Fast track kitesurf instructor course in NZ

Become an IKO kitesurf instructor from absolute beginner in 12 weeks in New Zealand, or less if you already have some experience. Our fast track kitesurf instructor course is the perfect start to any gap year, you can fund the rest of your travels doing something you love. Or if life is just in a bit of a rut, take the leap and change your career and lifestyle. If you have been made redundant what better to spend your redundancy payment on than having a great time, learning a new sport and kickstarting a new career!

If you have never kitesurfed before, or are a beginner but just can't get enough practice time in to really nail it, join us in NZ during the UK winter on a fast track kitesurf instructor internship course. We will take you from any level, and get you ready for the International Kiteboarding Organisation (IKO) kiteboard instructor course. The final week of your course will be the IKO instructor training course (ITC). So you can come to us as a beginner and leave as an IKO instructor. For complete beginners we offer a 12 week course, and for those who have already started kitesurfing we will look at where you are at, and devise a course to suit you.

The fast track kitesurf instructor course is ideal for:

Gap year - qualify in NZ in your first three months, and fund the rest of your gap year travelling the world
Career change - fed up with your current job? Become a kitesurf instructor and change your life!
Redundancy - invest in a different future, and live the dream
Frustrated kite surfers - It's hard to get enough practice in the UK, trying to juggle the Great British weather with tides, work and home life, and it can take a long time to get to the next level with your kitesurfing. Take some time out and join a fast track kitesurf instructor course in New Zealand. Or just fast track the learning and leave out the instructor course staying amongst it all at Kite Camp.

Fast track IKO instructor course includes

Tuition/training/coaching for an average of 20 hours a week - usually weekdays with weekends off to explore, relax or do more kitesurfing!!

Practical sessions will include:

Coaching and instruction to get you from your level to that required for the IKO course
Shadowing of instructor and beginner student sessions evolving into you taking the lead under our supervision
Role play and scenario simulation
Equipment repair and maintenance
Access to a range of equipment including:

The latest bow kites and twin tip boards for riding and teaching
Wave board
Foil kites
Landboard
Kite buggy
Kite wing
4 line C- kites
2 line C- kites (see how it all started!!)

By trying all this equipment you get to understand and experience first hand where the sport has come from, and where it is heading to. You also get to try some of the specialist areas that you might want to concentrate more on in the future.

Theory will include:

History of kiting and the industry
Aerodynamics and kite flight theory
Psychology of teaching
Weather, wind and tides
Risk assessment
Lesson planning

Kiting locations:

We are on a peninsula with a range of different locations and conditions. This means we can get out kite surfing in any wind direction, but also that you get to experience flat water, waves, open ocean, harbours, large bays, small coves. The course includes transfers to the best locations each day for your training.

Use of:

Paddleboards and surfboards as available.

Qualification elements included:

IKO Assistant Instructor course
IKO Level 1 instructor course
IKO instructor membership and insurance for one year
First aid course if required

Accommodation:

Shared accommodation at Kite Camp for the full duration of your course is included You will be staying in one of our 5m bell tents or our converted shipping container, based on our 12 acre block of land leading directly onto Rangiputa Beach.
Kite Camp has a large communal kitchen where you can prepare all your meals, and residents often club together to share the cooking. There's a great big table for everyone to sit around and the atmosphere in the evenings is great fun.
We also often put on a pizza night in our wood fired pizza oven, and all residents are invited.
We are off grid, and use solar power for lighting, and charging computers and phones. We have gas for cooking, refrigeration and hot water, and we use the sun for some of this too.
It is a rustic, but great experience, living close to nature in an amazing location.

Your tutors:

The course will be headed up by Zoe and Berny Maginn. We have both been kiting since 1999, and teaching since 2002. Berny is an IKO examiner, one of only 30 in the world, and we have been training instructors for over fifteen years. You get all the knowledge and experience that we have built up over the years, concentrated into your 12 week course. Usually you only get to see an examiner for 5-10 days during an IKO instructor training course, but you will receive input from Berny throughout the duration of your course. So you really being given the very best foundation for being a great instructor.

Job opportunities:

Our fast track students are in great demand, as schools who have employed them in the past have found them to be the best instructors out there. So you would be following in those footsteps!

We aim to bring together and pass on our own experience from 20 years of kitesurfing and training, and give you first hand experience of a wide range of equipment in many different locations and conditions, that might take someone else a whole lifetime to accumulate - a whole lifetime’s worth of kitesurfing experience in one course!

Costs:

From a complete beginner it takes 12 weeks to reach a level where you are ready to undertake the IKO instructor training course (ITC), and to complete the ITC as your last week.

If you already have some kitesurfing ability, then we may be able to shorten the course, to reflect the time you have already spent practicing.

Outlined below are guideline prices for the 12 week course including all of the above elements, and some examples of shorter courses if you already have some kitesurfing experience.

12 week course - £6,990

8 week course - £4,960

6 week course - £3,990

Supplement for single occupancy accommodation £750.

Discounted equipment

There is no need to have your own equipment, as we will have a complete range for you to use during your course to suit all wind conditions. But we do offer equipment at discounted prices if you buy gear at the beginning of your course, and use it during the course. This typically results in a saving of between £300 and £600 for a complete package depending on what you go for.

What’s not included:

Flights to New Zealand and onward travel to our local airport or bus station at Kaitaia. You can get flights from Auckland to Kaitaia from around £50.

Food. We do weekly trips to the supermarket where you can stock up, and are often popping into town or the local shop if you need to get any extras through the week. You can also catch fish off the beach out front or from our little rowing boat, and pick some vegetables from the veggie patch if you happy to get involved in tending the garden. There is a good cafe within ten minutes, and lovely cafes and bars in Mangonui about half an hour away. We go for coffee every day and you are welcome to join us!

A crazy night life. We do have lots of people coming and going, jam nights, pizza nights, bbqs, all sorts, but the nearest night clubs and pumping bars are in Paihia about an hour and a half away. Previous students have made the odd weekend trip away for a bit of overindulgence, returning with a few headaches but some good stories, and new friendships too!

Unlimited wifi. We are off grid, so don't offer unlimited wifi for personal use, though if you need it for study, we will make sure you have access to the internet when you need it. There is 3G coverage on site, and most people manage with data on their phones. Plus there are a number of local cafes, and the library in Kaitaia, who offer free wifi.

Transport during your free time. We are often able to give you lifts to places, and there are busses available for trips into town. Some previous students have chosen to hire or buy cars (which can often be sold for the same money at the end of your stay) to give you greater independence. Though many are happy just to hang out at the beach!

Check out our Facebook page for pics of life in NZ between November and April each year

* All use of equipment outside of our specific supervised training, will be subject to a fair usage policy, with any reasonable cost of loss or damage to be covered by the user.