Cycling UK Forum

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
So as a cycling instructor (whatever that job entails) as I said further up post suitable only for-
Retired financially well off. / those who want to do low paid work for the Samaritan good feeling factor.
The employer relies on the fact that the naive / uninformed, taker of these jobs, will be unaware of what expenses will be involved with out any benefits, will be led into subsidizing through their other income?

I do feel many people are not aware of what adhoc part time work actually means.

pedals2slowly wrote:

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
So as a cycling instructor (whatever that job entails) as I said further up post suitable only for-
Retired financially well off. / those who want to do low paid work for the Samaritan good feeling factor.

I think I understand your opinion, however it feels rather condescending.
It may appear so, but actually there are lots of instructors I work with who are earning enough to live on.
There are others who fill in with other jobs, so earn enough to live on.
There are others who have child care commitments and so working within school hours/term time is great.
For myself I have a family commitment that doesn't allow full time work. The hours I work suit me and I am not retired nor financially well off.
I wouldn't do it if it wasn't paid, I enjoy it.

The problem is nationwide and not confined to Bikeability- all the unpaid volunteers clearing footpaths, picking litter, driving people to hospital, volunteer lifeboatmen, firefighters etc. Helpers in any capacity are subsidising the state and denying people full time jobs. I don't think NSI's are going to change the national system that we have in place. At least we are paid an OK hourly rate, and you like it or lump it.

Anyone any proposals to help make it a more professional career????

gaz wrote:Union representation? https://iwgb.org.uk/post/5e3925da26f26/ ... tors-deman

With my job situation somewhat up in the air at the moment, training as a cycle instructor is very much on my list of things to consider, albeit marked with a rather large maybe. The initial out of pocket cost is not insignificant, it is extremely unlikely to pay enough on its own. The maybe arises from a struggle to understand how to fit it around another job coupled with an awareness that some income is better than no income.

Si wrote:The govt have made noises about every kid in the country getting bikeability......you have to wonder where all the instructors are going to be found.

pjclinch wrote:

Si wrote:The govt have made noises about every kid in the country getting bikeability......you have to wonder where all the instructors are going to be found.

Same place as the new nurses, I imagine, they'll just magically appear if we're suitably optimistic.

Though not so much like the nurses I wouldn't be surprised if cost projections involve paying peanuts, because that's been the general case to date. If it's going to be greatly expended it needs to get more professional though, and that hopefully means paying proper money (though even with that it will look attractive for box-ticking compared to genuinely costly stuff like decent infra).

(data point for pay, up in Tayside I'd get £30/hour for delivering instructor training or mentoring, L2 and L1 delivery I did effectively as a parent volunteer at my own kids' school. The money was for occasional days, not regular gigs I could pay for a life with)Pete.

Tinpotflowers wrote:I have told first hand by a cycle training provider they had trained a large number of nurses and teacher etc to be instructors but they never put it in too practice because that was not their real job and unless you do all the time and are a regular cyclist you are not any good at it.

Vorpal wrote:Some employers will pay for the training. Essex CC paid for mine.