Hi Tim. It was good to see you at the Ten tors event and it was lucky that the rain held off not like the year before.
At the moment I am now working for Manor Adventure in Shropshire. The only reason I considered it really was because it was on the board down at Kelly to start with. I am having a barrell of laughs here and I will be ever greatful for Kelly for starting me off on new way of life. I am qualified in Archery and Fencing and have trained half the staff here for their 1 star, 2 star, CST and Level 1. This for me is not just a job it is a way of life. If anyone had told me last year that I would be up in the trees, down a cave or on the pond all day I would think you were lying.Cheers for everything!
Helen
Hi Tim,
Just a little bit of info to update you on my journey in life after TAC. I am going back for my 2nd season at Acorn Adventure where Im going in as a Senior Instructor. Fantastic. Ive got my SPA Assessment booked and am hoping to soon have my Level 3 kayak coach qualification. I have found that since completing the Intensive Outdoor Skills Course I have developed alot of confidence and found a great passion in kayaking. The Course was brilliant the only downfall is that you dont do an advanced course so I can come back and do some more! I put all my achievements down to the instructors who where truely awsome. I would also like to say a big thankyou Tim, you were a great help and knew how to get the best out of me. Many thanks and all the best Tim & Crew.
Luke
The Intensive Skills Course has taught me so much. I have learned more about my own capabilities and I have learnt about the Industry, the environment and how to work with people. It has been a life changing challenge but I know that in life the challenges only come to make you stronger.
Many Thanks
Cassius.
Hi Tim,
just wanted to drop you a line and say thanks for the course, the knowledge and experiences gained have enabled me to get a great job, that gives me every opportunity to expand on my NGBs and coaching experience. Also I wanted to give you a quick heads up to let you know that during my interview Marianne Willis (Seasonal Recruitment & HR Manager for Acorn Adventure) mentioned that she had received applications from several students from Kelly College, and that she would be interested in contacting the college to see if there might be some mutually agreeable arrangement in the future regarding recruitment into the outdoor industry. I hope you dont mind, but I passed on your details, so she may be in contact some time after the new year. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone down your neck of the woods.
Anthony (7th January 2008)
Dear Tim
I would like to thank you for giving me a place on the Winter 2007 course as it was some of the best months of my life. I would recommend the course to anyone who wanted to follow in my steps. The course did not just give me climbing and paddling qualifications but I learnt far more about my character through the course and it has certainly made me a better person. It was fantastic to be instructed by such good instructors. I did work with the Kelly students on the first weekend. Tony one of your ex students was brilliant and gave me the opportunity to see a different teaching style. It was good to see how ex-students from the course have gone on to do well for themselves. I have been offered a job at Kilve Court in Somerset beginning in February but I am waiting to hear back about one more. I applied for Manor Adventure and passed an initial interview. I could not make the selection weekend as it was during the course but I have been selected to go to a selection week in Snowdonia from 7th – 11th January. If I am successful I will spend 11 months, hopefully, in Shropshire although I could end up in South Wales or Northern France. Whichever job I get will be a good start but after such a fantastic time at The Adventure Centre. Thank you again for organising such a brilliant course.
Kind regards
Helen (3rd January 2008)
Steve Reynalds
Dear Tim,
Just thought I would drop you a line as it has been a year since the start of the course with you guys.
After leaving the College in March I headed off to the Peak District to work for Edale YHA Activity Centre.
This time last year I was living in my caravan with the mad farmer !!!
What a year I have had, my life has completely changed since spending a superb winter at Kelly College, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Then getting my first outdoor job with Edale in which time I have acquired my SPA, LEVEL 2 Kayak and my ML along with my GNAS, Midas and First Aid qualifications.
Who knows what next year will bring, but im sure it will be good. So really I just want to say thankyou for starting me off on my new journey in life ,I hope you are all well down there in sunny Devon !
Pass on my love to the rest of the team,all the best Steve Reynalds............
Jen Prince
Jen Prince here - from the last intensive skills course. Just thought id drop you a line to let you know what ive been up to since leaving the course at the beginning of the year. You aimed me in the direction of "Skern Lodge" which was a great call on your part and as it turns out was a great first centre for me to start in the industry. As they have quite a large staff team there was always someone to help me out if I was unsure.
My contract with Skern was from april til late august but things were going well for the centre and me too i guess that I extended until mid-november. Just before I left rich and I completed our level 2 kayak assessment so well be a bit more useful to the centre next season. Im due back there early february to do my beach lifeguard and minibus bits and bobs, so its straight into it. Im off to the local pool in a minute to check I can still swim.....just in case!!
Please say hi to the team. Thank you again for aiming me towards Skern Lodge (keep the best in Devon hey?!!).
Izzy
I Joined the Intensive Skills Course after a summer working for an outdoor adventure holiday company. I wanted to get a headstart on the route to becoming a fully qualified Outdoor Activities Instructor and spend plenty of time outside enjoying the Dartmoor countryside.
The Intensive Skills Course was very focused and I found myself along with the other participants working my way through a structured training programme under the guidance of The Adventure Centre staff. Our objectives were to leave the course with Mountain Leader (Summer) training, Level 2 Kayak training and Single Pitch Award training under our belts. Working towards these was demanding – this course really is intensive – but I had plenty of fun along the way and the instructors were never anything other than hugely enthusiastic yet sympathetic when things all seemed too much!
Some of my highlights were a beautiful frosty day climbing at Lucky Tor on the River Dart, walking in the snow! On the Summer Mountain Leader Training Course on the Black Mountain, Wales and doing an overnight canoe camping trip down the River Dart. There were tough bits too; being ‘temporarily out of position’ having been caught out by nightfall on an expedition on Dartmoor, getting cold and wet, yet again; practising Kayak rescues and rolls and on a similar theme, climbing in hail and torrential rain all weekend because preparation had to be completed for the Single Pitch Award Training Course. Still, in retrospect, these bits are the bits that make the most impressive stories!
The Intensive Skills Course definitely requires a high level of application and dedication but the cliché stands true; you get out of it what you put into it. For me, it has set me well on the way to becoming an instructor.
Since finishing the course in March 2005, I have now passed my Mountain Leader assessment and am close to taking my Kayaking assessment too. I could never have progressed this fast starting all my training from scratch on the job.
I recommend the Intensive Skills Course as a great way to accelerate the start of a career in the outdoor industry and if for nothing else, for four months of real adventure in a beautiful location.
Two years on…
In March 2005 I started work at an Outdoor Education Centre on Loch Long in Scotland as an instructor. I reached a stage very quickly where I was able to take the lead in activity sessions, quickly logging hours towards my Level Two Kayak and Canoe Assessments. I gained experience rigging and running climbing and abseiling sessions and quality mountain days towards my Summer Mountain Leader assessment.
I spent a busy and at times an exhausting year using my free time to get more mountain days, coaching a fellow trainee to 3* open canoe level and doing my first multi-pitch climbs. My hard work was well paid off though as I passed my Summer Mountain Leader Assessment just six months after doing the training course at The Adventure Centre, after a memorable five days in the Cairngarms. I also took my Level 2 Canoe Training on Loch Lomond.
Since March 2006 I have been working as an instructor for Outward Bound at their centre in Abderdavey, Wales. It was a bit of a culture shock moving to such a huge centre and having sole responsibility for my groups right from the start. However, there is plenty of support and over the last nine months I’ve gained a huge amount of experience and pleasure working on a wide range of programmes from personal development, adventure, leadership, skills training, challenging behaviour, special needs and with people from conflict zones such as Israel and Palestine. There is always something new to be learnt and varied levels of challenges for me to rise to.
This year I have passed my Powerboat Level 2 qualification and my D1 Minibus Test with flying colours. I have also attended two courses on working with challenging behaviour and associated soft skills. Early in the spring I will be taking my Level 2 Kayak and Canoe Assessments. In my free time the hills are always calling and I have been enjoying success at orienteering competitions. I still look back on my Intensive Skills Course as the foundation of my career and draw on techniques I learnt from it frequently – I still think I made a great decision joining it!
Isabel Berry
Annabel
The Intensive Skills Course was for me, a fantastic way to fast track into the Outdoors Industry.
Dartmoor with its tors, crags and surrounding rivers & coastline provided everything to develop and practise the key skills - it was like having one big adventure playground on your doorstep.
The Adventure Centre staff were extremely helpful and provided brilliant guidance and instruction in all elements of the course.
The courses programme was flexible but also very focused, which gave a valuable insight into the type of work and demands that youre likely to face in any outdoor post.
I dont think I could have got much more out 4 months and learning these new skills with like minded people meant we had lots of fun (& a few epics) along the way.
Id go it all again given half a chance.
Jennifer
My time on the Intensive Skills Course has enabled me to fulfil my dream of becoming an outdoor education instructor.
Its been an amazing 16 weeks, full of hard work, fun, great achievements and life long memories.
I have made lots of brilliant friends who may become my future colleagues. I now feel confident to go into the outdoor industry with the tools the Adventure Centre has given me as a safe and professional instructor."
Nicola
Wow, what an adventure!
The course for me was the start of a planned career break. At 32, having spent most of my career in office work I wanted a change from my normal routine as well as a great desire to challenge myself. I have always enjoyed taking part in outdoor activities particularly hiking with friends.
The 16 week course was certainly challenging and at times I doubted whether I would be able to complete all the training elements. However, through hard work, grit and determination as well as encouragement from fellow students and instructors I not only completed all the training elements but also won a personal achievement award for my efforts.
The course was such a fantastic experience that my career break has now turned into a career change!
Jen
The past four months have changed my life, not only am I physically fitter but I am mentally stronger. I could not have asked for a better team to introduce me to the industry. The course did not meet my expectations - it exceeded them !! The canoeing component of the course was an added extra for me as I was not expecting to get a chance to do so much of it. I could write a book of all the things that I have done since November when I started the course, not for anyone else but just for me to remember it all!!!
Im sure all my friends and relatives here at home are fed up of my stories already. I am excited that I have secured a job within the South West and know I will be keeping in touch with other course members. I know it will be hard work at the Centre but the Adventure Centre has shown us how to work hard and play hard.
I will never forget my time at the Adventure Centre and I am sure we will meet again and again.Thanks |
