Has anyone recently completed one of the instructors courses? Your thoughts and input are greatly appreciated.
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I’m not maybe so “recently” but have for DSF, CCHD, RSO, and HoW. Are you thinking of becoming certified and teaching? There are a bunch of threads on here with folks asking the same sort of questions over time but would be more than happy to try and give you some input here.
Prior to myself taking and getting any of the certification training, I made sure I had a plan. The biggest part of this PLAN can be answered by asking the question, “Do I have a place where I can conduct classes?”
Most folks have gotten either CCHD or DSF certification and NOT had a place to conduct there classes at afterwards. This can be very discouraging to say the least.
I have a shooting facility, marketing material, a website, some local alliances with local outfitters for referrals, am an LLC, LTC certification from Texas DPS, and insurance.
Do I make money conducting the classes, yes? Enough to live off of, no way? Enough to support the range, aaaahhhhh almost? Enough to put money back into the range/facility, buy new toys as I call it, yes (Shuu, don’t tell the wife).
What specific questions do you have and we here in the community will try and help?
Thank you for your input. I have considered where I would conduct my training and have been in contact with a couple ranges in my area. I am prepared to lease a local store front to hold my classroom portion of training.
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Your next step is to research the cost of your professional liability insurance. And to do that accurately, you really need to nail down exactly what your range owner will require because he/she will be an insured interest. Before you sign up to become an Instructor and spend your money, have your business plan in place with locations and insurance.
Be prepared to launch as an LLC at the least and hire an attorney and possibly an accountant to assist you in looking at the little but important things like waivers. You need to have a waiver ready for people to sign in your classroom and they may (will) be signing one at the range you use too. Once you get up and running, feel free to message one of us with any questions.
I was able to launch my business a few days after my certification.
Good luck, it’s not going to pay the electric bill right away. But, I’m retired so I’m doing this because I love to.
PS - @Fizbin was a big help to me a few times with some of my questions.
Stay safe,
Frank
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In 2021 I took the NRA Basic Pistol instructor course, not planning to teach regularly, but as part of my ongoing goal to improve my knowledge and skill in shooting with any available and affordable course. I liked it. I added NRA RSO class as a prerequisite to getting certified as an Arkansas CHCL instructor. Again, all of these just to keep learning. A friend I met through the NRA and Arkansas classes is also a USCCA Training Counselor, so last month I completed the USCCA instructor certification with her, more of the work on improving knowledge and skills. I still do not plan to set up an ongoing business as she has, but I do enjoy teaching occasionally.
Once I had my USCCA certification, I discovered a great benefit over the NRA certification. With NRA you must teach only the full course, such as Basics of Pistol Shooting or the First Steps of Pistol Shooting, both of which include live fire, thus needing a range where you can teach.
With the USCCA certification, I discovered I can teach any of several classroom-only mini-courses, most of which are modules of the full CC&HD course. Thus, I do not need a range for these, only students and a place to run PowerPoint.
Even so, as a personal risk management act, I do have instructor liability insurance. This protection is essential even for classroom-only teaching, lest someone accuse me of teaching a concept that caused them to later get injured or injure someone else, or even break a law based on my instruction.
I hope to offer my customized versions of a couple of the mini-courses as a guest instructor for my TC in her business. I also may be an assistant when she teaches the full CC&HD class.
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I’m NRA, NC State and have taken a fair amount of group and private instruction. The DSF certification was a game changer for me as an individual and as an instructor. Even access to the materials you get from the USCCA are basically worth the price of the course on their own.
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Hey @Craig_AR , good read.
Be sure to join us with a post in the Instructor Only portion of this Community. You earned it. 
Another thought- are you thinking of taking an instructor class just for your own knowledge and skill development, or do you want to hold and maintain the instructor credential?
If the latter, you need to factor in certification renewal requirements:
For NRA Instructor, you just have to pay a fee every few years, with no actual teaching or retraining requirement.
For USCCA CC&HD Instructor you must have at least 20 students each year, BUT…
you get credit for students when you are an Assistant Instructor, helping another USCCA teach a class AND
you get credit for teaching mini-courses, which generally are classroom only with no range live fire.
Thus, if you know an active USCCA instructor who will let you assist in come classes, you do not have to set up your own school as a business.
Finally, for USCCA RSO renewal is by retaking the online class for free each year.
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