Are there any?

Who determines the standards for someone to set up as an instructor? Does anyone monitor or regulate kite schools?

I have got some friends wanting to learn & I've indicated that they must go through a school, but how does anyone work out if any school is credible - before commencing lessons?

What are the minimum standards for a school?

I would have thought the first thing a school should have is Public Liability insurance. In order to make that valid the trader has to be legit.
By Legit i would say that they have to have the necessary permits that allow them to trade in public places within the various councils.
No trading permits = no PL insurance = no payout if you/someone else get hurt during a lesson.

I also think Kite schools should operate to an approved standard which at the moment seems only to be IKO or BKSA. I may be wrong on this and there might be other standards. Ideally here in Australia why havent we got our own set of standards AKSA approved......... or do we?

I think schools need to be licensed by a regulatory body - in Australia that should be AKSA or the local faction WAKSA

I also think schools shouldn't teach in onshore places such as woodies 1. When i was a beginner i just never got the whole woodies 1 thing - in fact i saw some horrific slams and drags through the dunes in 20kn Seabreezes. Don't AKSA activly promote CLEAR.


Schools are obviously the first place a noob is going to go to get trained up. If the schools arent doing their bit then we all suffer the consequences of idiots at the beach.

I also think that there are winds that are generally unsafe to teach in Perth by unsafe i mean gusty and unpredictable.
In my experience thats generally winter winds and anything with East in it.

But thats just my 2cents.

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poor relative said...

I would have thought the first thing a school should have is Public Liability insurance. In order to make that valid the trader has to be legit.

I think schools need to be licensed by a regulatory body - in Australia that should be AKSA or the local faction WAKSA

I'm from overseas (but don't hold that against me) and only here during the Aus summer so I'd have thought school insurance was a must have to trade (happy to be corrected by someone from a school??)

Isn't WAKSA a voluntary group - (again, happy to be corrected by those in the know?) How would they manage to regulate instructors - would instructors be happy with that?

We have an Australian Kiteboard Instruction Standard, that a lot of the schools are using now.
It is a very good guideline that is an Australian manual that comes in 3 parts and once its completely finished and reviewed by all participating schools in Australia it will be available for the public.

Also, most schools require permits with local Councils and other authorities (GBRMPA..) to operate so they have plans and local requirements in place to maintain permits. I believe very Council permit requires public liability insurance!

Permits for every gov agency you can think of. Enough insurance to make it not profitable. A non crowded safe beach and steady 17kn wind. Radio helmets, life vests, harness's etc that fit. The right size and type kites for learners. A safety plan not just a mal on the roof of their car and an enthusiastic instructor with knowledge that you understand. Finally one that has time to get you through all your lessons.

Forgot to add experience in teaching goes a long way

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TurtleHunter said...

Forgot to add experience in teaching goes a long way

thats it mate. permits really dont do anything to improve teaching and safety on beach. they basically just cost money and regulate who is 'allowed' to operate in council land.
We taught from 2003 till 2010 without a permit and then they got onto us and now its mandatory in our region to have one and its not cheap!

Thank you TH & ITL for the info.

How does a potential student discover or learn that there are instructor or school “standards” – is there a state or national licence or regulation body that ensures that 'standards' in Queensland are the same as in WA or NSW?

Without knowing that there are standards, it is difficult for a student to know if they are comparing apples with apples (and this is hard part for my friends & are asking – they just don't know which school to go to here)

Self regulation is a big thing in the sport but is self regulation by schools & instructors a good thing - or desirable?

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HBBear said...

Thank you TH & ITL for the info.

How does a potential student discover or learn that there are instructor or school “standards” – is there a state or national licence or regulation body that ensures that 'standards' in Queensland are the same as in WA or NSW?

Without knowing that there are standards, it is difficult for a student to know if they are comparing apples with apples (and this is hard part for my friends & are asking – they just don't know which school to go to here)

Self regulation is a big thing in the sport but is self regulation by schools & instructors a good thing - or desirable?

I think the only way you can truly know if you have a bad apple is to taste it sorry bear. I would doubt there are many instructors who aren't going to be better than teaching yourself so for now you will just have to go with your instinct.

How would you choose a Driving Instructor?

I would call around.

There would be some 'standard' boxes to tick:
1. Insurance
2. Permits to operate in a suitable learning area
3. Certification: IKO, BKSA, First Aid
4. Equipment: Recent and appropriate kite model, harness and board, radio helmets, safety gear - boat, lifevest.

Then there would be some more subjective measures to seperate those that can tick the above boxes:
1. Recommendations from your friends / forum users (or cautions!)
2. Have a chat with not just the boss but some of the instructors. Check out ongoing lessons. Good vibe??
3. Price / Packages / Location to you
4. Expected speed of progression eg, I've surfed / snowboarded / familiar with a trainer kite

Hope that helps! Have fun!

as said, certification doesn't mean squat if the instructor is not experienced or competent.
i've met certified instructors with no common sense or much kiting ability, including one iko instructor who couldn't self launch or land her own kite.

I know kite boarding perth have all the above mentioned, oh, apart from the skull dragging through dunes,
Would be interesting to find out if all the schools have council permits, insurance, experience, etc...........
Maybe waksa could check and then approve a list on there site

According to the IKO website WA only has two actual IKO schools none of which are in perth, one's in rockingham the other is in margaret river.

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vwpete said...

According to the IKO website WA only has two actual IKO schools none of which are in perth, one's in rockingham the other is in margaret river.

nobody is keen to pay IKO Fees. For some schools it pays off to host IKO coursesfor rest it just costs $.
Most of the Aussie instructors have done the IKO course i reckon.
Darren was one the Examiner for IKO for a long time and has now developed the Australian manual for proper kiteboarding instruction.
I believe it will be published in the near future and is spot on to use as a guideline for the new instructors and schools out there.

The established schools all worked out the best way for them to handle their lessons at their local beach over the years. Lots of travelling instructors adapt to the standards of the schools and we are all pretty safe, not many incidents in school reported, correct me if i am wrong.

Be safe, have fun and grow the sport!

^^^^^^^+1^^^^^^^

All very good but it's still somewhat challenging to actually know that a particular school or instructor is 'qualified' - he/she says "i'm an instructor" or "here's my school" - but is there anyone agency that is signing off or confirming that instructor's or schools qualifications so that there is consistency?

For example - accountants; lawyers; etc all have professional bodies setting standards - some sort of body or organisation to do the same (with a symbol such as the 'healthy heart' logo) to show School XYZ is up to a certain standard....

Permits, insurance and qualifications just have to be asked for, there in the trailer

^^^^^^No. there is no self regulatory body. Level 1 IKO instructors give feedback forms to their students which they fill out and then charge a "fee" to process. After a year you fill out a crappy multiple choice questionarre and bingo you are level 2. How does a student know what a good lesson is? What do they have to compare to? It's the blind filling out a form read by them not in Brail....

Every beach is different and you must have safety protocols and different ways of teaching. As poor relo said he doesnt like the guys teaching at woodies, yet with a few different ways is can be done safely as it is not directly onshore. As turtle-hunter said experience counts for a lot. Pay insurance, damaged gear, IKO fees and its a joke. Anyone who says they can make good money from kitesurfing schools is cutting corners IMO, you do it for the love.

Relo also had another good point.... Teaching in anything but ideal conditions is not conducive for learning, it is a money grab. Teaching on the river in gusterlies should be banned, it is not going to give anyone lesson progression as the wind window is expanding and contracting with someone with poor skills.

As an ex-teacher when you are on probation, experienced teachers mentor you and tell you how you can improve. Same thing with "instructors" I reckon. The IKO and BKSA has a lot to be desired. The german one where its not a 7 day course is far superior and the best instructors I had working with me did that course.

all iko intructors are listed on the iko website www.ikointl.com/
you can see if they are insured and what level instuctor they are and what iko schools they have worked at.