Women’s Instructor Courses

On this course you'll gain your ISA Level 1 Surf Instructor Certification, the internationally accredited industry standard for coaching beginner and early intermediate surfers, alongside your Beach Lifeguard qualification (the SLSGB Beach Lifeguard Award and ILS Water Safety Award), as we run both courses side by side.

A recognised rescue qualification is required to work as a surf instructor at most surf schools, so running the Beach Lifeguard course alongside ISA Level 1 means you leave fully equipped to start coaching, rather than needing to book a separate course later.

You don't need formal coaching experience, but you should be a confident, capable surfer and comfortable in the water, since the Beach Lifeguard course includes swimming to set times and lifting during assessment.

It covers beach lifeguard theory, CPR, first aid, pool skills and open water skills. It's physically demanding, and every unit needs to be passed to gain the qualification.

We run combined ISA Level 1 and Beach Lifeguard courses across our destinations, including Wales, France, Portugal, Morocco and Fuerteventura, so you can train somewhere that suits your dates and travel plans.

Yes. Your ISA Level 1 Certification is awarded through the International Surfing Association, the world governing body for surfing recognised by the International Olympic Committee, and your Beach Lifeguard qualification follows the internationally recognised ILS standard. Both are respected at surf schools worldwide, not just with us.

Yes. On select dates, our women's-only instructor cohort runs alongside the Salty Sisters retreat itself, so you can train and travel with the same group, at the same time. It's a completely optional add-on if you want to leave your retreat with a professional qualification as well as a tan.

We're proud members of the Surf School Alliance (SSA), a global network raising standards in surf coaching since 1999, and our own instructors sit among their board of ISA Presenters, so you're learning from people who've genuinely done the job.

From here, you can step into paid coaching work, build practical experience on our camps, and progress further with Level 2 and ongoing CPD, right through to running your own school, camp or business one day.