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Outdoor Adventure Centre Owner/Manager

First things first and in case you didn't know...

 

An outdoor adventure centre is a space/facility where people participate in various outdoor activities, such as assault courses, climbing, canoeing, mountain biking, orienteering, and more.

 

Running such a facility means coordinating programs, ensuring strict levels of health and safety, managing staff, maintaining equipment, and providing a positive, memorable experience for customers. They also handle business operations such as marketing, budgeting, permits, and legal compliance with all site and running regulations.

Key skills/talents

Here are some key skills you will need to be successful in this role:

  • Leadership & Team Management – Managing a diverse team of instructors and staff effectively.

  • Risk Management – Identifying, assessing, and managing potential risks and ensuring a safe environment.

  • Customer Service – Ensuring a high-quality experience for clients of all ages and abilities.

  • Communication Skills – Effectively conveying information, instructions, and safety guidelines to staff and participants.

  • Problem-Solving – Responding quickly to any emergencies or challenges that arise.

  • Physical Fitness & Stamina – Activities often require physical involvement and endurance.

  • Technical Skills – Knowledge of adventure sports and outdoor activities like climbing, kayaking, orienteering, etc.

  • Adaptability & Flexibility – Adjusting to changing weather conditions, client needs, and activity demands.

  • Resilience - There will be good days and bad, and a lot of daily challenges to overcome, so if you don't do well with stress, this perhaps isn't the role for you.

  • Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding and respecting diverse cultures and traditions is essential.

  • Problem-Solving – Responding quickly to any emergencies or challenges that arise.

  • Financial Management – Budgeting, financial planning, and pricing services.

  • Marketing Skills – Promoting the centre through social media, community outreach, and advertising.

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​Qualifications required

When running an adventure centre, you will need to be skilled at whatever your facility offers the public, for instance rock climbing, to scuba diving. Below we give you an outline of some of the qualifications that are available.

 

However, first things, first, this blog is a great career guide for multi-activity training information: https://www.bestadventurejobs.co.uk/multi_activity.php 

 

Qualifications in specific outdoor activities, such as rock climbing, canoeing, or kayaking, often accredited by bodies like the Mountain Training Association (MTA): https://www.thebmc.co.uk/en/qualifications-explained

 

British Canoeing Instructing/Coaching: https://britishcanoeingawarding.org.uk

 

First Aid Certification – Essential for handling accidents and ensuring participant safety. You can train specifically for outdoor first aid too: https://firstaidtrainingcooperative.co.uk/outdoor

 

Health and Safety Training – Including risk assessment, safeguarding, and knowledge of workplace safety laws - https://www.hse.gov.uk/entertainment/leisure/basics.htm 

 

Risk Assessment Training: https://www.britsafe.org/p/british-safety-council-certificate-in-risk-assessment

 

While not mandatory, courses in business administration or leisure management can be highly beneficial. Free Courses England has an online Level 2 that you can study: https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/business-administration-course

 

Depending on the activities offered, you may need to look into qualifications in high ropes, scuba diving, or similar.

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Rules and regs

As with any business you will be required to follow regulations, especially when public facing and employing staff. Below are a few that you would need to know:

 

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When setting up an outdoor adventure centre, it’s essential to have comprehensive insurance coverage. 

 

Public Liability Insurance protects against claims from customers who may experience injury or property damage while using your facilities. 

 

Employers' Liability Insurance is mandatory if you have staff, covering claims related to workplace injuries. Professional Indemnity Insurance safeguards against potential claims arising from errors in professional advice or instruction. 

 

Additionally, Equipment Insurance covers loss or damage to the adventure equipment used in activities, while Property Insurance protects any physical premises you own or lease, ensuring that your centre is fully protected from various risks. 

 

Here are a few examples…

https://www.mannbroadbent.co.uk/leisure-insurance/adventure-outdoor-activity-centre-insurance

https://www.activitybusinesscover.co.uk/activity-centre-insurance 

https://parkinsurance.co.uk/services/leisure/outdoor-activity-insurance

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Remuneration framework

The Forest Facility has a clear pricing structure, so take a look at their site for an idea of what can be charged out.

 

However, costs are another matter, and profit margins are small to non-existent to start with, so make sure you have good funding to even attempt to set something like this up.

 

That said, given the partners on board with Darren and Sarah, it's clear that their predicted financials are good, so we can safely assume that a good living is achievable once you've broken even.

 

As with a lot of our jobs on TWWork, this type of role/career is a life choice as much as it is a salary, so bear that in mind. Darren and Sarah LOVE what they do, and in many respects would do it even if they earned relatively nothing (and they would fund their lifestyle another way). You get to have fun in the outdoors every day... What's not to love?!

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How to get started

To get started in the outdoor adventure centre industry, begin by gaining hands-on experience as an instructor or guide to familiarise yourself with daily operations and customer interaction. Sarah and Darren mention that they have paid help at weekends and busy times, so this would be an obvious first step, not least to check you really would like to pursue this as a job/business.

 

Next and/or alongside your initial experience, obtain the necessary qualifications for the activities you plan to offer, ensuring that you meet industry standards. 

 

If you’ve decided you’re in, you can either work for an existing centre and work your way up (please note you may have to move/relocate to this kind of job, they are not exactly on every doorstep), or you could decide to set something up from scratch, like Darren and Sarah have done.

 

If setting up is your plan/goal then be sure to create a detailed business plan early on. Define your goals, conduct market research, outline financial projections, and assess potential risks. Be as thorough as you can, because you’re more than likely going to need funding partners, like Darren and Sarah have with Rat Race and the Burghley Estate, so they will need to be assured of your thinking, and your financial projections.

 

Once your plan is in place, and before you attempt to secure funding, find a location with natural features that align with your intended activities. As with Darren and Sarah, the location may well become a business partner, or, it will be a case of leasing/buying land for you to run on your own.

 

Finally, and while the set-up/build process is underway, be sure to acquire the required licences and insurance policies to ensure legal compliance and safety for both your clients and your business.

 

Clearly we have only touched on some necessary steps here, so as we’ve said, please be thorough in your thinking and your research before even attempting to start down this route.

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Job site links

To find job opportunities in the outdoor adventure sector, start by exploring job boards like Outdoor Staff,  which frequently post roles in this field: https://www.outdoorstaff.co.uk

 

Industry associations, such as the Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL) or the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA), also list job openings on their websites:

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https://www.outdoor-learning.org/workforce/job-listing.html

https://www.theoia.co.uk/careers

 

Networking and contacting centres you would like to work at/with is a valuable approach; as is attending trade shows, fairs, and industry events, to help you connect with other professionals and learn about new opportunities.

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Associations or official bodies to register with

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Progression pathway​

... Is very much down to you. Darren and Sarah plan to grow their centre organically and evolve and grow the site as much and as best as possible (to then expand the earning potential of it) without over-stretching themselves. However, once done, they are considering (as they touch on in the chat) additional sites in the North, South, East and West.

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As they mention in the chat, their current site is very much a test bed/test case, and they will take the learnings from that on to any new, additional sites.

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If owning and running a site isn't for you, then progression within an existing outdoor centre is possible. There will be various team leader, site leader roles; all the way through to management and senior management; so find a centre that you like, and go for it.

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Adding strings to your bow will always help with career progression, so check out the qualifications section (above) again for different 'instructor' badges you can get, to make you even more valuable to an outdoor centre.

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And of course, travel... Centres like this (well, not exactly like Darren and Sarah's) exist all over the world, so once you have some experience, and if you want to travel, google the you know what out of it and get on the next flight!

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Additional Information/links

These resources will provide industry standards, training opportunities, and regulatory information essential for running an outdoor adventure centre in the UK...

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