Quote:
Originally Posted by GreatWhite
I am interested in becoming a sailing instructor, I would love to share my passion for sailing and think have the right temperment to be a good teacher. I am Canadian. I am interested in hearing other peoples opions on what the best path to becoming a cerified instructor is. I am interested in working in Canadian and Mexican waters. It seems the ASA certification is the mostly widely recognized certification. I have the ISPA Advanced Skipper Cert, my wife has the ASA and she says the ISPA course is far superior to the ASA program as I shared my ISPA material with her and she was able to compare. As far as marketablity, I am not sure if Americans or people from other parts of the world would be interested in the an ISPA certification. Of course there is CYA and RYA too.
I would also consider a Captain's license, again the USCG is what I come across most, but I don't know if it is something a Canadian would be able to obtain. What are the Canadian equivalents to the USCG Captain's licenses?
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Whenever folks ask about the best certification, one of the standard answers is that the instructor, rather than the certification agency is more important. This is true, although the course materials are important. But, then again, a good instructor goes beyond the text.
I teach both ISPA and CYA courses. The ASA program is (was) very similar to the CYA program. I compared the two some time ago, some things may have changed. RYA has a solid reputation.
On the West Coast of Canada, there seems to be more ISPA than CYA schools. Some of the larger schools/charter companies do teach both. The ones that I usually work for offer both ISPA and CYA.
I have certified both Canadian and Americans through ISPA. The charter companies around the world are more concerned about competence rather than the level or certifying agencies. I have been asked for my resume, but I have never been asked to show my logbook.
If you are interested in ISPA certification, check the web site at ispassciation.ca for upcoming instructor clinics. I conducted one in Sidney at the beginning of November. Next years are still in planning stages. For CYA instructor clinics, you might check out Cooper Boating.
Canada really does not have the equivalent of the USCG six-pack, which is only available to US citizens. The Masters certificate requires a significant amount of sea time under another Master. The closest you might find is the IYT program offered through BCIT, but that is not recognized in Canada.
If I can help in anyway, let me know.
I did get your PM, but because I am new to this board, I cannot reply. Please send another PM with your email and I can respond directly.
Jack
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