Becoming a NRA Instructor

[Quoheleth]

Over the Christmas break, my family & I stayed with my brother-in-law (wife's brother). He's asked me, off & on, for a couple years about firearms and this was the first time we were able to have time to get together and plan for a range trip.

I spent about an hour with him in his garage going over basics: the 4 Rules, simple gun handling techniques/stance, sight picture, and trigger squeeze. He tried both my CZ85 and Smith 15, dryfiring both quite a bit to get a feel for the difference. He's never shot before, so I wanted him to "feel" the guns before buying precious time at the firing line ($15/hour).

We got to the range and he did surprisingly well. In fact, he did VERY well - although he was shooting low at 7 and 10 yards (anticipation), he would have passed the Texas CHL proficiency test. He enjoyed the CZ, but criticised it's trigger pull (the camming action). He liked the Smith and really enjoyed shooting it in SA mode.

We got home and his wife met us at the door, excited and wondering how it went. He proudly showed her the targets and she, proudly, complemented him on his shooting. She asked me if I would teach her the next time I come to town. He was highly complementary of my teaching style and range technique.

He's not the first person I've taught to shoot. I've had several ladies at my church whom I've taught to shoot; three of which have taken and passed the Texas CHL class. The fourth just wanted to know how guns worked.

So, it got me thinking about pursuing the NRA Instructor certification program in a couple of different disciplines: basic handgun and basic rifle and home firearm safety. I'm a pastor by vocation, and teaching is part of what I do. It makes sense that I take my vocational training and put it towards my avocation of the shooting sports. Anyone taken the basic instructor classes lately? What's involved, time-wise? How about cost? Is the time and cost set by the NRA, or do the instructors set the cost? I ask, because the one class I see offered in my area is over $200, and I'm wondering if I'll save anything by shopping around.

Comments, thoughts, encouragements or discouragements are welcome...

Q

 

[45Frank]

I was looking into it also but can't find no prices anywhere on line. And the website takes you to an address only to a local place who offers the classes and I don't feel like driving 50 miles to find the place closed or no longer there. In fact it only a street not even a number if I remember.
Any help ??

 

[Frank Ettin]

The prices for the instructor classes are set by the NRA Training Counselor who teaches the class, so if there are a number of Training Counselors in your area there may be some price competition.

IME the instructor classes generally are scheduled over two days. They don't necessarily require two full days, but there's too much material to comfortably cover in just one day. Some certifications, Personal Protection Inside the Home and Personal Protection Outside the Home, can take more time because one first takes the "student" class and then the instructor class.

 

[Patriotme]

Here is my experience with the NRA Instructor program.
I too was (am) a gun enthusiast, spent years shooting, served in the Marines and took many many people to the range. I figured I might as well get qualified as an instructor and possibly make some money at it.
A little over 5 years ago I took 2 NRA Instructor classes to be certified as a NRA Instructor. One class was Personal Protection In The Home and the other was Firearms Safety. The classes may have changed titles since then. It cost me over $300 and it took 3 days to complete the courses. The instructor was experienced and outstanding. The class size was small and there were probably less than 15 of us. Bear in mind it was over 5 years ago.
It was good instruction and I picked up some decent knowledge.
The course however was not what I expected.
To be an NRA Instructor you have to teach their courses with their curriculums....exactly. They break everything down in the manuals by time and everything is layed out....exactly. Don't think you'll get your card and be able to teach as you wish or make up stuff as you go along. I did. I was wrong. I figured I would learn some good info and pick up some teaching tips. I then believed that I would teach as I wished. Wrong. The NRA courses are all broken down in minute blocks and you have to teach exactly what they want as they want.
This is good and bad. The good thing is that you can use a certificate from an NRA course everywhere as proof of training (should it be required for something like a CCW). The courses are that good and that standardized. They are acccepted coast to coast. The instructors have a gear llist and classroom list that they must have to teach the course. Where do they get the wall posters, transparencies, books, certificates, videos, etc? From the NRA of course. If you aren't planning on doing this instruction full time or working for someone part time (while they take care of the overhead) it is a money losing proposition. Can you sign someone off as qualified in your Personal Protection In The Home class? Yes, if you have every single piece of classroom material that they require. If they don't have a record of you ordering a certain wall chart then expect to be asked how you signed them off.
The bad thing is you can't do what you want. If you think (as I did) that you can get certified and then take someone to the range, train them and then sign them off on a certificate then you are wrong.
By the time you figure classrooom rentals, advertising, insurance (better get it) and materials the instructor idea becomes very expensive for someone that's not doing it full time. Of course you can do it part time for someone else or help them at the range.
I found out about the instructor classes on the NRA website. Look under training and expect to see these courses come to your area about once a year at best.
Good luck. I recommend the NRA courses and have nothing bad to say about them. Just know exactly what you are getting into. You teach what they want you to teach. If there's time you can add a little but if you are qualified to teach a 4 hour course then you can expect it to take 4 hours. The students aren't going to want to listen to your personal Glock vs. M1911A1 views or hear your hunting, military, etc stories.
Good luck to you.

 

[Frank Ettin]

It is true that each NRA course has a specific syllabus and course outline. In many ways, I think that's good. The NRA spent a lot of time and used a lot of expertise putting together these course outlines, and using them pretty much assures that students are covering the ground they need to cover at various stages in their development as shooters. It's nice, as a person trying to teach someone new to guns what he ought to know to get started on the right foot, not to have to reinvent the wheel.

I've noticed that there are two common errors in teaching. One failing to include important concepts or information. Another is loading up a student with more, and more detailed, information than ha can reasonably process and handle at his particular stage of development.

Take the NRA Basic Handgun class for example. We experienced "gunners" tend to forget what we didn't know when we started out and just how much so many newbies don't know. So many folks starting out have only the haziest notion of what the difference is between a semi-auto and a revolver; many have no idea what a primer is and how a cartridge works. The NRA materials help assure that new shooters are exposed to these concepts, and others, in a reasonably appropriate level of detail and at an appropriate time.

I do agree that being an NRA instructor is unlikely to be a good money making enterprise. A couple of years ago I started teaching with a group of fellows who had been doing this for a while. None of us receive any compensation. We charge students only our costs (e. g., range fees, ammunition we provide, materials we buy and distribute, overhead such as suppplies and the cost of insurance, etc.). We do it because (1) we see it as a public service; and (2) it's fun for us.

 

[Trebor]

Patriotme is correct in that a NRA instructor has to teach the class *exactly* according to the NRA requirements in order to award NRA class certificates.

I'm a NRA instructor and most of the classes I teach are the NRA Personal Protection in the Home classes as those classes meet my state's requirements to get a concealed pistol license.

But, once you become an instructor you can still teach people to shoot without conducting a complete NRA class. You just can't give out NRA certificates for those lessons or advertise them as NRA approved. I do a fair amound of private lessons every year for new shooters and some private coaching for experienced shooters. I don't have to follow the NRA curriculum for those as long as I don't advertise them as NRA authorized.

Quoloth, for what you want to do, I do reccomend you pursue getting a NRA instructor certification. You will learn some things about teaching people to shoot that you likely don't alread know. I've also found that even with friends and acquitances, people are much more likely to take you up on a casual offer to teach them to shoot once you tell them you are a certified instructor instead of just "some guy" who likes guns. That has been my experience at least.

 

[Patriotme]

You guys are correct about the NRA classes. I'm not knocking them. The NRA has done a great job putting the courses together. I know of no one that has done so much for new gun owners or gun owners in general.
I take about 8-10 new shooters to the range per year because I enjoy teaching them to shoot instead of standing up in front of a class. I like the range. I'm not a bigger fan of teaching a formal class so I don't do them. Those I instruct at the range do not get a certificate but they do get 1 on 1 training that they wouldn't get in a formal enviroment. They are going to the range to learn how to handle guns safely and shoot. I always suggest that they take a class from someone that stays current on gun laws as they change year to year.
Knowledge is never wasted so I would recommend taking a class even if you don't plan on formally instructing. I picked up a few tips in the instructor classes that I doubt I would have gotten in the student classes.
A lot of people can "Do" but not necessarily "Teach." I'm glad I took the classes I did. I'd recommend the instructor courses to others but I hope they don't go into thinking they can make their own curriculum. For those of you that do teach formal classes...keep up the good work and keep educating the voting public.

 

[Arizona Guns]

I'd like to be able to safely educate friends and family. Maybe help out another instructor from time to time or donate my time to a local range.

I'd probably go for the "NRA Home Firearm Safety Instructor Course".
So what is the hardest part of the course?
What should I practice or study before attempting to become an NRA certified instructor?
Can I find the details of this course online so I can get some knowledge of what I would be taught and eventually teaching?

 

[Curator]

As an NRA certified instructor your "credentials" are only valid when teaching an NRA course you are trained to teach. NRA basic courses are excellent for beginning shooters or people totally new to guns. They make up 99% of the folks that sign up to take the NRA classes. The exception is people wanting to get a CCW license. The NRA does not offer CCW courses but their Basic pistol course is recognized as proof of training in 20+ States for a CCW application.

NRA basic classes teach the best methods for beginning shoters to be successful with a minimun of practice but also provide an excellent foundation for continuing proficiency. The NRA even offers a marksmanship qualifications program to encourage shooters as they become more proficient. Take the NRA instructor training classes and become an instructor. Don't expect to make a fortune--actually you will be lucky if you don't lose money.

 

[Trebor]

I'd like to be able to safely educate friends and family. Maybe help out another instructor from time to time or donate my time to a local range.

I'd probably go for the "NRA Home Firearm Safety Instructor Course".
So what is the hardest part of the course?
What should I practice or study before attempting to become an NRA certified instructor?
Can I find the details of this course online so I can get some knowledge of what I would be taught and eventually teaching?

The "Home Firearms Safety" course isn't going to do much for you. It's basically about safe storage, and that's it. It doesn't cover shooting at all. And, I don't believe you can be an NRA instructor and ONLY be credentialed to teach Home Firearms Safety. (I could be wrong as I don't have my materials in front of me right now).

Plus, once you go through Basic Instructor Training, it would be silly to *just* pick up Home Firearms Safety. BIT is required for any instructor certification.

Here's how it works:

You take Basic Instructor Training first. That class covers "How to teach the NRA way." It's a one day class.

Then, over the same weekend, you take a second class that will actually give you credentials to teach in a certain discipline. This could be Basic Pistol instructor, Basic Rifle instructor, Basic Shotgun instructor, or Muzzleloading instructor.

Let's say you want to teach handgun shooting. You'll spend a day taking "Basic Instructor Training" first, and then on the second day you'd take "Basic Pistol Instructor".

After you sucessfully complete both BIT and BP (instructor) you would be a NRA Certified Instructor authorized to teach the Basic Pistol class. Most likely you can pick Home Firearms Safety as a bonus that same weekend, or later as a home study.

One thing to understand is that Training Counselors are not allowed to offer ONLY "Basic Instructor Training." They have to partner it with one of the discipline specific instructor classes (Pistol, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloading).

As a student you aren't allowed to take just BIT either. You have to take BIT + "Basic (whatever) instructor. "

If you wanted to teach the NRA Personal Protection in the Home course, and you aren't already an instructor, you'd take BIT + Basic Pistol instructor + PPITH instructor. Plan on a three or four day workshop to get that all in. That might be broken up over two weekends.

 

[Trebor]

As an NRA certified instructor your "credentials" are only valid when teaching an NRA course you are trained to teach.

Correct. You can put "NRA Instructor" on your business cards, for instance, but if you advertise a non-NRA class you either have to NOT put "NRA Instructor" on the advertisement or put "This is not an authorized NRA class" on the ad.

The NRA does not offer CCW courses but their Basic pistol course is recognized as proof of training in 20+ States for a CCW application.

Actually, the NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home class is the NRA's CCW oriented training class. It is designed as a follow on to Personal Protection in the Home and covers how to draw from the holster, defensive shooting techniques, etc.

As far as what class meets what state requirements, that's up to the states, not the NRA. As an NRA instructor you teach the class "by the book" and, if that happens to coincide with state requirements, that's a bonus. Some states accept Basic Pistol as meeting requirements, other states require Personal Protection Inside the Home, and I know some accept "First Steps." (Mini-Basic Pistol that focused on one gun).

Don't expect to make a fortune--actually you will be lucky if you don't lose money.

I heartily agree on the "don't expect to make a fortune."

As far as losing money, that depends on the market in your area and how well you market yourself. The start up costs for your instructor training and required materials aren't that bad. The only exception is if you need a specific gun for a specific class that you don't already own. That gets a bit pricey.

Even part time, you should be able to break even or post a small profit after a season or two of teaching classes. Recovering that initial investment takes a little time. After that it's about minimizing costs by finding low cost (or free) classrooms and places to shoot. If you can't find a cheap classroom or range though, yeah, it's really easy to lose money.

Btw, here's a pro tip for any would be instructors. Once you become an instructor ALWAYS GET A DEPOSIT when registering students for classes. I've found that students who don't provide deposits fail to show up at least 2/3 of the time. Those that do provide deposits almost always show up.

Make it a hard and fast rule, with NO EXCEPTIONS, even for friends and family. The only confirmed reservation is a paid reservation. That's the only way to avoid showing up to teach a class for 9 people and finding only 4 showed up. Trust me on this.

 

[Trebor]

Thought I'd post the direct link to the NRA "Become an Instructor" page.

http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/instructor.asp

 

[Curator]

Trebor,

Excellent advise, particularly on getting a deposit beforehand.