Bushcraft Instructors

[luresalive]

It always absolutely amazes me just how many people profess to be bushcraft Instructors, this must be the only hobby were there are more instructors than participants!! How is this possible??? :confused2:

[FishyFolk]

It always absolutely amazes me just how many people profess to be bushcraft Instructors, this must be the only hobby were there are more instructors than participants!! How is this possible??? :confused2:

A lot of them probably use YouTube and other internet means to market themselves. But there is probably a lot of wannabees as well...god I hope my videos are amateurish rubbish enough that I won't be cast into that box...lol

[Basha72]

It always absolutely amazes me just how many people profess to be bushcraft Instructors, this must be the only hobby were there are more instructors than participants!! How is this possible??? :confused2:

Thought you had to have a antler handled woodlore knife to claim that title ;-)

[JonnyP]

Haha, whats brought this one on Lures..?
You are right though, there are many youtube wannabees out there. Many are very good though, and I guess they are just speaking out about a subject that is close to their heart, and there is nothin wrong with that. Its a different age we live in now with this interweb thingy..
Someone on the old BES forum used to keep a tab of all the bushcraft schools out there. There were lots. Many come and many go..

Same with Wild food schools now too. There used to be just just one or two, now they are everywhere. Lets learn a few edibles and become a plant expert..

[AdrianRose]

I agree with this one entirely. Absolutely bang on!

I've been "practicing" bushcraft for roughly 20 years, and I say practicing for a good reason - I still don't get it right!
Just have a look at my YouTube video on the bow drill to see how much I get it wrong!
I do have a YouTube channel and a website but I am still no expert nor am I an instructor but I have spoken to many people who think that they are!

The above point about "wild edible" schools is something that is close to my heart, wild foods and foraging are what got me into bushcraft in the first place and it has always been my first love.
I agree massively with the point about all the new schools popping up - most of which in my experience are pretty useless from what I have seen.

YouTube appears to be the Internet equivalent of "Bushcrafters Got Talent", it's a simple recipe for fame. Read a book - memorise the words - make a video! Just ask yourself one question, how many wild food videos on YouTube have you seen that tell you Dandelion roots make a good coffee alternative! But how many of those videos tell you "how" to make the coffee!

The TV doesn't help either to be honest, last year I stopped a fella killing himself and his family. I'll keep this one short as my thumbs are aching from typing on my phone now!
Basically this chap had watched a particular TV chef make Hawberry Sauce, so off he popped with his basket to gather some Hawberries. As he was on "my" foraging patch, I struck up a conversation with him then looked in his basket that he had proudly filled with bright red berries.
These berries were 70% Hawberries and 30% Black Bryony berries!

Ok so back to the point! What defines an expert or instructor in your opinion? I know plenty of folk who have phenomenal knowledge on certain subjects but are not instructors but by the same token I know a few "pocket experts" both in the real world and on various forums who are just repeating TV programmes and books verbatim with no real world experience.
Does this raise the broader question of licensing, liability insurance, qualifications etc for schools and instructors (bet that's gonna open a can of worms lol)

Sorry to ramble on.

Ade.

[Hushwing]

What defines an expert or instructor in your opinion

"How much a dunce that has been sent to roam, excels a dunce that has been kept at home." William Cowper

definition of an expert ""ex" is a has-been; spurt is a drip under pressure." - source unknown.

All that I know was when I was leading a team of folk and sending them on training appropriate to their jobs, I was becoming less knowledgeable/up-to-date about the subject that I was meant to be leading them on because it was deemed that I should have a different set of training!! So in the end the line manager knows less than his trained staff. :zombie-fighting:

[Basha72]

Guess you could say we are all instructors ! I would hazard a guess that most if not all on here have shown someone how to do various bushcraft type things wether its the mystical magical bow drill or a few wild edibles, the issue is knowing your limits and focusing on them to perfection as such. It seems some people think going on a two day course bowyer course for example would then make that person competent to teach other paying people the in and outs of it s if they had been doing this for years !

I taught manned security for 6 years and first aid for 4 yrs and in that time I had people within the company come to me and say oh you could teach this and that it would make us money and yes I proberly could but I wouldn't as I had no background knowledge in the subject, I knew my limit and stuck to it.

Like Adrian I have been doing bushcraft for over 20 odd years I'm I a expert hell no but I do have lots of knowledge would I run a bushcraft school yes if I had the money and land to do it from.

Dave

[Realearner]

I agree with the above sentiments, I have done a couple of courses with "instructors" but I looked into these people and their experience before parting with my money ( no not tight just cautious ) and I have found that I have been pleased with my instruction.
However I have only been into bushcraft per say for about two years, but my background is from the country and also engineering. I have learnt lots of my stuff from forums as this and from you tube ( selective ) and of course books. But most of all by trying very slowly hands on and getting out and about.
Not met many of the good experts on here, but would one day love to meet and gain more knowledge from all you lovely guys and girls with far more expertise than so called instructors.
Oh bugger of course we just enjoy our pastime and don't want to make it a commercial enterprise to become rich :ashamed:

[FishyFolk]

For my needs I find most stuff on Youtube. But then I am not so advanced in my needs. And what I do look up is the fun to know stuff like how to make friction fire....things I look at, then try out for my amusement more than anything else. I figure I know enough "bushcraft" to self rescue if push comes to shove...or if not, to tell the world where I am, unless I am dropped in the Amazon, naked and alone... :-)

But then I am lucky enough to live in a place where I can leave my chair, step into my boots and go outside and test it out before the YT video has finished playing. And I do realise that if crossing Canada from coast to coast you need a tad more knowledge than you need taking your todler for a walk in the local forest and grilling a sausage over the fire...

I am not at all sure how what I just wrote is relevant to the discussion, but I will let it stand....I forgot the point I was trying to bring across....aaargh!

[KaiTheIronHound]

I think the important thing for me, being an occasional instructor, is i never claim to be an expert, i always explain to people that i'm still learning, and i hope i never lose that self-evaluation. Every time i run a course, i learn something new from each and every one of the participants, even when i think some of the stuff is wrong at first, i still try it myself, and its never done me wrong :)

[luresalive]

Haha, whats brought this one on Lures..?
You are right though, there are many youtube wannabees out there. Many are very good though, and I guess they are just speaking out about a subject that is close to their heart, and there is nothin wrong with that. Its a different age we live in now with this interweb thingy..
Someone on the old BES forum used to keep a tab of all the bushcraft schools out there. There were lots. Many come and many go..

Same with Wild food schools now too. There used to be just just one or two, now they are everywhere. Lets learn a few edibles and become a plant expert..

Am I that transparent Jonny ???:happy-clapping:

And Adrian,we are definitely singing from the same Hymn sheet brother!

[JonnyP]

Am I that transparent Jonny ???:happy-clapping:

And Adrian,we are definitely singing from the same Hymn sheet brother!

Not at all chap (dunno why you say that), I was just agreeing with ya, but I do not see it as a bad thing.. We all get good n bad info, and its up to us wether we take it on board or not.

[Mouldsy]

Phil mate we have had many a long chat about these people and I think I will keep my opinions to myself this time.....