Being a hunters ed instructor

[yoteassasin]

Hey guys I've decided I'd like to become a hunters ed instructor. Any one here instructors ? I'm in the east sf bay and I just reached out to the north coast coordinator . Any pointers or thoughts ?

[Spyder]

[BigFatGuy]

Perhaps, instead of starting with the top-of-the-pyramid-coordinator, find someone teaching a class and ask if you can be a volunteer "runner/gopher" for the class to get your foot in the door?

I'm sure the coordinator gets a lot of email from people who never follow through...

[yoteassasin]

Perhaps, instead of starting with the top-of-the-pyramid-coordinator, find someone teaching a class and ask if you can be a volunteer "runner/gopher" for the class to get your foot in the door?

I'm sure the coordinator gets a lot of email from people who never follow through...

[Bull Elk]

I was going to do this last year but found out in my area, we have ample instructors. Most gun shops and shooting clubs had already aligned themselves with instructors, so I wasn't sure I could provide any additional benefit to Nevada County. I will say that most of the feedback I received from local instructors is that it is a very rewarding experience, but can take up a considerable amount of time. Good luck!

[Thefeeder]

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Its very fun and rewarding to teach. Its been my way of having fun and giving back to the shooting sports. I'm not a Hunters ed instructor but I have a few instructor Certs under my belt.

Things to expect: You will be taught what needs to covered, not how to teach.
How to teach will be a learning curve on your part. Knowing and teaching, as I found, are not the same thing at all.

Running a class is time consuming, don't expect to make money at it...breaking even is a good goal.

Look into instructors insurance with the NRA and decide if its something you need or want while teaching a hunter ed class. Its a good question to ask while taking your instructors course

Pm me if you have any questions....I'll be glad to help if I have the answers

Edit-- Working as an assist Instructor at a few Hunter Ed classes is a good way to get your feet wet and gain some teaching insight

[BigFatGuy]

I was just making what I thought was a helpful suggestion. Most volunteer organizations I've dealt with, it's easier to get in if you've already worked with them.

Sorry to bother you.

[Bull Elk]

Its very fun and rewarding to teach. Its been my way of having fun and giving back to the shooting sports. I'm not a Hunters ed instructor but I have a few instructor Certs under my belt.

Things to expect: You will be taught what needs to covered, not how to teach.
How to teach will be a learning curve on your part. Knowing and teaching, as I found, are not the same thing at all.

Running a class is time consuming, don't expect to make money at it...breaking even is a good goal.

Look into instructors insurance with the NRA and decide if its something you need or want while teaching a hunter ed class. Its a good question to ask while taking your instructors course

Pm me if you have any questions....I'll be glad to help if I have the answers

Edit-- Working as an assist Instructor at a few Hunter Ed classes is a good way to get your feet wet and gain some teaching insight

Instructors receive no pay. Your volunteering your time.

[yoteassasin]

I am up for the volunteer gig I'm and I'm even up for student teaching with other instructors ...
I am not however interested in being a gopher for some guide paying canned pheasant hunting clown that is on a RSO power trip. ... just wanted to clear the air on that ...
I enjoy volunteering and am not shy of hard work or difficult situations. I realized I should approach this from a couple different angles if I want it to happen . Thank you everyone for the input ... yes even you fat guy ...

[Spyder]

[peterinsj]

I am a Hunter Ed instructor entering my fourth year in the program. I really enjoy the teaching and encourage you to take the exam and join the ranks.

Bart is a great guy and will work with you as far as scheduling the exam. He met me on a day that fit my schedule and gave me the test. Mostly the same as the student exam with additional information on administrative stuff.

Bart then communicated with some teaching teams near where I live, they all we willing to accept a newcomer. I met with the group closest to me and have stayed with them. You can sit in on classes before or after you get your certificate, I don't think it makes a difference.

As someone else mentioned, the state doesn't teach you how to teach, they certify you as an instructor. This is where team teaching really helps. There are several topics that must be taught and different instructors have different strengths. I regularly teach two topics and was clumsy with that at first. Now I have a pretty matured presentation for my usual topics and can fill in for all the others as need be.

As far as the "top-of-the-pyramid" concept. Bart is our coordinator, he is a game warden as is much of the paid cadre of the Hunter Education Program. To all of that staff we instructors are the "top-of-the-pyramid" people - hunter ed could not exist in California without us unpaid volunteers. The DFW staff are our facilitators and they make it clear that they are there to help us.

That being said, send me a PM if you was more detailed information or to sit in on a class in the South Bay.