Coaching FAQs

Q: AM I A COACH?

You may be defined as an angling coach if ANY of the following apply:

You have an angling coach qualification (such as 1st4sport Level 1 or 2)
You provide regular, structured tuition in angling to people of any age
You describe yourself as an angling coach
You advertise your services (paid or unpaid) offering tuition/coaching/instructing/guiding
You provide structured tuition at more than one venue or location
You receive payment for coaching/instructing/guiding/teaching anglers

You are not a coach if ALL of the following apply:

You only give informal tips and guidance, not structured tuition and
You don’t describe yourself as a coach or advertise your services and
You don’t receive payment and
You don’t have an angling coach qualification

If you have a valid and up to date coach licence, you can describe yourself as “an angling coach licensed by the Angling Trust”. The Angling Trust strongly recommends that you obtain an angling coach licence from the Angling Trust if you plan on offering your services as a coach. Licensing offers various advantages for the coach as well as for those seeking coaching services.

Q: DO I NEED INSURANCE?

It is recommended that any angler holds public liability insurance to cover against any damage or injuries that he/she may cause when participating in angling. Public liability insurance is provided automatically as part of the individual Angling Trust & Fish Legal membership package, along with many other benefits. Individual (non-coach) membership is available for adults from as little as £30 per year. The insurance included is appropriate for leisure fishing and ordinary angling club activities. However it does not offer cover specifically for coaching activities, which is part of Licensed Coach membership.

If you can be defined as a coach (see “Am I a Coach?” above) then it is essential that you have public liability insurance, but it is also essential that you hold professional indemnity insurance to protect your activity as a coach. This is available as part of the coach licence which costs just £40 a year. Coaches licensed by the AT also benefit from FREE AT membership as part of the licence package.

Q: WHY DO I NEED A COACH LICENCE FROM THE ANGLING TRUST?

The Angling Trust as the National Governing Body for angling in England is the only organisation that offers a coach licence. This proves to parents, children, groups, organisations and others that you are appropriately qualified and regularly engage in training in order to maintain the highest possible coaching standards. It also gives them assurance that:

you have met the highest safeguarding standards established and supported by the NSPCC and Child Protection in Sport Unit;
full and appropriate safeguarding checks have been undertaken and that you have been risk assessed;
a record is kept of any reports of improper behaviour that can be shared with others, informing them of any potential risk.

Q: WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED?

If you don’t have any coaching qualifications, you will need to undertake either of the following qualifications to be eligible to apply for an Angling Trust coach licence. In addition to the qualification, for Level 2 licensing a coach must hold an appropriate DBS check, plus current First Aid and UK Coaching Safeguarding training. The Angling Trust aims to run courses for the following qualifications around the country:

1st4Sport Level 1 Award in Coaching Angling (Angling Support Coach)
Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Angling (Angling Event Lead Coach)

[Earlier versions of the Level 1 qualification are also accepted for licensing: Level 1 Certificate in Coaching Angling or Level 1 Award in Coaching Angling. Level 2 coaches can apply for the appropriate category of licensing with a 1st4sport Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Angling or the new Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach qualification. Future reviews of these coaching qualifications with be integrated with the Licensed Coach Scheme.]

These are the only qualifications currently recognised by the Angling Trust for coach licensing. Once a qualification and any required additional training have been attained, you are then eligible to apply to be licensed by the Angling Trust.

If you have a different angling qualification from another organisation, then please contact us to see if we could help you.

There are and have been various other Approved Centres delivering courses leading to the 1st4sport Level 1 Award in Coaching Angling and Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Angling. Learners who have undertaken their 1st4sport Level 1 or Level 2 coaching qualification through an Approved Centre other than Angling Trust can also apply to be licensed.

Q: WHICH QUALIFICATION DO I NEED?

Coaching fulfils a wide range of requirements and ensures that qualified coaches are able to support many activities. It is important to understand exactly what you want from your career as an angling coach. Do you want to provide help at your local club where your children regularly participate? Do you want to be the new lead coach at your local club?

The requirements of the different roles will help to understand what qualification you will require to ensure you are safe and effective in that role.

Q: WHAT DO THE QUALIFICATIONS INVOLVE?

Each qualification is different but follows a similar structure. Qualifications are made up of a number of different sections which focus on different areas required to complete to ensure that as a coach, you are able and effective in your delivery.

For example the current Level 1 qualification for Angling Support Coaches is made up of three sections entitled respectively ACTIVATE, DELIVER and REVIEW. Level 2 is longer and more intensive to prepare coaches for taking the lead in activities, planning, preparing and evaluating structured coaching sessions.

You need to attend all the sessions of your course and complete all the required activities, assessments and coursework.

Q: WHAT DO I GET WHEN I QUALIFY?

Depending on your qualification, generally you will get the following:

A certificate for a qualification recognised by the National Governing Body.
The chance to take up a Coach Licence to Practise – both L1 and L2 coaches can apply to become Licensed. This licence is offered to those taking the qualification through the Angling Trust’s Coaching Centre, and once issued will need to be kept current in order to benefit from the insurance etc.
Learners completing a Level 1 or Level 2 course will be provided with the means to undertake an appropriate category of Enhanced DBS check, which is a requirement of coach licensing. DBS checking is NOT required in order to pass the course, but application details are now normally supplied to Learners in the weeks before their selected course.

Q: WHAT JOB CAN I DO WHEN I QUALIFY?

The Level 1 qualification is a generic award and qualifies you as an assistant or support coach who can plan, deliver, and review angling coaching activities. You will be able to work under the guidance of a Level 2 angling coach. You can apply to become a Licensed Level 1 Coach.

The Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach certificate qualifies you to become an independent coach who can plan, deliver and review linked and progressive angling sessions. It can be taken by anyone over the age of 18 who has an appropriate level of experience in angling. The qualification isn’t awarded specifically in coaching Coarse, Game or Sea angling, but deals with the coaching skills that you’ll apply to your personal area of expertise. You can apply to become a Licensed Level 2 Angling Event Lead Coach.

Please note that holding a coaching qualification or becoming licensed does not guarantee opportunities for employment, whether paid or voluntary.

Q: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

An attended Level 1 course costs £240, runs over 2 days and includes the cost of the first year of Coach Licensing.
An online Level 1 course costs £240, typically runs over 3 or 4 sessions (schedules vary) and includes the cost of the first year of Coach Licensing.
A Level 2 course (Angling Event Lead Coach) costs £270, runs over 3 days and includes the cost of the first year of Coach Licensing. Applicants normally need to hold a Level 1 qualification; recent and current training for Emergency First Aid or another suitable First Aid course is a requirement for certification. Learners also need to deliver linked and progressive coaching sessions and submit details of these as part of the final assessment.

Courses leading to the same 1st4sport qualifications can be taken through other Approved Centres: however fees and schedules may be different, and courses offered by other Centres do not include the cost of the first year’s Coach Licence to Practise through Angling Trust.

Fees for courses undertaken through Angling Trust currently include Learner registration, tuition, course resources, certification and the opportunity to take up one year’s Coach Licensing, but not travel, meals or accommodation.

Q: WHERE CAN I FIND DETAILS OF AVAILABLE COURSES AND BOOK A PLACE?

There is now an online booking system for Level 1 and Level 2 public coaching courses which includes details of dates, venue, pre-requisites, course content and Learner fees. Those who hold a confirmed 50% Angling Improvement Fund coaching bursary can also book via the website, but must first contact Coaching Centre Administration for an appropriate discount code. Please note that third party funding from a source other than the Angling Improvement Fund is not classed as a bursary for the purpose of website bookings.

Q: WHAT IS “EXEMPTION”?

Level 1 is the expected starting point for any person who wishes to apply to become an angling coach and provides an essential foundation to build upon for those embarking on a coaching pathway for the first time. However in some cases you may be able to apply for exemption from Level 1 and commence your coaching pathway at Level 2 if you can demonstrate that you meet certain requirements.

One route to gaining exemption from Level 1 is to hold an appropriate qualification and to provide evidence of angling knowledge and experience. If you think that exemption could be an option for you, in the first instance please contact the Coaching Centre Administrator Suzy Ragnoli on 0115 822 4626 or [email protected]to discuss this. You should be aware that there could be a cost in connection with assessment.

If you’re hoping to bypass Level 1, you should have exemption confirmed by the Coaching Centre before you apply for a Level 2 course so that you book for the qualification appropriate to your own situation.

Please note that a successful application for exemption will not result in your being awarded a Level 1 qualification – it is a means to allow you to access a Level 2 course without having to repeat proven learning. A confirmation of exemption issued by the Angling Trust’s Coaching Centre is not transferable to other Approved Centres that deliver courses leading to equivalent qualifications.

There is no upper age limit for taking these qualifications, but applicants must have reached the stated minimum age by the first day of their selected event.

Q: WHAT IF WE DON’T HAVE A COURSE ADVERTISED AT THIS POINT WHICH YOU COULD ATTEND?

You can check our online booking facility periodically, since any additions or amendments to the course schedules will be shown there. If there’s no course showing in your region it doesn’t mean that we don’t operate there, but there’s nothing near you available for booking at the moment.

Alternatively you can email [email protected] with your name and location to be added to our Level 1 and/or Level 2 Enquiry List. We’ll then include you in an alert when a new event in your region is about to become visible on the booking site.

When we have a new event ready to open for booking we’ll add it to the online facility, but we won’t normally be able to supply details of future events unless they are almost ready to be opened for booking. New details will normally be made public a few days after we receive them.

Booking for attended courses should normally close on the Friday 5 weeks before the start date of a course. After this point you can no longer book online, and although it might sometimes be possible to process a late application, there are no guarantees of a place in such a situation.

Q: HOW DO I BOOK A PLACE ON AN ADVERTISED COURSE?

It should be possible to view the information of any course displayed on the facility, even if it’s not open for applications or if booking has already closed. However if your selected event is “live” and still has places available, click the “Buy” or “Get ticket” button to start the application process.

You’ll be asked to supply credit/debit card details for payment of the Learner fees: the transaction will be processed through a secure facility provided by Stripe.

Once you’ve completed the booking process, the number of places shown as available for that event will reduce by one.

Coaching Centre staff will send you an acknowledgement with some information about what to expect next, and Centre staff will email you a receipt. (Please note that these aren’t automated functions, so you won’t receive those items immediately. If you book over the weekend when staff members aren’t working, it will take longer for the responses to come through to you.)

Q: HOW DO I BOOK ONTO A COURSE IF CARD PAYMENT ISN’T AN OPTION FOR ME?

If you aren’t in a position to book online because use of a credit/debit card isn’t feasible (for instance if your fees are to be paid by a third party), please contact the Coaching Centre office as soon as possible. We can arrange to collect the necessary personal details and process payment of your Learner fees by other means, and allocate you a place on your selected event. If required we can invoice a sponsor such as an employer, angling club or charity organisation if you provide the required contact information.

Providing your place has been secured by payment in full of the appropriate fees, we will send out a Welcome Pack approximately twelve days before the start of an attended Level 1 course or any Level 2 course, or email the pre-course documents five days before the start of an online Level 1 event. The postal pack or emails will contain information about location, times, how to contact your tutor with any questions about the course content, plus details of anything else that you will need to prepare or bring with you when you attend.

Q: HOW DO I REQUEST AN APPLICATION PACK FOR A FIRST COACH LICENCE (LEVEL 1 OR LEVEL 2)?

If you undertake your qualification through the Angling Trust’s Approved Centre, you should automatically be contacted after confirmation of your booking with guidance for applying for Coach Licensing. The email will include information about arranging the relevant category of Enhanced DBS check as appropriate for your proposed coaching role, in preparation for becoming licensed after qualification.

However if you qualified through a different Approved Centre (for example Sparsholt College or Angling Cymru) or more than 12 months ago, please email [email protected] or ring 0115 822 4538.

Q: HOW DO I RENEW AN EXISTING LEVEL 1 OR LEVEL 2 LICENCE?

There are now automated alerts by email for payment of the annual licence fee, and also for updating DBS checking, First Aid training or UK Coaching Safeguarding training where appropriate. If you haven’t received such a contact by a fortnight before the expiry date of your licence or training certificate, please contact the East Midlands office by emailing [email protected] or ringing 0115 822 4538.

Q: HOW DO I KEEP MY LICENCE VALID ONCE MY FREE FIRST YEAR IS FINISHED?

Our membership staff will send you a renewal mailing when your first licence is approaching its expiry. That will tell you what you need to do in order to renew the licence, and what payment methods are available.

Currently you can pay by credit/debit card over the phone, arrange with admin staff about making an online BACS transaction, or authorise Angling Trust to set up an annual Direct Debit for you. For licence renewal you can also arrange payment by card or Direct Debit through your online dashboard.

The annual fee for a coach licence is currently £40, irrespective of age, qualification Level or payment method. All currently licensed coaches receive the same level of insurance cover. However coaches must operate within their qualification level (that is, Level 1 coaches must work under the direction and in the presence of a Level 2 coach).

Please note that even if an employer, club or other sponsor has agreed to pay your licence fee, you’ll still need to respond to the mailing in order to have your licence renewed. Unless you have a Direct Debit or recurring card payment in place renewal can’t be done automatically, and if your licence isn’t renewed you won’t be covered by the insurance associated with current Coach membership of Angling Trust.

If you still have questions after reading the available information, do please get in touch:
Angling Trust Coaching Centre
The Old Police Station
Wharncliffe Road
Ilkeston
DE7 5GF

Coaching courses and bookings: [email protected] or [email protected] or 0115 822 4626 (please note Suzy’s normal working hours are Monday & Tuesday 0900-1700, Wednesday 0900-1230)

Certification, DBS checking and Licensed Coach Scheme: [email protected] or 0115 822 4538