How to Onboard Seasonal Surf Instructors in 48 Hours

Before They Arrive: The Pre-Arrival Checklist

Don't wait until day one. Before the instructor arrives, have these ready:

- [ ] **Contract signed** — working hours, pay rate, expectations - [ ] **Certifications verified** — ISA, BSA, or equivalent; first aid; insurance - [ ] **System access created** — login to your booking/scheduling platform, instructor dashboard access - [ ] **Equipment allocated** — their wetsuit, rash vest, and instructor board assigned - [ ] **Beach guide prepared** — a one-page overview of each beach: entry points, hazards, rip locations, ideal conditions - [ ] **Emergency contacts** — local coastguard, hospital, your phone number

Send the beach guide and login credentials by email 3 days before arrival. They can familiarise themselves before day one.

Day 1: Morning — The Beach Tour

Skip the classroom. Take them to every beach you use.

At each beach, walk through: - Where you set up (meeting point, flags, equipment drop) - Where beginners surf vs intermediates - Rip current locations (mark them; they shift, but common spots are consistent) - Emergency exit routes - Where the van parks and how equipment gets to the sand

This takes 2-3 hours. It's the most important part of onboarding. An instructor who doesn't know the beaches is a safety risk.

**Afternoon — Shadow a lesson.** The new instructor joins a senior instructor for a full lesson cycle: van loading, beach setup, lesson delivery, pack-down. They observe and ask questions. They don't teach yet.

Day 1: Evening — Systems and Protocols

A 90-minute session covering:

**1. The booking system (30 min)** - How to view their schedule - How to check participant details and skill levels - How to mark attendance - How to log notes after a lesson

**2. Safety protocols (30 min)** - Condition check process: who checks, when, how - Beach change procedure: who decides, how participants are notified - Emergency protocol: injury, lost swimmer, severe weather - Instructor-to-student ratios by level

**3. Communication (30 min)** - How schedule changes are communicated (app/SMS/group chat) - Who to contact for equipment issues, student problems, or condition concerns - End-of-day reporting: what to log, where

Give them a one-page cheat sheet they can keep in their pocket for the first week.

Day 2: Supervised Teaching

The new instructor leads a lesson with a senior instructor observing.

**Morning:** They teach a beginner group. Senior observes, offers feedback after.

**Afternoon:** If morning went well, they teach solo. Senior instructor is on the beach (not in the water) as backup.

**Evening debrief (30 min):** - What went well? - What felt uncertain? - Any safety concerns? - Any system/equipment issues?

After a successful day 2, the instructor is cleared for independent teaching. Most experienced instructors are fully operational by Wednesday morning.

Common Onboarding Mistakes

**1. No system training** — the instructor can teach but can't check their schedule, view bookings, or mark attendance. They rely on you for everything.

**2. No beach familiarisation** — "you'll figure it out" is not a safety strategy. Every beach has hazards that aren't obvious to newcomers.

**3. No safety protocol review** — assuming all schools run the same protocols. They don't. Your emergency procedure must be explicit.

**4. Solo teaching on day one** — even experienced instructors need a day to learn your specific setup, beaches, and expectations.

**5. No feedback loop** — onboarding doesn't end on day 2. Check in after their first week. Ask what's unclear. Fix it.

> SurfSlot gives each instructor their own dashboard with schedules, participant details, lesson notes, and condition alerts — reducing onboarding time from days to hours. [Book a demo →](https://surfslot.eu/book-demo)

---