Register
Key info

Must already hold: Rock Climbing Instructor

Registration requires approval from a Mountain Training technical officer.

Training: 4 days

Assessment: 3 days

 

Average time from training to passing assessment: 1.4 years


Ideal for: Experienced Rock Climbing Instructors who want to teach lead climbing on single pitch sport and trad crags.

 

Rock Climbing Development Instructor courses delivered by Mountain Training England are regulated by Ofqual.

Entry requirements

To register

 
  • You must hold the Rock Climbing Instructor qualification
  • You must have delivered a minimum of 20 days as a Rock Climbing Instructor at a variety of venues and with a variety of groups, recorded in DLOG*.
  • You must have led a minimum of 60 named single pitch routes using leader placed protection in three different climbing areas at VS 4c or above and logged them in DLOG. You may include full multi-pitch routes using leader placed protection (up to 50% of the requirement).
  • You must have led a minimum of 60 sport climbs in three different climbing areas at 6a or above and logged them in DLOG. Up to 50% of this experience can be outside the UK and Ireland.
  • Register for the Rock Climbing Development Instructor qualification (cost: £75)
  • On the ‘Share’ tab of your DLOG, click the ‘Send to MT’ button to let us know your DLOG is ready to be reviewed
  • Your logbook will be reviewed by a Mountain Training technical officer – this can take up to 30 days

 

To book a training course

 
  • Your Rock Climbing Development Instructor registration must have been approved.

To book an assessment course
  • You must have completed a Rock Climbing Development Instructor training course.
  • You must be familiar with the syllabus.

 

Post training and before presenting yourself for assessment:

  • You must have logged a minimum of 10 rock climbing teaching days with students at a variety of outdoor venues.
  • You must have led a minimum of 30 single pitch routes using leader placed protection in three different climbing areas at VS 4c or above and recorded them in DLOG. You may include full multi-pitch routes using leader placed protection (up to 50% of the requirement).
  • You must have led a minimum of 30 sport climbs in three different climbing areas at 6a or above and recorded them in DLOG. Up to 50% of this experience can be outside the UK and Ireland.
  • You must have physically attended and completed (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involved at least two full days or sixteen hours of instruction and included an element of assessment.

 

*DLOG is the digital logbook on our system, which you will be able to access once you have registered on a qualification.

 

**What are personal reflective comments?

Courses

Training and assessment courses are delivered by our approved providers at single pitch crags across the UK or Ireland. A variety of cost packages are available, depending on what's included; food, accommodation etc. so you can choose one that's right for you.

 

Training

Rock Climbing Development Instructor training lasts for four days and will cover:

 

  • The Rock Climbing Development Instructor syllabus
  • What to expect at assessment
  • Feedback on your performance and areas to focus on prior to assessment.

 

Syllabus

Technical competence (including equipment, anchors, belaying, personal skills and background knowledge)

Management and decision making (including planning, organising, managing participants, decision making, knowledge and demonstration of techniques, personal safety)

Teaching and learning skills

The climbing environment (including access, conservation, etiquette and ethics)

 

Consolidation

After completing a training course, use the feedback from your course director and the skills checklist to identify syllabus areas you need to practise.

 

Our membership association (Mountain Training Association) offers peer-led learning opportunities and formal workshops on a range of topics, from coaching climbing movement to lead climbing skills, to help you during this phase.

 

Join our association

 

Assessment

The Rock Climbing Development Instructor assessment is 3 days long. You will be assessed against the syllabus competencies in the candidate handbook. At the end of the assessment you will receive one of three results:

 

  • Pass
  • Defer (requires a partial reassessment)
  • Fail (requires a full reassessment)
Resources

Candidate handbook last updated: April 2024

Candidate handbook
Skills checklist
Meet an instructor

Other qualifications

Doesn't sound like the right qualification for you? Consider the following:

Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor

Climbing Wall Development Instructor

Rock Climbing Instructor

Which qualification is is right for me?

Find a course Join our association