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3. Becoming a Camping Leader – Complete Guide

Whether you want to develop your camping skills to supervise Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expeditions, as a follow-on from the popular Lowland Leader and Hill and Moorland qualifications, or because you are looking for a career in the outdoor activities sector, the Camping Leader qualification is an excellent choice.

In this article, we explore the syllabus, examine the assessment process, and discuss where the course can take you. So, if you are interested in becoming a Camping Leader and supervising groups on overnight camps, read on!

What is a Camping Leader?

Let’s begin with the basics. Camping Leaders are qualified to supervise camping groups and teach and develop campsite crafts and skills. They are accredited by Mountain Training, the awarding body for skills courses and qualifications in walking, climbing and mountaineering in the UK and Ireland.

Camping Leaders can supervise different types of campsites depending on the qualifications they hold. For instance, an individual with the Camping Leader qualification can operate in any campsite with vehicular access. This includes both traditional campsites and areas with no facilities.

However, if Camping Leaders also hold a Mountain Training walking qualification, they can supervise camping expeditions in the relevant terrain. For instance, Camping Leaders with the Hill and Moorland Leader qualification can supervise camps in the moorland. And Camping Leaders with the Mountain Leader qualification can head to the mountains.

What kind of Camping Leader jobs are there?

Interest in camping and other outdoor pursuits has grown considerably since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. There is now a greater demand for outdoor professionals than ever before. Despite wanting to explore the natural landscape around them, many people are nervous to do so because they lack experience and expertise. That’s where Camping Leaders step in.

Camping Leader qualifications can help you find work in both the public and private sectors. For instance, a Camping Leader qualification can be a great asset for a teacher looking to work at a school with a strong DofE programme or a focus on outdoor activities and excursions. At the same time, it benefits people looking for jobs with private businesses by demonstrating an ability to lead and a willingness to follow your passions and develop skills.

Finally, plenty of jobs require you to have the Camping Leader qualification because they involve guiding and supervising camping groups. These will usually be jobs with outdoor activities companies. Successful applicants can expect to work with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, from school trips and corporate teambuilding events to people who just want to sleep beneath the stars for a night.

How can you find Camping Leader jobs?

When it comes to finding Camping Leader jobs, the internet is your best friend. You can perform extensive research on outdoor companies in your area, dig out contact details and make connections relatively easily. You can post on job boards, trawl job listings and sign up for a job finder site: countrysidejobslink.co.uk have a great list of resources on their website. When contacting organisations via the web, ensure you have looked into the business first. You want to make a good first impression and come across as well-informed and interested.

That said, personal, face-to-face connections can be just as valuable when looking for a Camping Leader job. If you know people working in the outdoor sector, get in touch with them and see if they can offer any advice, connect you to companies looking for new staff or ask around on your behalf. Make sure you talk to the people who delivered your training, too. They will have strong Mountain Training connections and may be able to point you in the right direction.

Of course, you can always use social media as well. This combines elements from both approaches above and can be a great way to put the word out that you are looking for work. You never know who might see a post and get in touch, so it is always worth a shot. Consider starting or adapting a LinkedIn profile, too. Though it’s not the platform most associated with outdoor enthusiasts, it boasts a strong business community that can be a valuable resource.

Finally, narrow your search and be selective. Consider what type of job you want and who you want to work with. Depending on where you live, you may not have much of a choice. But it is an important consideration. You don’t want to spend all your working hours supervising school camping trips if you are not that fond of kids.

Becoming a Camping Leader – registration criteria

To register for the course, you must:

• Be at least 17 years old
• Have some previous personal or supervisory experience of overnight camping
• Have a genuine interest in supervising groups

Once accepted onto the course, you have access to a personal digital logbook, known as a DLOG. This was created to provide participants with a place to record details of camping trips and other relevant experience, so they can demonstrate their current level of personal competence. As successful completion of the course depends on proving your experience, it is a vital document. Make sure you keep it up to date and try to complete it in a way that incorporates the lessons you have learned from each trip.

Understanding the Camping Leader course

The Camping Leader course provides all the skills and knowledge you need to supervise camping groups. However, it also aims to build your confidence and help you feel comfortable teaching groups. Mountain Training courses are about empowering participants.

So, as long as you embrace the experience with energy and complete the necessary work, you are bound to enjoy the course and benefit from its contents.

The course consists of an optional online training component and an in-person assessment component. In the former, you cover all aspects of the course syllabus using several resources, including presentations, videos and quizzes. You can go through the online component as much as you like before the assessment commences. It also contains content that will help you prepare for the assessment. Though it is optional, we highly recommend completing the online component.

The course syllabus is divided into five sections.

• Leadership and group management
• Planning and supervision
• Teaching and learning skills
• Camping equipment
• Camping food and cooking

Let’s look at each of these in greater detail.

Leadership and group management

This part of the course involves demonstrating adaptable leadership and decision-making. It means monitoring the group, the weather and other environmental factors to ensure everyone is safe and you meet group requirements. It also necessitates good communication and an ability to interact with the group and individuals in a way that maintains your authority while cultivating trust.

Planning and supervision

The planning and supervision section deals with pre-camping preparation. It helps participants learn how to plan appropriate overnight camping excursions that reflect and meet a group’s aims, requirements and ability level, while respecting access legislation and complying with safeguarding requirements. It also takes factors like the weather and site selection into account.

Teaching and learning skills

The teaching and learning segment equips participants with the expertise required to communicate ideas, processes and lessons in a clear, engaging manner. It involves establishing an atmosphere and environment where campers feel comfortable and able to learn. It also requires participants to adapt their teaching style to different needs and to assess individual needs to ensure they receive appropriate assistance and enjoy the experience.

Camping equipment

This section consists of teaching participants how to select appropriate equipment for their needs. In large part, this means providing future Camping Leaders with a fairly in-depth understanding of camping technology and detailing strengths and weaknesses, so you know when to choose one piece of equipment over another and why. Particular attention is paid to shelter and the course aims to develop a good understanding of the different types of tent and pitching techniques.

Camping food and cooking

The final section revolves around building a food and drink menu that takes nutritional value and practical considerations into account. It will teach Camping Leader course participants about food hygiene and the safe use of cooking equipment, such as stoves. As many cooking methods involve an open flame, you must understand fire risks and how to mitigate them in a group environment.

The Camping Leader assessment – what to expect

The Camping Leader assessment is an in-person process involving at least eight hours of contact time. A qualified Mountain Leader course director will conduct the assessment. Upon completion, participants will receive one of the following grades:

• Pass
• Defer
• Fail
• Not yet completed
• Withdrew
• Did not show

While all other grades are relatively self-explanatory, ‘Defer’ means that the course director has not quite seen enough of the skills in some syllabus area/s to be able to make a decision. They have literally ‘deferred’ their decision until they have seen further demonstration of the candidate’s skills. This is done in the form of a short reassessment. The deferral report will make it clear what skills will need to be demonstrated on that reassessment. This must be completed within five years of the original assessment.

All assessments are designed to help you demonstrate the skills and knowledge you have acquired, not catch you out. Nor are they designed to cause unnecessary stress or anxiety. However, some form of assessment is essential, as Mountain Training needs to be sure you have the abilities required to supervise groups.

We believe all participants who prepare thoroughly and have a good grasp of the syllabus will excel in the assessment process. It’s also worth noting that there’s no secrets in the Mountain Training world – all of the guidance notes for trainers and assessors and other documents are freely available on the Mountain Training website, so do take the time to read through some of those.

Camping Leader assessment requirements

To book the Camping Leader assessment, you must first meet the following criteria:

• You must be at least 18 years old
• You must have personally undertaken and logged a minimum of five overnight camps, ideally in various contexts
• You must have assisted with or overseen at least two group camps. These two group camps can be part of the total submitted for personal camping. Reflective comments must accompany the group supervision evidence
• You must be familiar with the syllabus
• You must be an experienced self-sufficient camper
• You must have physically attended and completed (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involved at least one full day or eight hours of instruction and included an assessment element

If you have questions concerning any of these criteria, feel free to get in touch with the RAW Adventures team. We will do our best to answer your questions and ensure you are ready for the camping leader assessment.

Camping Leader qualification providers

As the teaching component of the course is online, you can access it via the Mountain Training Camping Leader page. However, you must complete the assessment component in person with an accredited Mountain Training course provider. There are plenty of providers across the UK and Ireland. You can find a full list on the Mountain Training event page.

However, we believe you are best off booking through RAW Adventures. Yes, we know we are probably a little biased. But we honestly believe our team offers a learning experience of the very highest standard. Why? We’ll give you three reasons:

We know what it is like to be a learner. We’re still learning all the time, and we never forget that. We know what it is like to be new to something and to worry about assessments and performance. So we make the assessment environment as comfortable and conducive to success as possible.
We are connected to the local environment and communities. Eryri (Snowdonia) and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) are our home. We live, breathe and dream the north Welsh mountains. We care for this place and you will see this reflected in our Camping Leader assessments.
We are a genuinely nice bunch. Maybe that’s blowing our own horn a bit. But we like spending time with people who enjoy the great outdoors. And we want you to enjoy it, too. Yes, it’s an assessment. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun!

Your next steps

We hope this guide has provided you with all the information you need on the Camping Leader qualification. If you are all ready to go, sign up for the online course at Mountain Training, book your assessment on the RAW Adventures Camping Leader page and get studying. If you want a little more information from the approachable RAW Adventures team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling 01286 870870 or using our contact form.