Your clients have spent days planning their surf trip, dreaming of somebody not so dissimilar to John John Florence, effortlessly easing them into their first waves.
We’d all love our team of surf instructors to look like they’ve been plucked from the Blue Crush gene pool, but there are many factors to consider when you start hiring surf instructors for your surf camp.
Read on, as I share with you exclusive knowledge from seasoned entrepreneurs with firsthand experience in the surf industry. I picked the brains of top industry experts so you’ll make the right choices when hiring instructors for your surf school. Here’s a quick overview of who you’ll be hearing from in this article:
Rupert Hill | Founder | Surf Simply
The visionary behind Surf Simply’s snowballing success, Rupert Hill has used his knowledge of surf coaching to build one of the only surf camps in the world that offers technical surf coaching in a luxury boutique resort environment. Booking a week at this surf camp grants you access to top of the range, professionally trained surf coaches, and a meticulously crafted syllabus. You won’t find this kind of coaching anywhere else in the world. You can learn more about Surf Simply by listening to this podcast.
Joanne van der Eng | Founder | Surfana
Nestled into the sand dunes of Kennemerland National Park, the Netherlands, lies the Surfana surf camp. With weather and wave conditions stacked against them, operating a successful surf school on this North Sea coastline didn’t come without its tribulations. Surfana opened their shipping container doors in 2007 and have maintained a solid ethos from day 1, built around a deep-seated love for surfing. Surfana inspires people from all over the world to leave their worries behind them and embrace the good life.
Nette Klement | Head Coach | The Salty Souls Experience
Nette has explored as much of Europe's craggy coastline as the gulls that migrate over the Atlantic. Her job as a surf instructor has taken her all over the continent, including the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal and England. So, where is she now? Nette has recently migrated to Central America—El Salvador, more specifically—where she serves as head coach at The Salty Souls Experience: a surf, yoga, and empowerment retreat for women.
Without further ado, let’s jump into it.
meet face to face
Thanks to modern dating apps, we’ve all experienced the cruel deception of a clever selfie angle and a witty bio. So remember: things may not always be as they seem.
Take this into consideration when enthusiastic job applications start flooding your inbox; a well-engineered CV can be misleading.
“It’s good to have a little Skype conversation—it’s always a feeling—you already know after 1 or 2 minutes if this is going to be it or not.” - Joanne van der Eng, Surfana
Make sure to get to know the applicant face to face before handing them the job, an impromptu video call will help you avoid making any ill-informed decisions.
“During the interview process we'll just let the applicant talk about themselves as much as possible. The longer they talk without throwing up any red flags, the higher our confidence level can be.” - Ru Hill, Surf Simply
Know what you’re looking for
What qualities are important for a good surf instructor? Of course, there are obvious attributes such as confidence, leadership skills, good communication, the list goes on.
However, to understand what makes a good teacher, we must first understand what it means to learn.
As Surf Simply’s Ru Hill eloquently puts it:
“(They need to have) an interest in cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are what tend to trip us up the most when we are trying to learn a new skill through personal experience.” - Ru Hill, Surf Simply
As a teacher, the ability to listen, understand, adapt, and engage with each student is critical. There is no formula for learning to surf, so no two learning curves will ever be the same.
As we learn, we pick up bad habits along the way. These bad habits influence individual technical adaptions which can severely hinder progress. A good teacher is able to identify these biases and offer solutions in the form of exercises and drills.
Good surfers aren’t (necessarily) the best teachers
There is no straightforward answer to that question, but in my experience, the answer is: no, not always.
“We have found that finding good teachers is much more difficult than finding good surfers.” - Ru Hill, Surf Simply
Being a good surfer and being a good teacher are not entirely synonymous. Yes, being a good surfer should make it easier to teach, but the ability to convey these skills to paying students is a whole different kettle of fish.
Most good surfers have been surfing for many years, but remember - their teaching careers may have just begun.
“Both (skills) would be best, of course. But I will give people time to get some more practice” - Joanne van der Eng, Surfana
Yes, both skills would be ideal. But as implied above - everybody needs time to learn. I’m not saying that you shouldn't hire somebody without teaching experience, but try analysing their teaching potential, and don’t make decisions based on surfing skills alone.
Retain and maintain
The surf industry is mercilessly seasonal, it’s normal for faces to come and go year after year, this is not helped by the nomadic nature of modern surf bums, but are there benefits of holding onto staff members for longer than just one season?
“I think it’s really important to have instructors returning. They carry the culture of the company” - Joanne van der Eng, Surfana
Returning instructors have the advantage of understanding the operations of your company better than any newbie ever could.
Only returning staff members are able to offer improvements and suggestions for subsequent seasons.
“All instructors should use the same methods and teach the same things, otherwise people will get really confused.” - Nette Klement, Head coach, Salty Souls
Training new instructors is a time-consuming process, so holding onto instructors from previous years enables you to focus more attention on improving your client’s experience. Learning to surf is hard enough already, so provide some consistency for your clients, they’ll thank you later!
“I think it's very difficult to move your coaching program forward if you're training new coaches every year.” - Ru Hill, Surf Simply
Be vigilant of waning stoke. The season is long, and it can be hard. Bringing in new instructors may provide a welcome breath of fresh air for the clients and the team.
If your instructors return year after year, your clients are likely to do the same.
Surf camps are just as much about slurping a cold post-surf brew with your buddies as they are about surfing; nobody enjoys sharing a beer with an instructor who’s moping about like a wet lettuce.
“There’s also a down-side, sometimes they’re hanging on for too long and they’re not happy anymore.” - Joanne van der Eng, Surfana
Keep your instructors on your side. Just because one instructor can legally teach up to eight students, it doesn’t mean they should.
There is a negative correlation between the number of students in a class and the lesson quality they will receive, bear this in mind when you plan your lessons. Smaller groups mean happier instructors and more satisfied clients.
“Ideally, a teacher should never have more than 4 students, I think.” - Nette Klement, Head coach, Salty Souls
Put it into action
If you’re about to open your own surf school, do not underestimate the importance of your surf team; they are the yeast to your dough, and without them, you’ll struggle to rise. Before you check out, let’s review what we’ve learnt.
Meet the instructor. Decide what is important to you and your ethos. Different employers will have different priorities to suit the company ethos, so, prepare your interview questions, make a small checklist, let the instructor talk, and trust your instinct
Try not to be overly-swayed by images of impressive barrel riding and aerials. A good surfer is not always the best teacher. Take surfing skills into consideration, but also look carefully for teaching potential. Impressive surfing skills are alluring, but a keen knowledge of the ocean, the ability to convey information and correct techniques are imperative
Look after your team, and they will look after you. Returning team members can have a very positive effect on your company. They are able to identify areas of improvement, teach new instructors the ropes, and move the coaching program forward. Keep an eye on any dwindling morale levels within the team throughout the season; a fresh instructor, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, may be just what the doctor ordered
Written by Richard Dobinson
Richard is a surfer and Content Marketer from the United Kingdom. He is an in-house blogger for the Surfpreneurs Club and Founder of RAD Content. Richard has written articles for numerous businesses that rank #1 on search engines. You’ll find him scuttling about in the line-up, or on his website, Instagram, and Facebook channels.
Interviews with surf entrepreneurs
