Instructor?

[zoidberg]

Turned up in my Inbox today.
What d'you think?

RYA Training has been in existence for 53 years, and its growth and success is an absolute credit to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers and professional instructors who have delivered that training over the years.

Instructors must:

• Behave in a manner that is consistent with the values of the RYA, particularly with regards equality, diversity, inclusivity and sustainability.
• Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person and treat everyone equally within the context of their boating activity.
• Place the wellbeing and safety of the student above the development of performance or delivery of training.
• Encourage and guide students to accept responsibility for their own behaviour and performance.
• Only develop relationships with students that are appropriate and legal, (especially those under 18) whether face to face or in a digital context. Relationships must be consensual, based on mutual trust and respect and must not exert undue influence to obtain personal benefit or reward.
• Ensure the activities they direct or advocate are student focused, and appropriate for the age, maturity, experience and ability of the individual. Always clarify with students (and where appropriate their parents or carers) exactly what is expected of them and what they are entitled to expect.
• Behave appropriately to ensure the safety of instructors, students and others under your direction.
• Treat all RYA instructors, appointment holders, staff and other stakeholders with respect.
• Act with integrity in all customer and business to business dealings pertaining to RYA training.
• Read, understand, and comply with the Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults policies and guidelines as detailed on the RYA website at rya.org.uk/safeguarding.
• Comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction in which they are operating.
• Follow all RYA guidance and standards with regards specific training or coaching programmes.
• Not do or neglect to do anything which may bring the RYA into disrepute, including through the use of social media.
• Hold relevant, up to date governing body qualifications as approved by the RYA.
• Only teach or provide RYA coursesor RYA certification within the framework of an RYA recognised training centre.
• Notify the RYA immediately of any court-imposed sanction that precludes the instructor from contact with specific user groups (for example children or adults at risk) and be aware that certain sanctions may result in the automatic withdrawal of your qualification.
• Notify RYA Training in the event of any health issues that may affect their ability to carry out their responsibilities, including the use of medication which may impact their role.
• Not carry out RYA training, examining or coaching activities whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Makes me smile.

I recall more than one 'verbal whiplashing' from the original RYA Training Manager, who learned his seamanship - I'm told - at the Battle of Jutland.

 

[Caer Urfa]

As a long standing RYA Power boat instructor I sadly think the RYA is going mad on instructions lately, last week we had an instructions on how we should teach a RYA PB2 MOB instructions telling us we should:
quote' The dummy should be a lightweight small float (small milk carton size, or bottle fender) attached to a few links of chain or a small drogue ' unquote

What do they think we have been teaching for the last decades , has anyone in head office ever recovered a real MOB, of course we only use dummies etc but a small milk carton ??? or I really wonder what some instructors teach ???

 

[PhillM]

“Only develop relationships with students that are appropriate and legal, (especially those under 18) whether face to face or in a digital context. Relationships must be consensual, based on mutual trust and respect and must not exert undue influence to obtain personal benefit or reward.”

Not sure any instructor should be developing relationships of the type hinted at, with students.

Sure, two consenting adults should be able to create a relationship l, but not during the period when on is a student and one an instructor. Afterwards, no problem. Or perhaps I have read this incorrectly?

 

[SaltyC]

I read the communication with a degree of disbelief. The RYA appear to be treating instructors as children that should be thankful of the Franchise to earn a living.

This disregards those of us who are club volunteers and do not get paid but provide a large part of basic dinghy training.

They are becoming more 'woke' and pushing a Green agenda - I should wash down my cruising yacht before venturing out?? or displaying their bias to dinghies?
At lowere levels the strength of The RYA was volunteer instructors which they appear to be alienating as they become more involved with the public sector and less a member sorganisation.

 

[capnsensible]

Welcome to the 21st century.....

 

[dolabriform]

The large majority of us come from an era where common sense was in reasonable supply. It now seems that ability is being slowly removed from the gene pool, and accepted social norms are being broken down through social media.

As much as I hate this kind of crap, I can understand the need for this having seen situations at a centre where a youth club member gave her facebook etc details to a member of staff who was 19 and fresh faced.

The days of people have contact in just physical social circles as so long gone to the point where they are the exception rather than the norm

 

[Stemar]

Common sense has, I fear, always been remarkably uncommon.

What was less common, but are becoming ubiquitous are pages of CYA rules, forbidding anything that could get the organisation sued. Instructor Freddy's been found in the toilets with a student? We're shocked - we've explicit rules against that sort of thing. Little Jonny fell out of a tree? But our rules say he shouldn't have climbed it, so not our fault.

 

[zoidberg]

We - er, you lot - have bred a generation where most cannot function without a list of Rools and an Obersturmbahnfeuhrer to regulate them.
It fails to surprise when they find themselves sitting behind a desk with a flash PC and a job title on the door, and they then set to, updating previous generations' guidelines with new, fresh, voluminous and prescriptive Regulations.

 

[laika]

What d'you think?

It looks like a completely normal professional code of conduct.

Given that you’ve previously expressed the view that RYA training is rubbish and the only worthwhile education is in the military, why do you care?

 

[capnsensible]

It looks like a completely normal professional code of conduct.

Given that you’ve previously expressed the view that RYA training is rubbish and the only worthwhile education is in the military, why do you care?

Yeah, normal for 2020's ass covering speak. Don't dry your dog in this microwave.

Unfortunately necessary in the modern world. How quickly people accept this as standard....

 

[penfold]

The large majority of us come from an era where common sense was in reasonable supply. It now seems that ability is being slowly removed from the gene pool, and accepted social norms are being broken down through social media.

As much as I hate this kind of crap, I can understand the need for this having seen situations at a centre where a youth club member gave her facebook etc details to a member of staff who was 19 and fresh faced.

The days of people have contact in just physical social circles as so long gone to the point where they are the exception rather than the norm

That's not new at all; in loco parentis has always meant there needs to be a barrier between the child and the responsible adult, it wouldn't have been acceptable for the same pair to exchange telephone numbers for the purpose of socialising outside of the youth club then and it's not acceptable for FB details etc to be shared now. The main difference is that it's taken more seriously now and social media leaves a very obvious trail of evidence.

 

[laika]

Yeah, normal for 2020's ass covering speak.

which bits do you disagree with?

 

[zoidberg]

Given that you’ve previously expressed the view that RYA training is rubbish and the only worthwhile education is in the military, why do you care?

My dear dog, there's something of a social-media quirk of expressing one's own twisted delusions but falsely declaring them to be authored by someone else. In better-mannered days, that would be called out as calumny.

And so it is...

 

[capnsensible]

which bits do you disagree with?

Why do you think I disagree with any of it? It's a class example of cover your ass speak.

When I was required to write risk assessments for all activities of my sailing school for recognition, it was amazingly easy to trot out identical cobblers to satisfy 21st century boy. Its where evolution has bought us...

 

[laika]

My dear dog, there's something of a social-media quirk of expressing one's own twisted delusions but falsely declaring them to be authored by someone else. In better-mannered days, that would be called out as calumny.

Yachtmaster Exam 2021
Admittedly a certain degree of hyperbole in my original post: watered down compared with services training doesn’t necessarily mean completely rubbish.

 

[laika]

Why do you think I disagree with any of it? It's a class example of cover your ass speak.

I asked because you seemed to object to the language, but there's no content there I thought an experienced professional such as yourself wouldn't be doing regardless. I was genuinely puzzled why you'd take issue with it. Surely "Pointless CYA" would be unnecessary overreach which goes beyond sensible requirements "just in case". Many of us probably encounter the extreme end of that in employment contracts with big corporations. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your definition? I can understand bristling at being told to do the blindingly obvious that you've been doing for years without needing an explicit code, but there's idiots in any profession and maybe it's helpful to have a list when they ask "what did I do wrong?" at a tribunal.

 

[capnsensible]

I asked because you seemed to object to the language, but there's no content there I thought an experienced professional such as yourself wouldn't be doing regardless. I was genuinely puzzled why you'd take issue with it. Surely "Pointless CYA" would be unnecessary overreach which goes beyond sensible requirements "just in case". Many of us probably encounter the extreme end of that in employment contracts with big corporations. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your definition? I can understand bristling at being told to do the blindingly obvious that you've been doing for years without needing an explicit code, but there's idiots in any profession and maybe it's helpful to have a list when they ask "what did I do wrong?" at a tribunal.

For me, I think you are indeed mis interpreting and perhaps making a mountain out of a molehill built by a dead mole, or would have been if the mole hadn't taken its terminal breath earlier.

I have no issue with newspeak. As I said, I can write it on demand. And I'm sure you are aware, like any employment contract with big corporations....or small ones..most of it is ignored until some incident occurs and 'they' use it to hang you. As I said, welcome to the 21st century.

Training, discussion, feedback seems to be out of date now. But better than cya most of which is immediately forgotten. Shame.

 

[lustyd]

The large majority of us come from an era where common sense was in reasonable supply

Really? Want me to list the people from that era who were later prosecuted for innapropriate behavioiur with minors? Even if we just stick to the list who worked at the BBC it's a bloody long list indeed. What your era lacked was free flow of information and victims willing to speak up.

Unless you think that common sense is keeping quiet about the abuse?

 

[capnsensible]

Really? Want me to list the people from that era who were later prosecuted for innapropriate behavioiur with minors? Even if we just stick to the list who worked at the BBC it's a bloody long list indeed. What your era lacked was free flow of information and victims willing to speak up.

Unless you think that common sense is keeping quiet about the abuse?

That's a bit of a stretch from 'Don't teach pissed'

 

[lustyd]

That's a bit of a stretch from 'Don't teach pissed'

Haha I bet the list of people from that era who drank while instructing/boating/driving/performing surgery is pretty huge too. The idea that in the past people did the right thing due to common sense is the epitomy of rose tinted glasses. I don't think it's covering their ass at all, I think it's just being explicit about expectations. I don't think many people would disagree with any of them so no problem writing it down - it makes the process of expelling bad apples much shorter which is good for everyone.