Are you a people person?
Do you love motorcycling?
Are you committed to riding safely?
If you answered “yes” to the above questions, you might enjoy a side-gig as an MSF Certified RiderCoach!
New York State has a thriving motorcycle safety program, and training sites are always in need of additional coaches. Go Motorcycling, Inc. is no exception! Recent retirements have left us a bit shorthanded, and we would welcome new safety-minded members into our coaching family. RiderCoach certification centers around the Basic RiderCourse as a starting point. As you gain coaching experience, you will have the opportunity to expand your certification to advanced two-wheeled or even three-wheeled coaching.
Being a RiderCoach is not a full-time job, but you will get paid, and you can largely determine your own schedule. Our course scheduling is built around RiderCoach availability. You will minimally be required to teach two classes a year to retain certification. Most coaches teach between 6-12 classes a season. Others teach even more, because it is that much fun! It’s pretty awesome to get paid to do a fun thing that you are keen on.
That said, the path to RiderCoach certification is not a two-minute process. There is much to learn and there is a significant time commitment to get through the certification pre-course, course, and post-course stages of training.
Please keep reading for more details and important links.
The Training Schedule
The New York State Motorcycle Safety Program sponsors RiderCoach training in New York and they are in charge of determining where and when training will take place. Training sites petition NYSMSP to schedule a RiderCoach prep when they have an adequate number of candidates lined up to participate in one. So, as early as possible, it is helpful to get a show of hands on who is interested and also available to participate in the prep itself as well as the pre-prep training requirements.
The RiderCoach Preparation Course is generally scheduled over eight-days, with a common schedule being two four-day weekends. We are holding a RiderCoach Prep on July 13-16 and 20-23 of 2023. The training would take place at MVCC in Utica. There will be other RCPs offered at other locations throughout the state; if these dates don’t work for you, there may be another date/location that will. Contact me for alternate dates/locations if interested.
To be Eligible…
First, in order to become a RiderCoach you need to be at least 21 years of age, have had a motorcycle license for at least two years with a good driving record, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and have no felony convictions. Click here for more details: https://nysmsp.org/RiderCoach.aspx
There are a number of things that to take place prior to the actual training.
To be considered for the RCP, first, please give me a call or send an email letting me know of your interest and availability. You will need to complete the RiderCoach Preparation Application and return it to me along with copies of your driver’s license, your high school diploma and a current driver’s license abstract (available from the DMV). I will need this as soon as possible. If you like, you can send along your application to get the ball rolling while you assemble the other documents.
Before the RiderCoach Preparation Course
You will need to participate in a Basic RiderCourse as a student. There is a $60 fee to participate in the BRC. (This amount will be reimbursed to you in two payments as you complete your post RCP shadowed teaching.) You will need to pre-register by calling our office. Our 2023 schedule will be available soon at our website, www.gomotorcycling.net; we will set aside some slots in our early course dates for RiderCoach Candidates; call us to discuss – there may be some secret slots that will not display on the website.
Before or after your participation in a BRC, you will also need to shadow at least two complete BRCs with the guidance of the RiderCoaches. The RiderCoaches will walk you through what their process is and help you get familiar with cone placement, exercise and activities structure, etc. You will be given opportunities to read the instructions to the students, ride some demonstrations, or narrate while another coach demos.
The more familiar you are with the BRC prior to your RCP, the better. This can be accomplished at any scheduled BRC. You might consider the shadowing sessions to be an extended job interview – and the assessment works both ways. You will have an opportunity to learn more about the day-to-day inner workings and mental and physical demands of teaching a RiderCourse, and your RiderCoaches will have the opportunity to assess your skills and personality to see if you would be a good fit for the program.
After all the prerequisites have been met, you can be considered for admission to the RCP. The sooner you get all the prerequisites done, the better, as spots are assigned by NYSMSP on a first-come basis to qualified applicants from around the state.
Applicants that are accepted into the RCP will receive their course materials and a pre-course assignment designed to further your familiarity with, and understanding of, the materials. There is much to learn, and I cannot stress enough the value in shadowing multiple BRCs prior to the 8 days of training. There may also be some in-person or Zoom type study sessions scheduled with your peers.
During the RCP
During the RCP you will initially cover the BRC course structure, administrative aspects, teaching methodology and course content. Good preparation will make short work of these topics so that the bulk of the prep can be spent “peer teaching”; that is, the RiderCoach candidates prepare exercises/activities to practice teach to one another. You’ll learn about range management; where to stand and why; how to effectively communicate with your students and your co-coach; what goes into a good riding demonstration; how to maximize safety on the range and most importantly, how to OACR: Observe-Analyze-Coach-Reinforce. In the early part of the second weekend, there will be a knowledge test. The RCP culminates in the team of RiderCoach candidates teaching a BRC class of new riders.
After the RCP
After the eight-day preparation course, you will be required to be shadowed at a minimum of two BRC classes. In other words, you will teach under the supervision of certified RiderCoaches who will sign off on your ability in order to gain NYSMSP recognition; kind of like an internship. You will receive a stipend of $30 for each of these classes – reimbursement of your $60 BRC fee. Once recognized, then you can start teaching as one of two RiderCoaches in a normal course and be paid for your work. *
*Because Go Motorcycling, Inc. is a licensed driving school, at some point you will also need to gain DMV Instructor certification. Your RCP will exempt you from having to take the DMV Instructor Course, but you will need to take the examinations. This will consist of a knowledge test and a motorcycle road test. DMV testing can take place before or after your RCP. Click HERE to link to the DMV Instructor Test Study Guide.
Next Steps
If this sounds interesting to you but circumstances would prevent you from participating in the July 2023 prep, please get in touch to discuss how we might do some pre-prep activities this fall to be ready for a prep in 2024.
You are correct in observing that there is a lot of work and certainly a time commitment involved in becoming a RiderCoach. Being a RiderCoach requires a solid knowledge base of motorcycles and motorcycling and a thorough understanding of the curriculum and teaching methodology. You’ll need strong interpersonal skills to communicate clearly and in a positive manner to students from all walks of life, and above all, you will need to exercise good judgment. Your safety and that of your students depends on it.
At the back end, though, teaching RiderCourses is soooooo much fun and extremely rewarding! I hope you’ll think so, too!
I look forward to hearing from you!
Lynne Vandewater
RiderCoach Trainer
Go Motorcycling, Inc.
[email protected]
315-858-3321
Checklist:
- Call or email to confirm your interest
- Submit RCP Application
- Submit current driver’s license abstract
- Submit high school or college diploma (or GED)