Become an Instructor
Turn Your Sailing Experience Into an Opportunity to Teach Others
Love sailing? Ready to share what you know with the next generation of sailors?
Becoming an American Sailing (ASA) Certified Sailing Instructor allows experienced sailors to turn their time on the water into a rewarding teaching opportunity. Whether you're interested in teaching a few weekends each summer, working with a sailing school, or developing your skills as a professional sailing instructor, the process begins with an ASA Instructor Qualification Clinic (IQC).
Sea Safaris Sailing School hosts ASA Instructor Qualification Clinics each spring in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, giving experienced sailors the opportunity to earn instructor certifications from ASA 201 through ASA 206.
How ASA Instructor Certification Works
ASA instructor certifications use the 200-level course number that corresponds with the 100-level student course you become qualified to teach. For example, successfully completing the ASA 201 Instructor Qualification Clinic qualifies you to teach ASA 101 Keelboat Sailing 1 through an ASA-affiliated sailing school. As you advance through the instructor levels, you can teach increasingly advanced ASA courses.
You can continue advancing through the instructor levels as your sailing experience, knowledge, and teaching experience grow.
What Is an Instructor Qualification Clinic?
An Instructor Qualification Clinic is an evaluation - not a learn-to-sail course. Candidates arrive with the sailing knowledge and practical skills associated with the ASA course they want to teach. During the clinic, an ASA Instructor Evaluator assesses your sailing knowledge, practical skills, communication ability, and ability to effectively teach others. Depending upon the instructor level, candidates may complete:
- Written examinations
- Practical sailing evaluations
- Classroom teaching presentations
- Afloat teaching demonstrations
- Navigation or chartwork exercises
- Crew command and leadership evaluations
- Required knots and seamanship demonstrations
The goal isn't simply to prove that you can sail. An instructor must also demonstrate that they can teach someone else to sail safely, confidently, and effectively.
2027 ASA Instructor Qualification Clinics
Sea Safaris Sailing School will host our 2027 ASA Instructor Qualification Clinics at South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, beginning May 21, 2027.
Why Become a Sailing Instructor?
Teaching sailing gives experienced sailors an opportunity to spend more time on the water while helping others develop skills that can change the way they travel, vacation, and experience boating.
It can also be a great seasonal or part-time opportunity. Many instructors teach on weekends or around another career, while others use instructor certification as part of a larger professional career on the water.
And teaching has another benefit: it makes you a better sailor. Explaining sail trim, docking, navigation, weather, seamanship, and boat handling to someone else forces you to understand those skills at an entirely different level.
Interested in Teaching for Sea Safaris Sailing School?
Completing your Instructor Qualification Clinic does not obligate you to work for Sea Safaris Sailing School, however, we're always interested in meeting talented instructors.
Sea Safaris offers ASA sailing instruction throughout Wisconsin, and qualified instructors may have opportunities to teach introductory sailing, coastal cruising, bareboat cruising, navigation, advanced cruising, private lessons, and other programs depending upon their certifications and experience. For the right person, becoming an instructor can be the beginning of a pretty remarkable second career, or simply a great excuse to spend more weekends sailing.
Ready to Become an ASA Sailing Instructor?
Start with the instructor qualification that matches your current experience and certification level. If you're becoming an ASA instructor for the first time, ASA 201 Keelboat Sailing 1 Instructor is your starting point. Our 2027 Instructor Qualification Clinics begin May 21, 2027 at South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Choose your clinic, review the prerequisites, and begin preparing for your Instructor Qualification Clinic.
| Instructor Qualification Clinics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ASA 201 – Keelboat Sailing 1 Instructor | May 21–23, 2027 |
| | ASA 203 – Coastal Cruising Instructor | May 23, 2027 |
| | ASA 204 – Bareboat Cruising Instructor | May 24, 2027 |
| | ASA 205 – Coastal Navigation Instructor | May 25, 2027 |
| | ASA 206 – Advanced Coastal Cruising Instructor | May 26, 2027 |
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