Register
Key info

Min. age for training: 17

Min. age for assessment: 18

Training: 2 days

Assessment: 1 day

 

Average time from training to passing assessment: less than 1 year

 

Ideal for: Climbing wall staff, young people who’ve completed NICAS Level 4 or 5, people who run climbing sessions on artificial walls or towers.

 

Climbing Wall Instructor courses delivered by Mountain Training England are regulated by Ofqual.

Entry requirements

To register

 
  • You must be at least 17 years old
  • You should have at least 6 months of experience of using a variety of climbing walls
  • You should have an interest in climbing and in supervising groups on climbing walls
  • You must be a member (club or individual) of a mountaineering council (BMC, Mountaineering Ireland, Mountaineering Scotland). Find out why this is required.
  • You must create an account on our system and register for the Climbing Wall Instructor qualification (cost: £65)

To book a training course

 
  • You must be registered on the Climbing Wall Instructor qualification
  • You must have an understanding of the wider sport of climbing
  • You must have recorded (ideally on DLOG*):
    • Visits to three different climbing walls on at least 15 different occasions; this must include at least one major public wall.
    • 10 led routes at French grade 4 (or equivalent)

To book an assessment course
  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • You must have attended a Climbing Wall Instructor training course or have been granted exemption from training.
  • You must be familiar with the syllabus.
  • You must have logged a minimum of 30 personal climbing visits to at least three different climbing walls.
  • You must have led a minimum of 40 climbs on climbing walls.
  • You must be confident at leading routes at French grade 4 (or equivalent).
  • You must have assisted in the supervision of at least 15 instructed sessions on at least two different walls including a large public facility in a variety of contexts. At least five of these sessions must have personal reflective comments** recorded on DLOG.
  • You must have physically attended and completed (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involved at least one full day or eight hours of instruction and included and element of assessment.

 

*DLOG is the digital logbook on our system, which you will be able to access once you have registered on a qualification.

 

**What are personal reflective comments?

Courses

Training and assessment courses are delivered by our approved providers in public and private climbing walls across the UK or Ireland. A variety of cost packages are available, depending on what's included; food, accommodation etc. so you can choose one that's right for you.

 

Training

Climbing Wall Instructor training lasts for two days and will cover:

  • The Climbing Wall Instructor syllabus
  • What to expect at assessment
  • Feedback on your performance and areas to focus on prior to assessment

 

Syllabus

Technical competence (including equipment, belaying, personal skills and background knowledge)

Management and decision making (including planning, managing participants, decision making, knowledge and demonstration of techniques and managing other staff)

Teaching and learning skills

The climbing environment (including access, etiquette and ethics)

 

Consolidation

After completing a training course, use the feedback from your course director and the skills checklist to identify syllabus areas you need to practise.

 

Our membership association (Mountain Training Association) offers peer-led learning opportunities and formal workshops on a range of topics, from coaching climbing movement to lead climbing skills, to help you during this phase.

 

Join our association

Assessment

The Climbing Wall Instructor assessment is one day (minimum six hours). You will be assessed against the syllabus competencies in the candidate handbook. At the end of the assessment you will receive one of three results

  • Pass
  • Defer (requires a partial reassessment)
  • Fail (requires a full reassessment)
Resources

Candidate handbook last updated: May 2024

Candidate handbook
Trainer and assessor guidance notes
Skills checklist
Meet an instructor

Other qualifications

Doesn't sound like the right qualification for you? Consider the following:

 

Indoor Climbing Assistant

Foundation Coach

Rock Climbing Instructor

Which qualification is is right for me?

Find a course Join our association
FUNdamentals of Climbing

Find out more about FUNdamental workshops