Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to become a fully qualified SGAIC Instructor?
What is involved?
How good do I need to be to get on the course?
When does the course run?
Where will the training be conducted?
How much will it cost?
What are the benefits of being an SGAIC trained instructor?
What other training/coaching is available and what associated costs are involved
How long does it take to become a fully qualified SGAIC Instructor?
The course starts at the end of October and concludes with final assessments at the start if the following April. Not everyone will be ready to take an assessment by the end of the course. In some cases attendees choose to take an extra year to build their casting and fishing experience, before taking the assessments. (back to top)
What is involved?
See documents in the resources links on the right, but in essence:
- First aid course, safeguarding children course.
- Technical training on casting and teaching
- A brief written assessment to test your angling knowledge.
- A formal presentation assessment on a predetermined game angling subject.
- A practical assessment to test your specific casting and teaching skills.
This all happens over 7 days - usually Sundays.(back to top)
How good do i need to be to get on the course?
To join the course you need to be a reasonably competent caster to begin with, and an experienced fly fisherman. An inexperienced angler and poor caster will struggle to make the improvements necessary to reach instructor standard in the time required. As a guide, try taking one of our Free Quizzes (see links on the right of this page). If you get 80% or more right then you could be ready!
If (be honest!) you struggled to get more than 70% right then think about spending some time getting more fishing experience and improving your technique before joining the course. Obviously the quizzes are only intended as a rough guide. If you have any questions or are uncertain as to whether this course is suitable for you, then do get in touch with us.
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When does the course run?
The course runs from late October through to the following spring. The course comprises of seven Sundays between October and late April (with one possible Saturday for final assessments). The next course will start in October 2024.
Programme Day |
Date |
Subject Overview |
1 |
Oct. 20th |
Introduction, Practical Pre-Assessments |
2 |
Nov. 24th |
Mechanics I |
3 |
Dec.8th |
Mechanics II |
4 |
Jan.26th |
Teaching |
5 |
Feb.23rd |
First Aid; Safeguarding Children |
6 |
Mar.23rd |
Written Paper; Presentations |
7 |
April.6th/13th |
Practical Assessment Weekend |
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Where will the training be conducted?
On the Meikleour beat of the River Tay in Perthshire.
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How much will it cost?
The full course with assessment costs £450
Candidates
who have attended the full course but did not pass can take a resit the following year at a cost of £150.
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What are the benefits of being an SGAIC trained instructor?
- SGAIC is the only instructor qualification where candidates receive training/coaching, and development plans aimed at getting them to pass. Other qualifications just require that you pay the fee and turn up on assessment day.
- Quality instruction and assessment. Our lead instructors are all qualified to AAPGAI advanced level, and most of us also hold level 2 Sports Coach qualifications. We always use independent assessors to ensure fair and consistent assessments; these assessors are AAPGAI Masters (the highest qualification in the UK).
- An active community of instructors across Scotland. Meet great people with like minds. Share ideas and experiences.
- Continuous Personal Development. We hold a minimum of one CPD day a year aimed at ensuring SGAIC instructors continue to develop their skills and learn new things
- An opportunity to progress. Holders of the SGAIC qualification automatically have equivilance with AAPGAI's Professional level. This means, should you wish to progress you can go straight to taking the AAPGAI advanced assessments.
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What other training/coaching is available and what associated costs involved are
We recommend that all candidates get a mentor to help them through the course, and recommend they see AAPGAI advanced instructors for this. This means candidates get support in practising the right things between course days (and practise is essential!). Most instructor/mentors charge around £40/50 per hour, and ideally you should be looking at between 6 and 10 hours mentoring, although this will vary according to your experience skill level.
Another qualification you can consider in addition to moving on to AAPGAI, is taking a Level 2 coaching qualification. This focuses mainly on teaching/coaching skills as opposed technical angling skills.
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