Hi Adam
I got a few sessions in and got my SPA ticket at last! So get in touch if you ever need a hand. Thanks for thinking of me.