Not sure you’re ready to head straight to university? Maybe you’re looking for something more than another year in a classroom.
At Rock, our Instructor Training Programme (ITP) gives you the opportunity to spend one or two years living, learning and working at a Christian outdoor adventure centre.
This isn’t just a year out. It’s a chance to grow in your faith, gain recognised qualifications, develop as a person, experience incredible adventures and make a genuine difference in the lives of children and young people.
Here are 10 reasons why Rock UK could be the perfect next step before university.
1. You Don’t Need Any Previous Experience
Never led a climbing session? Never picked up a paddle? That’s okay.
You don’t need previous outdoor instructing experience to join the programme. What matters is that you have a love of the outdoors, a relationship with God that you want to grow and a heart to see young people’s lives transformed. We’ll help you with the rest. You’ll receive training, support and plenty of hands-on experience to help you develop from a beginner into a confident outdoor instructor. So, don’t let a lack of experience stop you from applying.
2. Gain Recognised Outdoor Qualifications
This isn’t a gap year where you simply come away with some great photos and memories. You’ll have the opportunity to work towards recognised qualifications that can help kick-start a career in the outdoor industry.
In your first year, you could achieve qualifications in paddlesports, archery, fencing, first aid and more. Stay for a second year and you could progress to qualifications such as Rock Climbing Instructor, Mountain Leader or Paddlesports Leader.
Whether you eventually head to university or decide that the outdoors is where your future lies, you’ll leave with valuable qualifications and practical experience behind you.
3. Grow in Your Relationship With God
At Rock, faith isn’t an add-on to the programme. It’s at the heart of who we are and why we do what we do.
You’ll become part of a Christian community where you can explore your faith, grow in your relationship with God and discover more about what it means to put your faith into action. Through living, working and serving alongside others, you’ll have opportunities to challenge yourself spiritually as well as practically. If you want your next step to have a deeper purpose, spending a year or two with Rock gives you the space and community to grow.
4. Make a Difference in Young People’s Lives
Imagine being the person who helps a young person overcome a fear, try something they never thought they could do or discover confidence they didn’t know they had. As a Rock instructor, you get to be that person.
You’ll work with children and young people visiting our centres, leading activities, encouraging them and helping create experiences they’ll remember long after they go home. You’re not just teaching someone how to climb, paddle or shoot an arrow. You have the opportunity to encourage, inspire and help transform young lives through the outdoors. That gives every day a purpose.
5. Be Part of The Mission to Lesotho
Your Rock experience can take you much further than you might expect.
One of the unique opportunities connected with the programme is the Mission to Lesotho. As part of your second year, you’ll travel to Lesotho, Africa, to run an outreach camp using outdoor activities to support local children and share God’s love with them. You’ll also have the chance to see the work of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and experience faith and service in a completely different part of the world. For trainees, experiences like this can become some of the most memorable and impactful moments of their time with Rock – broadening your perspective, challenging you and giving you the opportunity to put your faith into action. Your gap year could end up taking you further than you ever imagined.
6. Make Friendships for Life
One of the biggest parts of the Rock experience is the people you share it with.
Our Instructor Training Programme is residential, so you’ll be living and working alongside other trainees and members of the Rock team. You’ll train together, work together, worship together, encourage one another and experience the highs and challenges of the programme together. It’s an opportunity to build genuine friendships and become part of a community united by faith, adventure and a desire to make a difference. And some of the friendships you make could last long after your time at Rock comes to an end.
7. Build Confidence and Discover What You’re Capable Of
There will be plenty of opportunities to step outside your comfort zone. One day you might be learning a completely new outdoor activity. Before long, you could be standing in front of a group of young people and confidently leading them through it. That journey can teach you a lot about yourself. Throughout the programme, you’ll be challenged to take responsibility, try new things, solve problems and develop as a leader. You might arrive wondering whether you can do it.
You could leave amazed by how much you’ve grown.
8. Develop Skills That Will Set You Apart
Qualifications are only part of what you’ll gain. Working as an instructor will help you develop skills that can benefit you at university, in your future career and throughout life. You’ll build leadership, communication, teamwork, resilience, problem-solving and people skills, while gaining real experience working with children and young people.
Whether your future is in outdoor education, teaching, youth work, ministry, coaching or something completely different, those experiences can help you stand out. When a future university or employer asks what you did before university, you’ll have much more to talk about than simply saying you took a year off.
9. Experience Independence Before University
For many people, university is the first time they live away from home.
At Rock, you’ll get to experience that independence while being surrounded by a supportive community. As the programme is residential, you’ll experience living alongside others, managing your time, taking responsibility and adapting to a completely different way of life. It can be a great stepping stone between school or college and whatever comes next. Another thing is accommodation, utilities, food and the activity kit you need are provided, therefore you can focus on making the most of the experience. You’ll just need to cover your own personal expenses.
10. Experience Independence Before University
You might join Rock knowing exactly what you want to do afterwards. Or you might have absolutely no idea.
Both are okay.
Spend one or two years gaining qualifications, working with young people, developing your faith, building confidence and discovering new abilities, and you might see your future very differently. You could head to university with greater independence and a clearer sense of purpose. You might discover a passion for outdoor education, youth work, ministry, teaching or coaching. Or you might decide to pursue a completely different path. Whatever comes next, you’ll have experiences, friendships, skills and memories that can stay with you for years to come.
With Rock, your gap year could mean growing in your relationship with God, gaining recognised qualifications, becoming part of a Christian community, serving young people, experiencing mission, having incredible outdoor adventures and discovering what you’re capable of.
And remember: you don’t need to arrive as an outdoor expert.
Bring a love of the outdoors, a relationship with God that you want to grow and a heart to see young people’s lives transformed. We’ll help you take it from there.
Could your next adventure start with Rock?
Discover our one and two-year Instructor Training Programme and take the first step towards a gap year with purpose.