As a business owner in the firearms realm, you are likely constantly seeking to make your business bigger and better. There are multiple avenues of approach to doing this, and one of the most profitable would be to become an NRA certified instructor. The National Rifle Association offers a wide variety of different courses with the ability to become an instructor in every one of them.
NRA courses are the widest spread in the world for the civilian market. These courses are extensive and cover nearly every part of the firearms world. This includes your basicshotgun, rifle, and pistol course as well as black powder courses, reloading courses, and defensive courses for inside and outside the home.
Why Become an Instructor?
You can add value to your business. You won’t be teaching for free. You’ll be able to make additional money from being an NRA instructor. Why exactly should you be an NRA instructor over other courses? Well the NRA certification is recognized nearly everywhere. In states like Florida, an NRA instructor are qualified to teach concealed carry classes os people can obtain their permit.
Additionally, the NRA has recognition around the world, and even new shooters will recognize the NRA certification and understand what it is and where it comes from. Another major selling point is that the NRA certification is easy to obtain regarding location and logistics. The classes are held everywhere, and multiple areas throughout each state. This makes it easy to avoid traveling too far and paying a ton of money for a simple certification.
As an instructor, you’ll be able to reach out and train new shooters which will also bring them into both the hobby and into your store. These courses require ammo, targets, and of course guns and if you are the one teaching the class you can be the one selling them the necessary equipment.
Do you have what it takes?
Before you become an instructor you need to focus less on the money, but more on your ability to teach. The real question isn’t can you pass an instructor’s course, and its can you teach? This isn’t necessarily questioning your knowledge of the subject, but talking about your ability to teach. You could be the best shooter in the world, but if you can’t teach and pass on those skills, you aren’t worth much.
As an instructor, you need to be able to translate your skills and knowledge into a presentable format for your students. That can be a challenge when you are dealing with new shooters who aren’t knowledgeable about the appropriate terminology or concepts. You need to be able to relate to new shooters and their lack of knowledge, and that can be difficult.
On top of that, you need to have the ability to multi-task and focus when running a lesson. You’re solely responsible for the safety of your students, and you have to have a sharp eye to make sure no shenanigans or Tom-Foolery is afoot.
Additionally, you’ll need to have access to a teaching environment and a range. Without either you’ll be up a creek without a paddle.
How to Start
The first step is to cruise the NRA Instructor’s website. Here you can find and locate classes in your area for both students and instructors. You can get the locations, cost and more from this website. Once you complete the training, which varies in length depending on the discipline, you’ll have to pay a registration fee and then wait just a few weeks to receive your certification.
That’s it. The instructor’s course in my experience aren’t difficult, but they are quite educational. You can learn quite a bit about teaching, as well as some tips and tricks from more experienced instructors.
There isn’t a lot to it, plus once you are an instructor, it’s easy to access other courses that are taught online. This includes a Range Officer, Refuse to be a Victim, and several more. Instructors also get numerous discounts from firearms companies around the country.
Being an Instructor
Teaching new shooters can be a ton of fun, and becoming an instructor can be worthwhile for both the monetary compensation as well as the reward of training new shooters. As an instructor, you’ll also get in the mind of potential customers and see the trends among gun owners. Companies pay a ton of money to gather data like that. Becoming an NRA instructor is an amazing opportunity, and you can add a lot of value to your small business.
