Private Sailing Instructor

Adults wanting to learn or build confidence, parents booking for children, and new boat owners who want to sail safely.

Price per lesson or per short course, often a weekend or a block of sessions. You pay a venue or boat hire fee out of each booking.

• Confident sailor with a calm teaching manner
• Safety awareness on the water
• Patience with nervous beginners

• Check whether your qualifications let you teach and issue certificates, or only teach informally
• Public liability and professional indemnity insurance, and cover for any boat you use
• Enhanced DBS checks if you teach children, check what venues expect
• Permission from the venue, harbour authority or landowner to teach from their site
• Work is seasonal and weather-dependent, so plan for quiet months

Startup costs are typically estimated at around £800 to £4,000, depending on your qualifications, insurance and the boat hire or venue arrangements you make. You teach without owning a fleet, which keeps costs lower than running a school.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £400 to £2,500, depending on how many lessons you teach and your rates. Work is seasonal and weather-dependent, so plan for quiet months when income may be lower.

Check whether your qualifications let you teach and issue certificates, or only teach informally. Look at public liability and professional indemnity insurance, enhanced DBS checks if you teach children, and permission from the venue, harbour authority or landowner.