OCC Instructor Course – New Brunswick

Individuals who have the experience required to become a Field Leader instructor understand that leadership is essential in delivering quality and safe outdoors experiences. By becoming an instructor, you will acquire the capacity to certify Field Leaders and facilitate the learning of accepted practices that are foundational for effective outdoor leadership.

More information on becoming an instructor is available here. 

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

Course Pre-requisites: 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:

• The selection and training of field staff.
• The creation and implementation of program activities.
• The monitoring and management evaluation of program quality.
• The organization of logistical support for field operations.
• Record Keeping.  

Application Process: You must be an approved instructor candidate to register for this course. The application provides us with the details of your outdoor leadership experience and management capacity. We will review your application for approval. Expect this stage to take 10-14 business days. If you are approved, you will be able to register for an Instructor course. If there are no courses being offered at that time, you will be kept in a database that will help us set up courses in the future. If you have not completed the application, please do so here. 

Pre-Course Preparation:  Once you have registered for an  Instructor Course you will be sent an email containing a link to the  Field Leader Manual manual and quizzes. 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 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:  Instructor courses are scheduled based on demand, which means every registration is essential to making them possible. Because cancellations impact our ability to deliver programs, a $100 cancellation fee applies if you cancel up to 14 days before the course start date. Cancellations made less than 14 days before the course are non-refundable.

For any questions regarding this course, please contact program.coordinator@outdoorcouncil.ca