ACA Instructor Trainer Educator

The path is long and it is not easy but if you are interested Mather Rescue can provide the training needed to become a Swiftwater Rescue Instructor as well as an Instructor Trainer. Unlike other disciplines it is uncommon and difficult to dedicate enough time to practicing rescue to the point of being proficient enough to teach it. The process involves participating in multiple classes and acquiring many river miles. Then when a candidate feels they possess the paddling skills, technical knowledge, rescue ability, teaching ability, group management and interpersonal skills necessary they can move on to the evaluation process. The evaluation process consists of 2 steps. First is an Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) which is more about how to teach the subject than the technical information that is expected to be passed on and generally lasts 3 days. Second is the Instructor Certification Exam (ICE). The ICE is usually 3 days as well and is set up in a format where the candidate teaches various topics to their peers to demonstrate their personal knowledge of the material as well as their ability to teach it. For more detail on what is required to be an instructor please visit the ACA website for instructor criteria or contact Mather Rescue at mike@matherrrescue.com.