Examiner Apprentice Program
Maximize Your Learning
Program Overview
Examiners all over the world passed through Skydive Ratings at some point in their career.
Imagine it as a full-time, full-immersion course on how to be an Examiner, how to organize courses before, during, and after the start date, how to manage other evaluators, how to facilitate courses, and how to lead and inspire during courses.
No other school can offer this type of experience, because no other school is a full-time rating school!
The beauty of this program is that it allows for repeated practice with candidates and timely feedback from experienced Examiners. So, what usually takes many years to learn and master, can happen in one or two seasons.
Prerequisites
First and foremost, we expect Apprentices to be motivated, with a hunger to learn and to be involved. Applicants also need to have a willingness to put in the work and reap the rewards.
The minimum requirements to apply are as follows:
Additional Information
Who should apply for this program?
Those skydivers who know for sure their next goal is to become an Examiner, and especially those who do not have a lot of opportunity to follow courses and work as an evaluator at their home DropZone. And also those who are willing to commit 3 to 6 months of their time to fully dive into being an Examiner.
How can I prepare?
To prepare for teaching, be comfortable talking in front of an audience, designing lessons, and sticking to a schedule. Being an Examiner is more about facilitating the logistics of a course and social interactions, rather than anything else.
Really dive deep into the methodology and delivery of your teaching, trying to master your technique and your style. Ideally, you would come with an already solid Instructing/Teaching background, only needing to refine small details about it, focusing on Examiner-specific skills.
What should I expect?
A great winter! Just like any other rating course and any other thing in skydiving, if we’re not having fun there’s no point! So the first to expect is a great season down in Zhills!
Secondly, your ability to be an Instructor will exponentially increase. Teaching to experienced skydivers, and managing big rating course classes really makes you master the skills we all use to teach students every day.
Your ability to present information and deliver feedback will greatly increase.
Also, depending on what Examiner method you are going for, you might be able to earn the rating within a full 6 months season, assuming you have all the “student numbers” requisites met.
When and how do I apply?
We usually start looking at applications around June-July, and that’s also when we usually advertise for the position, however you can apply at any time, and we’ll just save your application for the next season.
If you wish to apply, send us an email with your resume, and a cover letter on yourself, your skydiving journey and your motivation and goal to become an Examiner.
Side Note
Don’t give up! If you don’t end up getting brought on the team, try again next year! This is a very sought-after position. Many people apply, and unfortunately, we are usually only able to bring on one Apprentice per season.
