MTB leader qualifications and insurance for UK use.

British Cycling MTB Guide L2 or 3 is what you need. You might be OK with 2, but I find the definition of what constitutes 2 terrain so self conflicting that I just went ahead and did 3 too.

BC insurance will also cover you UNTIL you stray off bridleways and legal trails at which point it is null and void. So make damn sure you don't have an emergency that requires you to evacuate by the quickest means possible and then have another incident, otherwise they'll be taking your house 🙁

Oh yes, courses. Cyclewise in the Lakes was great. Glenmore assessment was pretty good.
I've heard bad things from two different people about Ridelines in Innerleithen.

BC insurance used to be pretty flakey if you looked at the small print, especially if any payments were involved... it was 10 years ago that I did my TCL MBL qualifications though!

BC insurance used to be pretty flakey if you looked at the small print, especially if any payments were involved…

Tell us more...

Yeah, please tell more on this. I've my assessment to book for level 2, so would be good to get a bit more info/detail on this... forewarned is forearmed and all that. Will help get things properly sorted if more is needed.

Thx, looking at the difference between 2 and 3, I'd obviously want to do 3.

Can you go straight from 0 to 3?

I'd save myself the grief of dealing with BC and go Mias. Easy to deal with, generally costs less too. We just looked at this for our guys riding with customers.

There's generic sport insurance and specialist, but first people I'd call is Bikmo.

I’d save myself the grief of dealing with BC and go Mias

+1

Insurance:
Activities Mutual
https://www.activitiesindustrymutual.co.uk/our-products/liability-cover-draft/

Birnbeck used to cover activities, we used them for work for many years, but a glance at the website isn't so clear.
https://www.birnbeckinsurance.co.uk/

IOL also have a couple of discount deals - but I've a friend say that the quote from thier suppliers for direct delivery as a sole trader was high. I'll ask the CEO today who I'm meeting...
IOL worth joining anyway for many folk.

https://www.outdoor-learning.org/Good-Practice/Develop-your-Organisation/Insurance-Liability-Cover

Lastly: check of up on inspection:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/aala/public-information.htm

Lastly: do check up

Can you go straight from 0 to 3?

I'm going to guess not possible nowadays. BC are tightening up their pathway to qualifications - trying to make sure experience is gained to help support the higher qualifications (of course it could also be a way of getting more money from people as well...but that is the cynic in me speaking!).

One of the riders on the course did ask if it was possible to jump in to Level 3 immediately and it wasn't an instant no, but there were a lot of caveats and considerations before it would be agreed.

From what I understood of that, the main concern is a lack of suitable experience and knowledge, so if you have suitable qualifications and experience and have it evidenced, it probably will be possible, but you'd need to ask British Cycling.

I run. MIAS courses.

happy to advise on any questions.

The major benefit of MIAS, its accepted internationally, you can call and speak to Martin at any point, rather than the faceless BC.

and the courses i run are a load of fun lol.

one additional, as far as i am aware, BC dont focus as much on navigation, MIAS consider that an essential skill. map/compass.

insurance is easy afterwards, £50 a yr.
and at l3 you can get hope at 40% discount!

winner.

any questions please just ask,

i also run first aid courses. for anyone needing one.

In fact, if you do get your MIAS, i can probably put some work your way as well.

40% off Hope? Worth taking a course if you've got an eye on their bikes then. That never existed when I did my L3.

It's a member benefit of AMBG membership. which you can apply to join with l3.

there's. 30% of Endura. from l1 upwards. makes those. expensive onsies almost affordable.

there’s. 30% of Endura

Blimey, you could retire on that. God knows where you'd store it all in the meantime though 🙂

one additional, as far as i am aware, BC dont focus as much on navigation, MIAS consider that an essential skill. map/compass.

Intrigued by this. The BC assessment did a fair bit on navigation. Map and compass is a given but also pacing and stuff like that.
What extra does MIAS do?

I did the L2 with RideLines, there was plenty of time spent on navigation - but that may be down to the course leader. I'd agree though, navigation is very important.

Hi, its good to hear that BC are covering nav, it was always a less important aspect for them, many of the BC coaches i have employed have been less confident in that area.

it maybe location based though, i am peak based so most "outdoor" folk already understand the need for good nav skills.

Hi mini,

Just DMd you but got a white screen of death so it might have failed.
Bill

From what I understood of that, the main concern is a lack of suitable experience and knowledge, so if you have suitable qualifications and experience and have it evidenced, it probably will be possible, but you’d need to ask British Cycling.

Some of us had all the experience (My MBTL certificate number was 0012, I helped develop some ideas around what a MTB leader and instructor course should look like and had 10 years+ of MTB leading and 15+ years of general outdoor instructing), yet I failed the assessment with the feedback of 'one of the best sessions we've ever seen, but you were 7mins long. We asked for 8mins. You fail.' In addition my electronic and physical paperwork was lost 3 times by Scottish Cycling, and my reassessment was canceled without telling me so I turned up... Utter shower and just led me to be so frustrated with jumping through ever increasing hoops for an organisation I disliked, and I didn't overly agree with the way they took the course content and limits on coaching vs leading.

MIAS every time.

I’m going to guess not possible nowadays. BC are tightening up their pathway to revenue stream to qualifications

Fixed that post for you.

Not really...I did post similar further down my paragraph. 😉

@mini I'm am L2 MIAS and didn't know about the Hope discount!!

It's worth getting you l3 for that hope deal.

You can join ambg with your 3 and the deal is through ambg

I've done one of Mini's MIAS courses - I can confirm they are a lot of fun - he is a top guy!!