So you have to spend 72 hours of your own time getting the necessary training to be able to work 64 hours and lose 4 weekends of riding to earn back some of the money you spent getting training?? Doesn't seem quite right to me.

 

Has anyone here done the MSF instructor?
I would love to help the sport be more safe and get more people riding.

Me too. I am looking into this. Shout out to @Paddle

 

You better do it for reasons other than the money.

 

Every time I do that I end up making a fortune

 

I was a MSF Rider Coach for 10 years in Indiana. The certification was 11 days (10 - 12 hrs/day). I did it because I wanted to be more involved in motorcycling. I used the $$ I earned to support my motorcycle habit.

It is something you need to want to do. Weekends on the hot parking lot, sometimes in the rain, dealing all types of personalities.

• those who feel you owe them a certification
• those who are forced to be there by their spouse and are terrified of riding
• the "know it alls"

The list goes on.

You also meet some very nice people who appreciate your time and effort. There are the ones whom you just know are going to fail but the lights switch on and they do great. You get a sense of accomplishment by teaching them.

I quit due my parent's health issues. I was also fed-up with the politics between ABATE and the Indiana Dept. of Education over control of the program. ABATE saw it as a $$$ grab and wanted the sole control for all training sites in the state. Now that I am retired and living in TN I may look into doing it again.

I am not trying to discourage you, you just need to want to do this. In addition to conducting the classes, we had 'site workdays' to maintain the facility and the motorcycles. Those days were unpaid except for the pizza and donuts the site coordinator would provide.

It can be frustrating and rewarding like most things in life.

 

I ride with a few instructors in Ontario, and it sounds like the situation is similar. They've all told me they don't do it for the money. Some just enjoy teaching, some feel it's important to contribute to motorcycling. And from the other side of it, I went into my course in 2017 thinking it was a formality for an insurance discount, that my few years of dirt bike experience from 3 decades ago meant I knew how to ride a motorcycle. A 70 year old instructor with 5 decades of riding experience opened my eyes, and taught me a lot. I'm very grateful for his patience and experience. My wife was one of those that @TNhoosier mentioned, she seemed destined to fail. Took the course twice, and the second time a remarkably good instructor spent some extra time with her, helped her build confidence, and she aced the test. She came out a competent, well prepared rider. She would not have survived a motorcycle without that second instructor. If you have the patience to be that instructor, and the desire to make a difference, I think doing the MSF Instructor course is a good opportunity.

 

I ride with a few instructors in Ontario, and it sounds like the situation is similar. They've all told me they don't do it for the money. Some just enjoy teaching, some feel it's important to contribute to motorcycling ... If you have the patience to be that instructor, and the desire to make a difference, I think doing the MSF Instructor course is a good opportunity.

Being an MSF Instructor has been on my radar for a while. For these reasons. One day, I hope.

 

If you can tick ALL of the following boxes, then by all means go for it. The boxes in my opinion are: 1) must have a LOT of patience, 2) you don't loose your cool / don't get angry, 3) must have people (for all age groups) / communication skills, 4) have riding experiance / knowledge of the subject that you are sharing, 5) willing to tutor any and everyone, irrespective of their socal standing / religion / race / sex / creed. Many members could add more pointers to the list, but I would say, that if you can't at least tick all 5 of these boxes that I listed, then I would think twice before trying to instruct strangers. Then of course you may get a case of where the management could request / instruct you to pass a student, when you know the student not up to standard. If you are prepared to put up with all of the above, then I wish you good luck in your instructor venture.

 

If you can tick ALL of the following boxes, then by all means go for it. The boxes in my opinion are: 1) must have a LOT of patience, 2) you don't loose your cool / don't get angry, 3) must have people (for all age groups) / communication skills, 4) have riding experiance / knowledge of the subject that you are sharing, 5) willing to tutor any and everyone, irrespective of their socal standing / religion / race / sex / creed. Many members could add more pointers to the list, but I would say, that if you can't at least tick all 5 of these boxes that I listed, then I would think twice before trying to instruct strangers. Then of course you may get a case of where the management could request / instruct you to pass a student, when you know the student not up to standard. If you are prepared to put up with all of the above, then I wish you good luck in your instructor venture.

Then that might be my last class/lesson! Cause I ain't gonna pass people who aren't pass-worthy! Failed folks before (worked for a few years teaching other subjects), will fail again if they've earned that F!

I have a few years before I'll be ready to do so, but I look forward to looking for those positions!

Lex

 

I was a Canada Safety Council instructor for ten years. We paid for the instructors course which was about 40 hours of classroom time and another 50 hours of on site instruction. We got paid $21/hour. If you are going into this for the mone3y you probably aren't going to be happy Be prepared to advise people that mabe the shouldn't ride or tears when they don't pass the test. Having said that you have the joy of watching someone blossom under your tutelage. I also learned an awful lot about riding and made some very good friends. So if you go into this with your eyes wide open and are willing to put in long hours, I say give it a try.

 

Was an instructor for PA's program a few years in the 2013 timeframe. The good outweighed the bad, but if you're looking for easy money it's not the way to go.

The (unpaid) ridercoach training was very demanding, but I learned from great people a and grew in leadership and social skills. I also watched grown adults lose patience, struggle to keep emotions in check, or otherwise decide it wasn't for them.

The coaching experience itself was rewarding. Trained a lot of different personality types and across demographics, learned to recognize common mistakes and to give the right feedback at the right time. It's satisfying to see people stay motivated and progress. There were definitely challenges. Time management is difficult if someone's struggling. It's physically exhausting to run around all day on shadeless hundred-degree asphalt in jeans, boots and a long sleeve shirt. There was also a certain type of middle aged rider who didn't want to take advice from me because I was one of the younger instructors.

I grew apart from the program when my mom got sick and I didn't keep current on my certification. I miss the good days and the good people. Maybe I'll do it again some day.

 

As the others have said, its not easy money and is a LOT of work. It is long days standing on HOT asphalt, standing in the COLD, and absolutely miserable when its wet out. You should stay fit though as you WILL walk an average of 7-10 miles a day (x 2 days).

The good-side of this is going thru RiderCoach Prep will teach you about yourself, your motivations, how to work with people, and above all...how poorly you really do ride in a closed parking lot with no traffic. The MSF curriculum has its benefits (IF you take it seriously) and you WILL become a better rider as a by-product of teaching the BRC. Seeing a struggling student "get it" or have a "light bulb moment" is hard to describe but the feeling is great. Having former students recognize and approach you outside of class with a word of appreciation, stories of their new bike/ride, and a heartfelt thanks for working with them in the class is more than someone can pay.

The bad-side is the money grab aspect / tone the classes have taken on recently as TNHoosier eluded to. On the surface, the MSF (and other curricula) are all about riding safely and whatnot. Great...until you get to Section 1 - Gear and describe the types of helmets you SHOULD wear (in a no-helmet law state) thru Section 14 - Alcohol and Drugs in an ABATE stronghold state. Yeah...and just how much hypocrisy can you stand? Are YOU willing to pass someone that is not safe/shouldn't be riding because you are told to do so?

Shadow a class, take a class, and see if it is really something you want to tackle. Look at the big picture, not just your tiny little portion of it.

I* would not recommend becoming a RiderCoach in the current political environment as you will become disillusioned very quickly.

*Yes, I've been a MSF RiderCoach twice and have taught in multiple states in the USA and in Japan. Once in the late 80's thru the mid-90's and again in 2010 until recently. It was FUN until the money and politics took over and when the students became secondary to the program's mission (make more money...pass everybody!) it was time for me to step aside.

 

I wanted to help others get into the sport. I believe that we have to few riders out there and some riders make it difficult for the rest of us. Teaching riding was never an money making adventure. The money was to offset the weekends I would not be at the cabin. In this case the commitment would be more then I am willing to do. I would rather go fishing for the day or pull my son and his friends wake boarding around the lake. Maybe when my family gets older I will put my efforts into helping others learn to ride safely. For now I will continue to introduce newer riders into motorcycle travel a couple times a year. That pays in barley pop.

 

Has anyone here done the MSF instructor?

They want 72 hours of training (unpaid) 0 expenses paid. Was it worth it? Did you get out of the course what you wanted? Did you enjoy it? Or did it just take more riding hours away while you sat on the hot asphalt for a weekend?

They are offering $33/hr for 4 weekends after you become a certified instructor.

Full disclosure: They have reach out and asked me. My issues are not so much the money but the weekend commitments. I like to ride on the weekends and also go my cabin. Here in the north we only have 12 summer weekends. But I would love to help the sport be more safe and get more people riding.

Just finished mine this year. It was like boot camp, your riding has to be up to snuff and they run you 12hrs a day on the range, then you study for 4 more hours at night. We had 2 people quit and one fail out the final day. Continuing ed. Is required and you get to take MSF courses for free to deeply discounted. I'm doing sportbikes next, then ADV...
You must like coaching newbies!!!
using the 2000 bucks a summer it earns me to farkle my 1050. The Klim and shoei pro form is a plus too.
Totally worth it when a brand new rider relaxes and starts having fun. I've gotten a coue pics from students of their new bikes or of them on their new bikes practicing in a parking lot.

 

Totally agree, you can't do it for the money. I am returning to being a Rider Coach because I am bored in retirement. I've been teaching one subject or another for one agency or another since 1976. I even became a high school teacher after I retired from my law enforcement career. TNHoosier really had a great response. And those who mentioned the AH-HA moments or random future interactions with past students have strong points. And so I am going back to the range myself. BTW, my RC Prep course is in Pittsburgh (3.5 hrs away) so on top of the cost of the course I'll have to pay for 4 nights in a hotel. Not a problem. I will easily recoup all of that cost. The biggest problem for me will be limiting myself to only teaching two courses/weekends per month. I'm a sucker for the line; "We're desperate. We had an RC call out at the last minute. We can't do it without you." Our PA riding season runs from April through November, for those who are not fair weather riders. And yes, I have been caught riding home from a course in a light snow before.

 

I would love to do this as well but surprisingly there doesn’t seem to be much demand for instructors in Southern California.. at least based on my conversations with current instructors

 

Get in contact with the organization(s) that provide the training. I am not from California so I do not know what organization oversees the rider education program. They can provide the information you need and the requirements to become a Rider Coach. It varies from state to state.

 

TNhoosier beat me to the punch, slightly. The agency I am going back to work for is Motorcycle Safety Academy and they are headquartered in CA.

CA also happens to be one of the states that mandate this training, so I am sure there are others operating there. I suspect the instructors you are talking to are trying to protect their "income stream". However, like I said before, at least in PA in you are in it for the money it's not going to be enough. Maybe in CA where you can hold classes 365 days a yeqr it is different.

 

Has anyone here done the MSF instructor?

They want 72 hours of training (unpaid) 0 expenses paid. Was it worth it? Did you get out of the course what you wanted? Did you enjoy it? Or did it just take more riding hours away while you sat on the hot asphalt for a weekend?

They are offering $33/hr for 4 weekends after you become a certified instructor.

Full disclosure: They have reach out and asked me. My issues are not so much the money but the weekend commitments. I like to ride on the weekends and also go my cabin. Here in the north we only have 12 summer weekends. But I would love to help the sport be more safe and get more people riding.

TNhoosier beat me to the punch, slightly. The agency I am going back to work for is Motorcycle Safety Academy and they are headquartered in CA.

CA also happens to be one of the states that mandate this training, so I am sure there are others operating there. I suspect the instructors you are talking to are trying to protect their "income stream". However, like I said before, at least in PA in you are in it for the money it's not going to be enough. Maybe in CA where you can hold classes 365 days a yeqr it is different.

Each state has different requirements for being a Instructor or RiderCoach depending on what company won the current program administration contract. For instance , CA is Total Control and NY is MSF. Or PA if it ever resurrects it’s program, is an example of a state administered program usually with a director associated with the curriculum being taught.
As a RiderCoach or Instructor , as stated in previous posts , you will spend time, a lot of it, becoming certified. If money is the driving factor ? Look elsewhere for a part time or summer job.
If , on the other hand, you are looking for quite possibly the most satisfying job available in today’s market place, this is the place. Not only your workings with students but your association with like minded professionals !!!
The training you will get as a professional is outstanding.
I am retired now but I spent 15 years as a MSF Rider Coach, site administrator/ owner and a Total Control Instructor/ site manager.
The world and the people I live/lived in cannot be bought for any amount of money. Everybody in that world is willing to give , sometimes without pay, of themselves, to help other riders ride better, safer, with more understanding of what it takes to enjoy the miles and return home at the end of the ride.
I started riding in 1961. My first class taken was a MSF Experienced Rider course In august of 1995. In one day I learned I had no idea what I was doing. And how much fun it was learning what I did not know. That single class set the stage for the next 27 years of my life. Were a few weeks of my spare time worth it?? Oh god yes!!!