Instructor Course – Ontario

Join us and take the next step in shaping outdoor leadership!

Strong leadership is essential for delivering safe, high-quality outdoor experiences. As a Field Leader Instructor, you’ll gain the ability to certify Field Leaders and share best practices that form the foundation of effective outdoor leadership.

Successful graduates will receive at least one OCC Instructor license and may be licensed to teach additional Field Leader courses.

Prerequisites: Individuals who have an extensive base of outdoor leadership experience and can act as mentors to other leaders are great candidates to become an OCC instructor. Such people have significant experience in teaching and facilitating outdoor experiences for others as well as experience with the following: selection and training of field staff, creation and implementation of program activities, monitoring and management of program quality, organization of logistical support for field operations, and Record Keeping.  

Certification: Successful graduates will receive an OCC Instructor ‘Hiking” license and may be licensed to teach additional Field Leader courses. This means that by taking the OCC Instructor course, individuals with the required prior experience can acquire multiple licenses such as; FL (Equine), FL (Paddling), FL (Winter), FL (Overnight) and GO (Maps and Compass) courses. Course performance, field experience and certifications received will determine which additional licenses a graduate will receive. 

To Apply: https://outdoorcouncil.ca/courses/become-an-instructor/instructor-candidate-application/

Expect this stage to take 10-14 business days. You will be notified when your application status is finalized. 

To Register: Once you have been notified by the Program Coordinator that your application is approved, you can register here. 

Pre-Course Preparation: Once you have registered for an Instructor Course you will be sent an email containing a link to the courses assignments and resources. Instructor Candidates are expected to read the appropriate material and complete the pre-course questions. The Instructor Examiner will assign each candidate one of the Field Leader lessons to teach during the course. Lesson plans, power points and other resources will be made available (through the same link) to assist with your lesson planning and preparation.

Course Duration: 16 hours over two days

Course Format: The course is usually split between in-class learning (65%) and field exercises (35%). The learning format will be primarily guided experiential learning. 

Course Location: Fair Havens Camp & Conference Centre, Beaverton, Ontario. Accommodations and meals can be booked separately. To reserve, call 705-426-7378 and ask for Amy or Brenda. Mention that you’re with the OCC course group.

Course Content: Instructor candidates will become familiar with the Field Leader Hiking content as well as how to deliver the course material using a variety of teaching and facilitation methods and techniques. The course will also include; the mechanics and logistics of administering a Field Leader course and the evaluation policies and procedures.

Cancellation Policy: There is a $25 administration fee to cancel up to 14 days prior to the start of the course. No refund available after 14 days prior. However, if registration numbers are too low we reserve the right to cancel the course two weeks before the course starts. In such an event you will be refunded the entire course fee. 

For More Information:  program.coordinator@outdoorcouncil.ca 

COURSE FEE – 450.00/pp

The course fee covers only the Instructor Course. Accommodations and meals are available for an additional fee and can be booked separately. The base fee for an Instructor course is $400 per person and may be increased due to Instructor Examiner travel costs in some parts of Canada. (The minimum number of participants to run a course is four and the maximum is eight).