# teaching riding without qualifications



## isabella (17 February 2008)

i have taught members of family and family friends to ride over the years but have been asked to teach up at a centre i volunteer (sp) at i would be paid for teaching but obviously want to be covered and wondered if there was a form of insurance that is out there. I am looking into taking my a teaching exam in the future but havent got the finances yet 
	
	
		
		
	


	





thankies in advance


----------



## Boxers (17 February 2008)

You should ask the centre for a copy of their insurance policy and read it with a fine toothed comb!

Don't just take their word for it that you will be covered - it would be just sod's law for something to happen and then you find that you are not covered after all and you could leave yourself in a vulnerable situation.

Or, phone an insurance company, like NFU, and buy insurance for yourself.

Also, people you are teaching should know that you don't actually have a formal qualification and will be teaching them from experience rather than a certificate!  Most people will be fine with that, but there are some who like to see a certificate.


----------



## Partoow (17 February 2008)

You need personal liability insurance SEIB do this and you dont have to be qualified to get it.[about £350 per year for 2million £'s cover]
Some 'bodies' ie Pony club and young riders organisations need you to do a one day coarse on  child protection and also to have police checks done but this is only if you are teaching 'young people'.
other than that it is not necessary to have 'qualifications'in the formal sense.
i must say some of the best teachers i've had probably have'nt had but have had a wealth of knowledge and experience.


----------



## dieseldog (17 February 2008)

The cheapest way round it might be to join the BHS as a student and get covered by their insurance - not sure if this is possible or not you would have to check.


----------



## Shilasdair (17 February 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
You need personal liability insurance SEIB do this and you dont have to be qualified to get it.[about £350 per year for 2million £'s cover]
Some 'bodies' ie Pony club and young riders organisations need you to do a one day coarse on  child protection and also to have police checks done but this is only if you are teaching 'young people'.


[/ QUOTE ]

Agree with Partoow
You will need CRB checked if you are teaching anyone under 18...and if I were you I'd do either ESFAC or HSE so that when someone falls off (and it is a when, not an if), you do the right thing for their wellbeing, and yours.
S


----------



## ischa (17 February 2008)

hi you shouldnt have been asked to teach without any qualifacation  you can only do this if your not getting paid or just leading i would look into  this as well with the british horse society as to teach you need to be registered and have insurance


----------



## LizzieJ (17 February 2008)

[ QUOTE ]
hi you shouldnt have been asked to teach without any qualifacation you can only do this if your not getting paid or just leading i would look into this as well with the british horse society as to teach you need to be registered and have insurance  

[/ QUOTE ]


That isn't true - there are lots of people that teach legally without qualifications including half the top trainers in the country!  I have my BHSII but I have never been registered - never needed to and my insurance has never asked for it either!  You can get insurance without qualifications but I would imagine it could cost a bit more.  I would agree with whoever advised you to check the insurance cover that the yard has first.  Good luck!


----------



## Tierra (17 February 2008)

Lizzie is absolutly correct; there are a number of top level trainers that hold zero teaching qualifications but are exceptional riders with good competition careers and naturally, this tends to result in them training others.


----------



## ischa (17 February 2008)

yes i no but if you find out many riding insructors that work in a riding school of any type want them to be a qualified instructor due to the insurances if its your own yard your ok so if a person walked into a riding school and said they wanted to teach with no qualifications they could even no they havnt had proper ediucation on riding and handling even no that riding schools change the way they handle and ride so you could be going into that school and teaching people the wrong things


----------



## Tierra (17 February 2008)

Thats the point though 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Shes here asking what type of insurance she does need ;p Its not like shes proposing that she marches in and teaches with no form of insurance.

Dont see an issue at all 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Shes doing exactly the right thing by ensuring shes correctly covered.


----------



## FMM (17 February 2008)

I don't see it an issue providing insurance is in place. The riding centre would need to make it clear to people that you have no qualifications though. 

I know some establishments who do not make it clear, and I think it is wrong that a riding school (not talking about trainers who specialise in dressage or jumping) does not make it clear that their instructors have no formal recognised training qualifications for riding.


----------



## ischa (17 February 2008)

thank you this is what i was trying to put a cross


----------



## LizzieJ (17 February 2008)

But that wouldn't mean you shouldn't be paid for teaching!


----------



## FMM (17 February 2008)

Not at all. But should you pay the same for a non qualified riding school instructor as you do for a qualified one?


----------



## ischa (17 February 2008)

im just sying to make sure that she can teach with no qualification for the  same amount money that qualified instructors would cause it doesnt seem right that a non qualified instructor can teach in a school for same amount of money as an qualified one sorry if you took this the wrong way but thing is what i was trying to say maybe they could help towards her qualifications if its a qualified riding school


----------



## LizzieJ (17 February 2008)

I'm sure there are plenty of non-qualified people who teach better than I do for a start!  I guess it would depend on the experience of the individual person but in general if you teach at a riding school round here you get paid peanuts anyway!  Or am I misunderstanding and you mean the clients should pay less? that would make sense, although the  riding schools I have worked in this certainly hasn't happened.


----------



## PeterNatt (17 February 2008)

If you are teaching children then you must comply with the child protection act and be cleared by them.


----------



## FMM (17 February 2008)

I would say that a client should pay less for a non qualified instructor than a qualified one but I am talking Riding School, and not about someone who specialises in a specific discipline. However, I know that some riding schools try to hide the fact that they use unqualified instructors and charge the same. I think that is wrong.

I am not saying that an qualified instructor is always a better instructor, but what is the point of having a qualification process to ensure that the general public is getting approved instruction if riding schools don't then follow that process.


----------



## isabella (17 February 2008)

Thanks for your advice everyone. I have asked about their insurance and it is only a few private lessons 2 of the childrens parents work there its not a riding school as such it is a place that works with "difficult" children and mainly does ground work but a few children without problems go up and have started riding so she asked me if i could teach and the kids parents will pay me for their lesson.

And i will defo look into getting a CRB check!!!

Thanks again!


----------

