How to hire a sailing instructor

How to hire a sailing instructor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sailing instructor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a sailing instructor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sailing instructor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the sailing instructor you need to hire. Certain sailing instructor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect sailing instructor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of sailing instructor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Sailing Instructor	Description	Hourly rate
   Sailing Instructor		$9-20
   Dance Teacher	Dance Teachers are responsible for leading dance classes to teach individuals or groups of people various dancing techniques. Dance Teachers are required to help their students improve their dancing skills by participating in amateur or professional dance competitions or performing in social events such as high school reunions... Show more	$15-34
   Martial Arts Instructor	A martial arts instructor helps people understand the philosophy and history of their chosen martial art and teaches them the skills needed to take part safely. They train students in combat techniques, mostly for recreation or for self-defense... Show more	$11-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPR
   • Boats
   • Role Model
   • Lifeguard
   • Course Curriculum
   • Leadership
   • Emergency Situations
   • Canoe
   • RAN
   • USCG
   • Summer Season
   • Private Lessons
   • Water Safety
   • Optimist

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Exercise leadership ability and time management skills by coordinating instructors, managing schedules and making coaching decisions throughout racing competitions.
   • Prepare, organize, and run sailing program.
   • Perform sailing and counselor leadership describe below.
   • Cover the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology including cell biology, metabolism, microbiology, genetics, evolution and histology.
   • Instruct adults in a variety of topics including; emotional psychology, biological psychology, anatomy and physiology, motivational psychology ...

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sailing instructor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A sailing instructor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, sailing instructors' average salary in iowa is 54% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sailing instructors 52% less than senior-level sailing instructors.
   • Certifications. A sailing instructor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a sailing instructor's salary.

   Average sailing instructor salary

   $14.28hourly

   $29,696 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level sailing instructor salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a sailing instructor job description

   A good sailing instructor job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a sailing instructor job description:

   Sailing instructor job description example

   • Are you looking for a job where you can really make a difference?
   • Want a job that gives you the versatility to teach outdoors, on the water, and in the classroom?
   • Do you have the enthusiasm, work ethic, and presentation confidence to inspire youth ages 5-17? If YES, then this may be the job for you!

   Types of Classes

   • Level 1 Small Boat Sailing (Beginner), Level 2 Small Boat Sailing (Intermediate), Keelboat/Big Boat Sailing, Family Learn to Sail

   Types of Sailboats

   • Small Boats: CFJ, RS Quest, RS Feva, RS Tera, Laser
   • Keelboats: Columbia 30 Sport, IMX 38, Olson 30, Harbor 20

   Overview of the Position

   Sailing Instructors implement programs in conjunction with the Program Director and BSA program standards. An instructor serves with a major responsibility for customer service, classroom instruction, curriculum development, class/activity planning, and classroom behavior management. Adheres to Newport Sea Base health and safety standards. You must be at least 16 years old, be certified in CPR and First Aid, and attain your CA Boater's Card upon being hired. Needs to be enthusiastic, patient, creative, well-prepared, and confident in teaching. All instructors must be able to swim. Must be comfortable communicating with children, teens, and parents. Directly reports to Education Coordinator/Sailing Coordinator & Head Coach.

   Sailing Instructors: US Sailing Small Boat Level 1 Instructor certificate required, American Red Cross Lifeguard or BSA Lifeguard certifications recommended.

   Responsibilities/Duties

   • Prepare and deliver lesson plans/activities to youth in a well-planned, fun and engaging manner.
   • Develop and write program curriculum for new and existing classes.
   • Provide active supervision ensuring a safe environment for all youth.
   • Take class roll and track attendance, and turn rosters into lead supervisors regularly.
   • Ensure proper set-up, usage, and clean-up of the facility, equipment, and docks.
   • Report program/equipment concerns to supervisor immediately.
   • Teach youth water, boating and paddle craft safety.
   • Be a positive role model and mentor to youth participants.
   • Enforce student-discipline procedures according to Newport Sea Base policy.
   • Communicate thoroughly and effectively with other program staff and Lead Coordinators.
   • Participate in scheduled staff trainings throughout the year including
   • Be comfortable learning how to operate a Boston Whaler motorboat.
   • Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

   Hours

   September-May (School Year) *Maximum: 10-20 hours per week (Mainly Sat/Sun)

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find sailing instructors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any sailing instructors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level sailing instructors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find sailing instructor candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting sailing instructors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new sailing instructor

   Once you've found the sailing instructor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new sailing instructor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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