Skydiving Instructor

A Skydiving Instructor in the UK is a highly skilled and trained professional responsible for teaching new skydivers and supervising jumps, ensuring safety and an enjoyable experience. Their primary role involves delivering various skydiving courses, from tandem skydives where they are attached to a student, to Accelerated Freefall (AFF) courses where they teach students to jump solo after extensive ground training. This involves not only the physical act of skydiving but also comprehensive ground instruction on equipment, safety procedures, freefall techniques, and canopy control. Instructors must possess excellent communication skills to convey complex information clearly, remain calm under pressure, and have an unwavering commitment to safety protocols. They spend significant time checking equipment, monitoring weather conditions, and providing feedback to students, making every jump a learning opportunity. It's a physically demanding role that requires significant experience, continuous professional development, and often involves working outdoors in various weather conditions, albeit only jumping in suitable ones. To become a Skydiving Instructor in the UK, you typically need thousands of jumps under your belt, hold specific ratings from British Skydiving (the national governing body), such as a Tandem Instructor rating or an AFF Instructor rating, and pass rigorous examinations and practical assessments. The career offers immense satisfaction for those passionate about aviation and extreme sports, allowing them to share their love for skydiving while guiding others through exhilarating and life-changing experiences. It also requires a high level of responsibility, as the safety and confidence of students are paramount. The season for skydiving in the UK is primarily from spring to autumn, so instructors may find work to be seasonal, or they might travel internationally during the UK off-season to continue working.