Climbing instructor/coach qualifications
Climbing is one of the UK’s fasted growing sports with more people than ever before taking part (indoors and outdoors) on a regular basis. Mountain Training offer a range of qualifications suitable for people interested in coaching or instructing all types of climbing.
If you're finding it difficult to choose, read our blog article:
Which scheme is right for me?
The Indoor Climbing Assistant qualification is great for people who want to support a qualified instructor, without the same level of responsibility and experience. It's ideal for parents, young people and support staff who might already take a group to a climbing wall and want to get more involved.
Combined training and assessment: 1 day
The Climbing Wall Instructor qualification is ideal for people who want to supervise climbing and bouldering on artificial structures. The focus is the safe supervision and management of climbing activities, teaching basic movement and roped (but not lead) climbing. There is also an abseil module concerned with the safe supervision of abseiling on artificial structures. Climbing Wall Instructors commonly work in climbing walls, are outdoor instructors or volunteer youth workers.
Training: 2 days
Assessment: 1 day
Average time from training to successful assessment: less than 1 year
The Rock Climbing Instructor has been designed for those involved in supervising climbing on single pitch crags and artificial structures. The qualification looks at building belays and safely managing roped climbing sessions at outdoor crags, as well as bouldering and climbing indoors. This qualification does not enable people to teach lead climbing, either indoors or outdoors.
Training: 3 days (or 2 days if all attendees are at least Climbing Wall Instructor trained)
Assessment: 2 days
Average time from training to successful assessment: 1 year
Foundation Coaches help new and improving climbers develop the fundamental movement skills of climbing. Foundation Coaches will usually be concerned with the stimulating delivery of a single session to a group of individuals.
Training: 1 day
Assessment: 2 hours
Average time from training to successful assessment: 1.6 years
The Climbing Wall Development Instructor involves teaching lead climbing on artificial structures which have fixed protection (typically indoor climbing walls). It is a common route of progression for those who already hold either the Climbing Wall Instructor or Rock Climbing Instructor qualifications, as it builds on the teaching and supervising skills developed through these schemes.
Training: 1 day
Assessment: 1 day
Average time from training to successful assessment: 1 year
The Rock Climbing Development Instructor qualification has been designed for Rock Climbing Instructors who want to help people progress and develop their climbing. The qualification looks at teaching lead climbing on single pitch crags among other developmental progressions.
Training: 4 days
Assessment: 3 days
Average time from training to successful assessment: 1.5 years
The Rock Climbing Development Instructor qualification has been designed for Rock Climbing Instructors who want to help people progress and develop their climbing. The qualification looks at teaching lead climbing on single pitch crags among other developmental progressions.
Training: 2 days
Assessment: 4 hours
Average time from training to successful assessment: 3.1 years
This qualification covers all aspects of summer rock climbing and mountaineering, including taking people up multi-pitch mountain routes and sea cliff climbs, the coaching of lead climbing in those environments, and roped scrambling.
Training: 9 days
Assessment: 5 days
Average time from training to successful assessment: 4.1 years
This builds on the skills developed in both the Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and Winter Mountain Leader qualifications, to teach people how to instruct snow and ice climbing and winter mountaineering.
Training: 5 days
Assessment: 4 days
Average time from training to successful assessment: 3.5 years
This qualification is aimed at people who work with climbers over a long period of time and involves structuring annual plans for individuals, frequently within squads and/or academies.
Training: 3 days + assignments
Assessment: 1 day + viva
Average time from training to successful assessment: not enough data (this qualification has been piloted and the first annual cohort began training in September 2023)