Lessions for life

For discussions within the Cycle Training profession.
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Philip Benstead
Posts: 2018
Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 7:06pm
Location: Victoria , London

Lessions for life

Post by Philip Benstead »

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This article highlights the campaigning by IWGB - Cycling branch to secure improved terms and conditions for cycle instructors.

I would expect many on here may have heard of this campaign given members of this site are keen cyclists.

https://iwgb.org.uk/en/page/iwgb-cyclin ... rs-branch/

Who we are
We’re the Cycling Instructors’ Branch of IWGB.

(For the uninitiated, cycling instructors teach bike control skills and safe road riding to adults and children. We also teach cyclist awareness courses to professional drivers, run all-ability cycling sessions and teach beginners to ride.)

Our branch started in London, where the cycle training industry has been established longest, and where we now represent a significant percentage of the instructor workforce. As the government’s Bikeability programme goes national, we’re recruiting more and more members across England.

Why we’re here
Cycling instructors work on casual contracts, are poorly paid and are vulnerable to management “initiatives” to push costs and risks onto workers. There’s been no pay rise for decades. Instructors were hammered by the Covid pandemic and the industry is struggling to retain experienced instructors, let alone recruit new ones. We’re passionate about the job, but many of us can’t afford to stay in it.

In November 2019 we decided that enough was enough, and formed a branch with IWGB. ..............
Last edited by Philip Benstead on 5 Apr 2024, 10:35am, edited 1 time in total.
Philip Benstead | Life Member Former CTC Councillor/Trustee
Organizing events and representing cyclists' in southeast since 1988
Bikeability Instructor/Mechanic
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pjclinch
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Joined: 29 Oct 2007, 2:32pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland
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Re: Lessions for life

Post by pjclinch »

That's a good piece, highlighting the degree to which "rewarding" in a personal satisfaction sense can be/is sometimes used as an excuse to not bother about rewarding instructors properly in a financial sense.
I've only been an instructor as a part-time aside to my day job. I quite like my day-job but I like cycle instruction more... but I couldn't afford for it to be my day job! Getting more in to it post-retirement in a couple of years is an option, but it's probably not good for the overall health of the sector if significant numbers of instructors are oldies topping up their pensions.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
Saissac
Posts: 92
Joined: 15 Jun 2024, 5:31pm

Re: Lessions for life

Post by Saissac »

Some jobs get overlooked, good to see this getting some publicity
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