Becoming a Cycling Instructor

Cycling instruction works

You will see the people you are instructing improve, gaining skills and becoming more confident. It's a great thing to enable people to do this.

You work in a team

All our on-road training is delivered by Instructors working with at least one other Instructor. You support each other.

You can use your skills of empathy and engagement

To be a Cycling Instructor you need to be competent cycling around town. You don't need to be engaged in sports cycling, that's not the sort of training we deliver. For most people we are training, it's a big step to start cycling on the road with traffic. Being aware of your learners' situation and feelings, and supporting them to progress, are key skills for an Instructor.

You are given training

All our Instructors are trained to obtain the nationally-recognised qualification for Cycling Instructors. You are also given other ongoing training, including First Aid, safeguarding, cycle maintenance, neurodiversity awareness and restorative conversations. Your training costs are funded by Surrey County Council and you are paid for your time spent training.

You have a choice of contract type

We offer two different types of contract, annualised hours contracts and bank (zero hours)contracts. It helps you to strike your preferred balance between flexible working and a guaranteed income.

Timings for term-time work are parent-friendly

Most of our term-time work is at schools. We prefer to allocate Instructors to their local schools where possible. You need to be at the school where you are working for 09:00. Morning courses finish at 12:15. If you also work on an afternoon course, you will finish at 14:25.

There is optional school holiday work

Some Instructors do not work in the school holidays. For Instructors who are available in the school holidays, we also run public courses for children and adults.

You are supported by a knowledgeable and friendly back-office team

The administration team is there to help you with any questions.

You are given on-the-job mentoring and support visits

You will be gradually introduced to the job, first observing other Instructors at work, then being an extra Instructor, then receiving support visits from our Assurer Instructors. An Assurer Instructor will visit you at least once per year after that.

Surrey County Council Instructors have good terms and conditions, including:

  1. An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing.
  2. Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more.
  3. A generous Local Government Pension.
  4. Paid volunteering days.
  5. Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources.
  6. Pay allowance for the parts of the job you will need to do at home, such as checking your schedule and checking the online parental consent information.

You receive additional allowances related to the role

You need to supply your own cycle for work but you are paid mileage to help cover the running cost. If you need to drive to reach your place of work you can claim mileage, or your public transport costs can be reimbursed.

You can also claim periodic allowances for wet weather gear and a cycle helmet. We will supply you with other equipment you need, such as tabards, notebook, phone, basic toolkit and so on.