PATH INTERNATIONAL

I am a PATH Intl. Certified Riding Instructor interested in helping supervise an instructor candidate’s practice teaching hours--where should I start?

Supervising an instructor candidate’s practice teaching hours is more than just a signature. If you are a PATH Intl. Certified Instructor helping a candidate through the riding instructor certification program and are unsure where to start to offer quality guidance, review these helpful hints to assist you in offering effective candidate support.

-Be current with your own Membership and Certification. A certified riding instructor is only eligible to supervise practice teaching hours if they are current and compliant with their own membership and certification. Phase I paperwork and practice teaching hours that are signed off by an expired or non-compliant instructor member will not be accepted. The candidate has the ability to confirm a certified professional’s status by calling the PATH Intl. office if the professional is unable to produce a current instructor member card.
 
-Be sure that you are familiar with how to locate the current instructor application resources online and have thoroughly reviewed the material. The certification material is routinely revised with additional resources regarding certification expectations and assessment made available. It is important that a supervising instructor be familiar with the current application process, including requirements, timelines and policies and procedures to best support new candidates. Outdated forms will not be accepted and have the potential to delay a candidate’s application material.
 
-Consider retaking the online courses required for the certification program. The Instructor Self-Study Course and Certification & Accreditation Training (CAT) Course are revised regularly. Retaking the courses will allow you to be familiar with the current material provided to instructor candidates and can be counted towards an instructor member’s continuing education hours.

-Consider attending a PATH Intl. Mentor Training Workshop. Quality mentorship is instrumental to the success of an instructor candidate seeking certification. Having a thorough understanding of the certification program’s requirements, an unbiased ability to evaluate a candidate’s skillset, ability to communicate effectively and an eagerness to adequately and honestly prepare an instructor candidate for each phase of the process is imperative. The PATH Intl. Mentor Training Workshop allows certified professionals to reflect on current practices and develop new, engaging mentor strategies to promote candidate success. Attending the workshop will help certified professionals better support a program’s instructor candidates and also offer an opportunity to gain over 10 hours of continuing education. Upcoming Mentor Trainings can be found on the Events Calendar.