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Which Leader course is right for me? Do I have to start the Leader Awards at Trail Leader level, or can I go in at a higher level? Why have the Leader Award names changed? Where, when and how much are courses? I can't download any course application or information forms I'm not yet 18 years old. Which courses can I attend? There are a group of us. How can we set up a course specifically for us? Where can I ride? Details on the new access and rights of way changes How can I pay less for an OTC course? Can I use the OTC logo? What sort of jobs can I do in mountain biking? Which First Aid qualification do I need? What sort of insurance do I need and where can I find it? Where can I find suitable first aid providers? I can't afford a course myself. Are there any ways I can reduce my costs? What other services do OTC provide? Which mountain bike holiday companies have OTC trained guides? How can I check a mountain bike leaders credibility? I want to find an OTC trained mountain bike leader. Can you help? Got a question without an answer here?> Which Leader course is right for me? OTC provide a wide range of mountain bike leader courses covering every aspect of leading from assisting to leading expedtions in mountain terrain. Details on making the right choice are available here. Do I have to start the Leader Awards at Trail Leader level, or can I enter the scheme further on? It is important that you identify the right course for your needs and abilities. The first stage towards this is to identify the terrain in which you want to lead groups. Obviously there is no point spending the additional time and money in gaining a mountain terrain based leader qualification when you just want to lead groups on forest tracks locally. To identify the terrain that suits your needs, click here. It is possible to apply for any OTC leader training course without having completed a previous qualification provided that all the training course pre-requistes are met. This is the second stage of choosing the right course, as in order to miss stages of the Leader qualification 'ladder', your riding standard and leading experience must match (or exceed) the standard required at the training course. All the pre-requistes for each course are outlined on the respective course page in the leader awards section. Why have the Leader Award names changed? <The Leader Award names have changed to clarify the environment that they are used in and to avoid confusion with the National Occupation Standard level structure. See more on the name change and how it might affect you here. Where, when and how much are courses? OTC operates over 100 courses per year. You can now search for courses though the google calendar system, or by choronological listing, making searching for the right course easier than ever. The open course listing includes set dates for the Trail Leader combined training and assessment, Technical Leader and Advanced Leader training courses, Leader assessments and Pre-assessment Interviews and the Skill Instructor course. Venues range from as far south as Devon, as north as Arran in Scotland and as far west as Slovenia, with every type of accommodation available from none, self catering, half board to fully residential. See more about each venue here if you haven't got it). To see the full listing of open courses, just click on the program link at the bottom of the page Application for a course could not be simpler. Click on the 'application' link for the course of your choosing in the program listing. This will download the form for you, provided you have Adobe Acrobat Reader v 5 or later installed. If you haven't got Acrobat Reader v5 or later, click here for your free copy. If you haven't got Acrobat Reader, or can't/don't want to download it, simply drop us a line with your name, address and course type, venue and date for the course you want to do, and we'll get it in the post for you. Then all you have to do is fill the form out and send it off to us. I can't download the course information or application forms? You probably haven't got the compressing software that these documents are written in. This is called Adobe Acrobat Reader, and is available for free clicking here. If you continue to have problems, drop us a line and we'll try to sort it out for you. I'm not yet 18. Which course can I attend? The legal stand point for those responsible for others (i.e. leading groups) is that you must be 18 years of age. We are therefore unable to accept those who are aged under 18 on any Leader course other than the Assistant Leader Award course which is specifically designed for those aged 16+. This course (as well as the role of Assistant Leader) will enable you to develop your leading and associated skills to the point that you will enhance your oppportunity when you go on to one of the other leader awards. Of course you can also attend any of the Skill Award courses or the Supporting Courses with your parents or guardians permission. How can I set up a course specifically for a group of us?. OTC can provide a course specifically for groups at appropriate venues. These courses are called special courses, and are not listed in the general program directory. Courses involving training (including the Trail Leader) need a miniumum number of four people, and may be able to run to a maximum of up to twenty one. Assessment courses (other than the Trail Leader) require a minimum of between two and four people. Of course, OTC's high tutor to candidate ratios are implemented ensuring that everyone receives the very high standard of tuition and assessment you would expect from OTC. You will also need a suitable venue or base from which to operate the course. There is a very detailed Venue Criteria document which outlines specifically the requirements of a venue for any course, but the essential requirements in brief comprise a course co-ordinator and a base with a classroom; area for bike maintenance; changing and showering facilities; secure bike storage area; bike wash area. Of course you will also need riding appropriate to the needs of the course close by. Ideally this should be rideable from the door, or a maximum of 20 minutes drive away from the venue. Any further than this and the course program becomes extended beyond a reasonable daily duration for the purposes of learning. The stages of setting up a special course can take between one and three months, and up to three months notice of course date confirmation may be required by OTC, depending on tutor availablity. These stages comprise:
Although this process seems long and complicated, it is written in detail here and implemented in a straight forward way. Of course, at any time throughout this process, you can contact us for clarification, support and advice. As well as email you can ring us on 0870 443 0246. OTC have a single fee policy. This means there are no hidden costs or small print, so the costs outlined on the special course information include all the costs associated with the course other than provision of bikes and equipment, transport to and from riding venues if required or the venue. These include: tutors; tutors travel and expenses; course support mechanisms (course notes, workbooks and so on); registration of candidates; certification of candidates; preparatory and operational administration. For more information on special courses, click here or contact us. Mountain biking access areas, and rights of way information Want to know about 'access land'? What about the implementation of the recent Countryside Rights of Way (CROW) Act? All the detail and links on where mountain bikers can and cannot go and how you could be gaoled for riding in the wrong place in the future is available in our access page. Give yourselves some credit - use the OTC logo. If you have completed an OTC course, then make the most of it on your publicity information and use the OTC logo. Let us know where you want to use it (web, print, headed paper or badge) and which course(s) you attended and we can send you a suitable image to provide evidence to your customers that you should know what you are doing. Let us know at the Logo dept. What jobs are there in mountain biking? Whether you are looking for a gap year filler, a first posting or a career change, you can look to the OTC mountain bike leader awards to help you sort out a job in mountain biking. More details on the types of jobs you can do in mountain biking, as well as what you might need to get them are outlined on our jobs page. Which First Aid qualification do I need? The minimum first aid qualification you require for each qualification are outlined below: Please ensure that the provider is able to provide HSE approved first aid qualifications such as 'First Aid at Work' and 'Appointed Persons First Aid Certificate'. More on first aid certificates and providers is available here.
In selecting your first aid provider it may be prudent to choose one which bases its courses around the outdoor environment and management of an emergency over one that spends additional time detailing the correct method of bandaging. Where can I find a suitable first aid provider? For potential first aid providers, please see our first aid links page. Where can I find sources to help fund the cost of my course? There are several potential sources of funding to help fully or partially cover the cost of your course. See our guide to funding for more details. What other services do OTC provide? Although providing mountain bike courses and leader qualifications is the main part of OTC's work, we also provide a information on how to find a leader, a database for employers, parents and participants detailing leaders credentials and leaders current qualification status. OTC also has a substantial consultation service available for the following subjects: Specialist training for those working in the mountain bike industry If you have a specific requirement such as a fleet of bikes that need maintaining, we can provide training based on your requirements and staffs existing knowledge including areas such as documentation and safe fleet management.Health and Safety courses OTC have a detailed programme of courses covering the health and safety elements of cycling and using bikes at work. These courses cover everything from personal competency in a variety of terrain and environments to planning, setting back up, self navigating and dealing with trailside emergencies.Trail planning and design All work is undertaken from detailed briefs and regular communication with the overseeing organisation is required to ensure end aims are met. Previous experience can be shown through work undertaken as part of Sheffield's Parkwood Springs Sports and Recreation Feasibility Study and long running work for Forest Enterprise. Feasibility Studies Looking for a holiday company with OTC trained guides? Make sure that your mountain bike holiday is going to be up to scratch by making sure the company you go with has OTC trained guides. Ask before you book what qualifications the guides hold, or see our listing of recognised holiday companies here. How can I make sure that my leader is suitably qualified? It is important that your (or your offsprings') Leader knows what they are doing when leading and that they will provide an existing, informative and safe mountain bike experience for you. Make sure this will be the case by asking a few simple questions before you go. Questions like:
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Determining your chosen course, which must be suitable for all course candidates. For assistance in this, see our guide to