Choose Your Question

 

What first Aid course do I need to do?

The content of your first aid course is dependant on your coaching award. Full details about what content your first aid course should contain can be found in the Licencing pages. Its worth noting that First Aid requirements for licencing may be differ from First Aid requirements for employment/deployment.

Will you recognise my first aid qualification as I am a doctor/ paramedic / medical professional?

Snowsport England will consider First Aid exemptions in the following cases:

  • Medical Doctors registered with General Medical Council
  • Paramedics
  • Registered Nurses who are on the Single Professional Register maintained by UK Central Council of Nursing, midwifery and Health Visiting.
  • Serving military personnel, police officers, fire brigade, other ambulance personnel, and physiotherapists

Snowsport England will only except an application for First Aid exemption if there is evidence that the qualification the applicant holds and practices can be carried out in an environment other than their normal place of work especially that it can be applied in an outdoor environment. You can find the exemption form in our First Aid Policy

What safeguarding course do I have to do, why do i need to do a face to face one initially?

For a complete list of which courses we accept for your initial and refresher safeguarding training click here. We insist on a face to face course initially as Snowsport England follows the guidance of the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) who are funded by Sport England to provide NGBs with advice and support. The CPSU recommend the first course is face to face for anyone working directly with children. A face to face course enables the complexities of safeguarding issues related to the specific role of coach/instructor to be addressed and allows opportunities for discussion that are not available on e-learning courses, and only to a limited extent in e-classrooms.

Why do I need to attend one? You need to be aware of good safeguarding practice in snowsport and know what to do if you see or hear something that causes you concern, or if a child tells you something that causes them concern. By completing a safeguarding course every 3 years, we can help ensure all who work with children in snowsport are up to date with best practice and you can be confident in your approach when working with children. The importance of the safeguarding role of instructors and coaches must not be underestimated. Snowsport England carried out a survey of all athletes attending the English Alpine Championship: When asked “If something, or someone was making you unhappy in your snowsport activity” 67% of athletes said they would talk to their coach about it. Only 13% would talk to a teacher and 33% would talk to their club welfare officer. This emphasises the importance coaches have within sport and of listening to children, and knowing how to respond to a disclosure.

How can I refresh my qualification?

All of our coaching scheme awards require you to take part in some form of refresher activity to ensure you keep your award current. You can see when your qualification needs refreshing on your membership portal. There are various activities that can refresh you the most common ones are a specific refresher on the course calendar, Skilful Skiing Course and the Coaching Conference.

You should receive regular reminders from ourselves regarding refreshing.

What level do I need to be at to attend a  course ?

All our entry level coaching courses have the training element and assessment element separate. We believe that this is absolutely essential in allowing people the time to absorb the learning and be able to apply what has been learnt. After the initial training course each candidate will receive a written action plan to highlight areas requiring development. It is then recommended to work with a mentor to help you to achieve these goals before getting assessed.

To see the expected technical levels expected for each award you can check the Resource Area. If you are unsure then please contact us.

What insurance cover do I get with my licence

Insurance is only valid with an in date licence. for further information on what it covers please check here

What happens if my first aid, safeguarding or DBS runs out during the year?

If any of the required elements for licensing runs out over the membership year, your licence will not be valid until these have been refreshed. The Licensing area on the website provides all the information you require on keep these up to date.

I am already qualified with a different qualification, will you recognise this?

As a member of the international snowsport community, UK Snowsports welcomes coaches, leaders and instructors holding qualifications issued by non UK Snowsports Member Awarding Bodies. Holders of such qualifications can apply to UK Snowsports for recognition of equivalency of their awards. If successful an applicant will be awarded the appropriate level of UK Snowsports qualification and licence and will receive all usual member benefits.

For further information click here 

Where can I get work with these qualifications?

Each award has a different remit and range of operation. Most of the awards are for use in closed environments (artificial snowsport centres) however some awards allow holders to work with skiers / boarders in an mountain environment. Each awards remit and range of operation is available in the resource area.

The awards that allow you to work with people in alpine environments are to work with higher level participants and not those that require lessons. Coaches must have a pre-existing relationship with their skiers and follow the Coaches Protocol.

I want to work as a professional ski instructor in the alps, can I do this with these qualifications?

In short, no you can’t work as professional ski instructor with our awards. However our Instructor (L2) awards can give you exemption from the BASI Level 1 in skiing or snowboarding and allow you direct access into their Level 2 which can allow you to work in some places as a professional instructor. Before exemptions take place you must be fully licensed with ourselves.

HOW OLD DO I NEED TO BE TO ATTEND A COURSE?

Our entry level course you need to be 15 years and 9 months old at the start of the training course. We do run specific courses for 14 – 16 years olds which cover the same content as the usual entry level courses. The only difference is that you need to be 16 years old to be able to complete the licensing criteria.

For further information email coaching@snowsportengland.org.uk 

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