Want to Become a PSC Instructor?
Every year, a number of people inquire about becoming an Approved Instructor at PSC. The short answer is that it is highly unlikely that any slots will become available anytime in the foreseeable future. Here’s why.
PSC is a very large Club with between 3,200 and 4,000 members at any given time. The primary mission of the Club is to provide a first-class range facility for our dues-paying Members to shoot. This goal is only achieved when Members don’t have to wait for a range to become available. In view of the Club’s primary mission, the number of approved instructors is held to the minimum number required to cover all of the shooting disciplines available at PSC. (This does not mean that there will always be a course available for every shooting discipline.) Although education and training are activities that are integral to PSC, the Club is a shooting facility, not a training facility. When Club ranges are occupied with instructors and students, they are not available for Members.
On the rare occasions when there is an opening on the PSC Approved Instructor List, the Board evaluates instructors seeking those positions based upon several factors. These include, but are not limited to, tenure as a Member of the Club, significant service as a volunteer for Club activities, extensive experience as a firearms instructor, nationally recognized credentials as a firearms instructor, etc. In short, the Board only wants instructors who have proven to be dedicated both to the Club and to its Members. Far too often, it is clear that those seeking instructor positions are doing so only to make a profit. There’s nothing wrong with running a firearms training business, but PSC is not the place. Again, the Club is a shooting Club, not a training facility.
Can I Teach My Family and Friends to Shoot?
Of course you can teach your immediate family! Now when you get to your 5th cousin once removed who lives in New Jersey – now that’s pushing it and the answer is an unequivocal no. Somewhere in between is okay, but let’s not play games.
Many members bring one or two friends or neighbors to the Club so they can be introduced to shooting and/or PSC. (Remember the 2 guest rule.) This is not a problem or a rule violation. However, when it’s obvious some type of organized class/course or coaching event is going on, regardless of the number of people participating, then that’s a problem – a very big problem that has cost people their membership at PSC. Approved instructors must comply with specific Club requirements, not the least of which is having instructor insurance with PSC listed as an additional insured. Also, payment for instruction is not required for someone to be in violation of the Club’s policy on instructors.
The bottom line is that occasional, informal, coaching of one’s immediate family and/or a close friend is fine. However, the more often this occurs, the more distant the familial relationship is, and the more “family members” or “friends” on the range, the more likely someone will become a former Member of PSC. Please don’t let this happen to you. Have fun at PSC and make money elsewhere.