Sponsored Post
If you love the outdoors, have a thirst for adventure and enjoy a good challenge, there’s a fruitful career you might not have considered before.
No two days are the same for Outdoor Activity Instructors, as Micheál Seoighe found out after completing a course with Donegal ETB’s Further Education and Training (FET) Service at their Outdoor Education and Training Centre at Gartan. The centre is set on 87 acres on the shores of Gartan Lough, 15 minutes from Letterkenny.
Watch here:
Micheál, a native of Galway, was drawn to Donegal because of the variety of skills and sports he could practice here.
After a year of studies, he has a full-time job and now enjoys the variety of being an outdoor activity instructor near his home in Petersburg.
Micheál had a degree in Sports and Exercise Science before signing up with Donegal ETB. He didn’t envisage outdoor instructing as a career, but when the pandemic hit, he decided it was time to upskill to gain the coaching methods he needed to progress from field sports to outdoor sports.
“Gartan caught my eye because it offered sailing and windsurfing. I was very impressed with the place. The equipment and the changing facilities were fantastic. It was a great place to be in school for a year,” Micheál said.
Micheál and his classmates, united by a love of outdoor pursuits, became a great team.
“We gelled very well from the beginning. There was a bit of competitiveness in us for the practicals and we gained great personal skills from the start,” he said.
Outdoor Activity Instructor Micheál (Employed in Peterburg OETC) @ 22 Aug 22
Teamwork is a vital part of outdoor sports, as well as good leadership. Students also train in kayaking, sailing, mountain skills, river safety and rescue, windsurfing and first aid response.
Coaching and managing groups are important skills in Micheál’s work days now. He completed his work experience in Petersburg Outdoor Centre during his course and gained a job from that. Every day is a scenic adventure, he says.
“It’s a lot about leadership and leading groups into new environments. I take groups out on the water or hillwalking,” he said.
“I really love life when you are working outdoors most days and you can look out across a lake or down a valley. No day is ever the same, no group is the same, and I love meeting new people each day, or spending a few days with a group and getting to know them. We work with kids as well as adults and it was great to do the team building in schools.”
Micheál said the opportunities are there for the taking in this field. Some of his classmates transferred their coaching skills into other areas such as surfing and skiing, while others now lead group excursions to exciting places.
Outdoor instructing skills can literally take you anywhere.
“There are great employment opportunities in Ireland and outside the country,” Micheál said.
“It’s also a great way to challenge yourself personally in new sports. You make personal achievements as well as gain career opportunities.”
If you’re a future outdoor activity instructor, the FET Service has a few places left on this course which starts in the coming weeks – apply now through Donegal ETB’s website course finder: https://bit.ly/3tFqCdE.
This traineeship is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
