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Home - The Lowdown, Working As A Surf Instructor – Monica
I became a surf instructor two years ago and without sounding cliche, it was one of the best decisions I ever made! After graduating from university I was stuck with where to go next; I wanted to experience the world as well as getting a job I enjoyed and was passionate about. It seemed an impossible task until I found surf instructing. There are so many work perks!
The Surfing
Being from Cornwall I have always loved the ocean and surfing, but since becoming an instructor my passion and skill level has increased massively. In my experience people who aren’t from the coast think that the UK can’t possibly be home to awesome surf breaks and beautiful beaches. Cornwall and Devon are home to some epic surf spots, picturesque and uncrowded if you know where to look – although I may be a bit biased. There’s heaps of choice of beaches all within a small radius so you can take a short drive – or walk – and explore the abundance of other beaches just around the corner and along the endless coastlines.
The Lifestyle
It’s hard to imagine a better office than the beach; the uniform is a wetsuit, bare feet and salty hair. The days when you get to the beach before everyone else and the sun is shining, it’s just peaceful and perfect. Then it’s on to setting up for the day before taking your first group for their lesson. When its sunny it’s so nice to be outside in it, alternatively when it’s raining, you may as well be in the sea.
Not a bad office, Perranporth Beach
The People
The amount of people you meet while instructing is insane. I have built up so many friendships whilst instructing because everyone is so like minded, fun and nearly always up for a post work surf! Additionally, the range of clients from children to adults, complete beginners to improvers from all walks of life. You have the chance to introduce people to a new experience and sometimes a change in their lifestyle which is a great feeling. Most people are learning for the fun experience, but you do get people who want to continue surfing and even become an instructor themselves, so you’ve introduced them to their newest passion. I’ve taught kids as young as five years old and to see the stoke on their faces is rad. You know its a job well done when people are smiling even when they’re wiping out!
The Fitness
Surf instructing is a great way to stay active and healthy whilst working. Personally I think that just getting into a wetsuit is a decent workout, so pairing that with some beach activities and a swim in the sea you’ve got yourself a gym equivalent session. There aren’t many jobs you can come home from and pig out on your favourite foods without feeling guilty that you haven’t done enough exercise to warrant it. Being outdoors all day and in the sea is a great workout and in my opinion there aren’t many things better than coming home after work and a surf to dinner and a cider that you’ve earned!
Photo by @SamWiseHoward on a recent South Africa adventure
The Possibilities
Teaching in the UK is a great set up to take your skills abroad. The English surf school season typically run from April-October and if you don’t feel like braving the chilly winters then you can hop on a plane and explore the world. Whether it’s teaching in warmer climates, swapping to colder temperatures on a snow season or going on an epic surf adventure until the next season starts. I chose the latter and had 5 months to chase the endless summer in Sri Lanka, South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines before heading back to Cornwall for another season of teaching.
If you’re thinking about a change of career and fancy giving surf instructing a go, check out one of our courses HERE
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Had an absolutely amazing private lesson for myself and two children (7) and(11) with Luke today. My little boy had a bit of a meltdown getting the suit on... read more but Luke managed to calm him and help him get it on with no further tears. Lessons started by giving us a quick safety briefing g followed by showing us how to get on the board then into the water to try it out. Luke was great with the kids especially my youngest and with his helped they managed to ride a few waves and caught the bug so much so that after our lesson we decided to hire the boards/suits for the remainder of the day. Cant recommended the school enough everyone we dealt with was absolutely lovely!
The best surf school in perranporth! Charlie was a really great instructor and gave lots of helpful feedback and tips that helped me to progress :)
We had a morning surf lesson, our instructor Charlie was a great guy and very helpful, and insured we got the most out of our lesson. We all enjoyed... read more it that much that we rented the wetsuits and the surf boards for the remainder of the day so that we could practice some more. Julian who was managing the shop was super friendly also. All round a great experience, well worth a go to anyone visiting the area.
Brilliant experience all round. Our instructor Charlie was both thorough and fun, and had all 6 of us who were new to surfing standing by the end of the first... read more lesson! Couldn’t recommend highly enough!
I am a complete beginner and was quite nervous about my surfing lesson as I thought I’d be really cold. I was given a 3/4mm wetsuit which kept me warm... read more in the sea (which was 15 degrees) so that was a great start to the experience. My teacher Ollie was very precise in his instruction which made it easy for me to follow each step and towards the end of the lesson I was able to stand up and balance on the board - result! I would certainly recommend this company over the others I saw in Perranporth (which has very large groups). Thank you for a great lesson and I will certainly be trying surfing again.