Train as a Coach
Qualifications that put you on the bank with confidence.
School Of Fish runs three coach training qualifications. The Angling Support Assistant gets you onto the bank assisting a Lead Coach. The Lead Angling Coach is a 1st4Sport accredited Level 2 qualification that lets you run your own sessions and is the pathway to becoming an SOF franchisee. The School Of Fish Tutor is a 1st4Sport accredited Level 3 award that turns experienced Lead Coaches into the educators who train the next intake.
The fee covers the lot. Course delivery, Enhanced DBS, insurance for your first year, accreditation, certification, and a year's membership of the SOF Coaches Community.
Both courses are available to book regularly. If you're a club, fishery or group looking to book an exclusive cohort of candidates, email info@schooloffish.co.uk or message us using the messaging feature in your app.
Angling Support Assistant
The first step into coaching.
What it qualifies you to do
Assist a School Of Fish Lead Angling Coach with delivering coaching sessions. Perfect for parents, club volunteers, and anyone who wants to give back to the sport without taking on full lead coach responsibility. No prior qualifications needed.
Format
One day on the bank with a tutor, covering practical session delivery and roughly two hours of presentation. Followed by around five hours of e-learning to complete in your own time. Six month deadline from course date.
What's included in the price
- Practical day on the bank with a Level 3 qualified coach educator
- E-learning materials and access
- Enhanced DBS check
- Insurance for your first year of coaching
- Accreditation fees and certification
- One year's membership of the SOF Coaches Community
Group size
Up to 20 candidates per group. Available as individual bookings on local courses, or as a group booking for clubs and organisations training their own teams. Exclusive group bookings can bring their own specialist onto the in-person day: three hours of bespoke training on your own scheme or framework.
Lead Angling Coach
1st4Sport accredited Level 2 qualification.
What it qualifies you to do
Lead your own coaching sessions and supervise Angling Support Assistants and other Lead Coaches. A nationally recognised 1st4Sport Level 2 in Sports Coaching, designed for anglers ready to lead sessions of their own.
The Lead Angling Coach qualification is also the pathway to becoming a School Of Fish franchisee, running your own SOF programme at your own venue.
Format
One practical day on the bank with a tutor, plus an in-person assessment day where you demonstrate session delivery. Around sixteen hours of e-learning to complete in your own time. Twelve month deadline from course start.
What's included in the price
- Practical day on the bank with a Level 3 qualified coach educator
- In-person assessment day
- E-learning materials and access
- Enhanced DBS check
- Accredited safeguarding training
- Emergency First Aid at Work qualification
- Insurance for your first year of coaching
- 1st4Sport accreditation fees and certification
- One year's membership of the SOF Coaches Community
Walk out of the assessment day cleared to coach. Qualification, accreditation, DBS, safeguarding, first aid and insurance, all in one.
Who it's for
Open to candidates 18 or over who can demonstrate angling experience and a genuine commitment to coaching others.
Group size
Up to 10 candidates per group, so every learner gets proper attention from the educator. Available as individual bookings on local courses, or as a group booking for clubs and organisations training their own coaching teams. Exclusive group bookings can bring their own specialist onto the in-person day: three hours of bespoke training on your own scheme or framework.
School Of Fish Tutor
1st4Sport accredited Level 3 award for tutors and assessors in sport.
What it qualifies you to do
Tutor and assess School Of Fish coach training. As a licensed School Of Fish coach educator you deliver Angling Support Assistant and Lead Angling Coach courses, growing the school's coaching workforce at your own venue and beyond. Tutors are how the school grows its coaching workforce: this is the qualification that teaches the teachers.
Format
Two days of live online classroom with an experienced tutor and assessor, then an in-person delivery day with School Of Fish, training you in how we deliver our own courses. The portfolio is built in your own time: assessed tasks, tutoring activities and session plans, and a personal development plan with reflective practice. Twelve month deadline from course start. You'll need to communicate confidently in English, spoken and written.
What's included in the price
- Two days of live online classroom teaching
- An in-person delivery day training you in School Of Fish standards
- Portfolio assessment and support
- 1st4Sport Level 3 accreditation fees and certification
- Your first year's School Of Fish Tutor licence
Group size
Up to 5 candidates per group. Tutor training stays small, so every candidate gets close, personal development from an experienced educator.
Register your interest
Train Your Own Team
Got a group to train? We deliver Angling Support Assistant and Lead Angling Coach courses on-site at your club, fishery, or chosen venue. Ideal for angling clubs, fisheries, scout groups, schools, charities, and youth organisations looking to build a sustainable coaching capability in-house.
Recent clients include Canal & River Trust, who we trained 30 Angling Support Assistants for in 2026.
Get in touch at info@schooloffish.co.uk for a quote based on group size, location and level.
You're Not On Your Own Afterwards
Every coach training fee includes a year's membership of the School Of Fish Coaches Community. Stay in touch with your coach educator for upskilling and questions, chat with other coaches for advice and guidance, and always have someone to turn to. Membership includes quarterly upskilling webinars and in-person training days through the year. Renew annually to keep your membership active.
Annual Renewal
Year one is included in your course fee. After that, a single annual renewal keeps your insurance, DBS cover and Coaches Community membership live. One payment, one date, one product.
Angling Support Assistant renewal
- Public liability insurance
- Coaches Community membership
- Quarterly upskilling webinars and in-person training days
- DBS check maintained on a rolling 3-year cycle
Lead Angling Coach renewal
- Public liability insurance
- Coaches Community membership
- Quarterly upskilling webinars and in-person training days
- DBS check maintained on a rolling 3-year cycle
- Accredited safeguarding refresh maintained on a rolling 3-year cycle
- Emergency First Aid at Work cert maintained on a rolling 3-year cycle
School Of Fish Tutor licence
- Starts in year two; year one is included in your course fee
- Coaches Community membership
- CPD programme through the year
- An in-person upskilling day every year
- Keeps you current with School Of Fish standards and course content
- Your Level 2 renewal continues alongside; a Tutor licence requires a maintained Level 2
Renewal pricing is reviewed every January to reflect changes in insurance, DBS, safeguarding, and first aid training costs. Any changes will be communicated to active coaches at least 30 days before they take effect.
Ready to Train?
Book onto a local course, or get in touch about training for your whole team.
Book a courseinfo@schooloffish.co.uk
Schools, youth services and social prescribers: the Diploma doubles as an outcomes framework with an evidence-grade record. See our referrers page.