As I stated on the previous page the qualification structure in the UK is based on previous experience. It is a modular system where you gain personal experience, attend a training course, gain further personal experience and some professional experience and then attend an assessment course. As you work through the awards you can widen the fields in which you can gain employment.

Each stage of the awards require personal experience, formal training, consolidation which includes some further personal experience and working with groups, shadowing qualified instructors, a referee, a formal assessment and then continuing professional development. Each award also requires a valid First Aid certificate to be held.

The previous page gave you a summary of the qualifications in the UK and the employment prospects. The idea of this page is to break down the experience required to gain the MIA and MIC. They are held as some of the highest qualifications of their type in the world. The process is described for someone starting from scratch with a keen interest in working in the outdoors.

• Gain 12 months  experience of hillwalking.
• Register with MLTUK for the Mountain Leader Award and undertake 20 quality mountain days
• Attend a Mountain Leader training course which lasts 6 days
• Have a 12 month consolidation period to build on the skills learnt at the training course and undertake another 20 quality mountain days in a variety of regions including at least 8 nights wild camping.
• Acquire a valid First Aid qualification
• Attend a 1 week Mountain Leader Assessment where the candidate is assessed on Group Management, Navigation including two night navigation exercises, Access & Environment, Steep Ground, Emergency Use of the Rope, Water Hazards, Emergency Procedures, Expedition Skills & Equipment & Weather.
• Assuming a pass first time total minimum time spent = 2 years including 40 days in the mountains, 6 days training and 5 days and 2 nights of assessment.

Once you hold the Mountain Leader if you wish to progress onto the MIA you will need to do the following:

• Hold the Summer Mountain Leader Award
• Work as a sole leader for 20 mountain days using the ML
• Have substantial climbing experience and be able to list a minimum of 30 named multi-pitch rock climbs of VS4c standard or above which you have led in at least 3 main climbing areas of the UK. These routes should represent the breadth of your climbing experience. A large proportion of these routes should be on mountain crags and major sea cliffs.
• Register with MLTUK for the MIA.

Lets allow 2 years to attain the above.

• Attend a 9 day training course
• Complete a consolidation period of a minimum of 12 months during which candidates must have completed a further 20 quality mountain days  as a leader in sole charge of a mixed ability group
• have completed 20 rock climbing teaching days with students
• have completed a further 20 multi-pitch climbs at VS4c or above in three major climbing areas of the UK, a large proportion of which should be on mountain crags and major sea cliffs. (During several days of the assessment candidates may be climbing at this grade, so experience of leading harder routes is extremely valuable).
• hold a valid approved first aid certificate
• have obtained a reference from a referee
• have gained a broad working knowledge of all aspects of the mountains and mountaineering, including the mountain environment and British mountaineering history, ethics and traditions
• Attend an assessment which pasts 5 days and assesses candidates on personal multi pitch climbing at VS4c, problem solving and casualty evacuation from a multi pitch crag, teaching climbing, personal mountaineering skills, teaching mountaineering, national awards & accreditation schemes, the mountain environment, development & history of mountaineering and risk assessment.

Assuming a pass first time round the minimum time spent so far = 5 years including 80 days walking in the mountains, 50 multi pitch rock climbs at VS 4c or above, 40days leading groups in the mountains, 20 climbing days teaching students, 20 days teaching mountain scrambles, say 40 days personal mountaineering, 15 days training and 10 days and 2 nights of assessment.

An MIA holder is qualified for multi-pitch rock climbing, scrambling and other mountaineering skills in summer conditions. If you want to work in winter you need to get the winter Mountain Leader and then the MIC.

The Winter Mountain Leader will require the following:

• An absolute minimum of 40 Winter Quality Mountain Days with at least 20 of them gained in Scotland, distributed over a period of at least three winter seasons.
• Hold the Summer Mountain Leader Award.
• Have completed at least 10 Grade 1 named Scottish winter climbs
• A 1 week training course and a 1 week assessment with a 12 month consolidation period between the two.

Additional time spent = 3 years including 40 winter mountain days, 10 grade 1 climbs, 1 weeks training and 1 weeks assessment including 2 nights of night navigation and overnighting in snow shelters.

To then gain the MIC will require the following:

• have completed the Mountain Instructor Award (Summer)
• have completed the Winter Mountain Leader Award
• have 20 days logged experience of winter party management (this can be both pre and post winter ML, but at least 10 days must be post)
• have logged at least 20 routes at Grade II or above in a minimum of three main mountain areas of the UK, of which 10 should be Grade III.
• Attend a week long training course
• have 10 days logged experience of winter party management, post MIC training
• have logged 5 days climbing experience at Grade II or above post MIC training
• hold a valid first aid award
• be currently leading winter climbs at Grade III standard or above

If a pass is gained with the minimum of experience this will require another 3 years from gaining the Winter ML allowing for the vagaries of the Scottish Winter weather.

MIC - Total Time Spent - 11 years including 150 days walking in the mountains, 50 multi pitch rock climbs at VS 4c or above, 70days leading groups in the mountains, have lead at least 25 Grade II/III winter climbs, 40 climbing days teaching students, 20 days teaching mountain scrambles, say 80 days personal mountaineering, 26 days training and 19 days and 4 nights of assessment. Lets assume that you overlap MIA training and assessment with the Winter ML training and assessment, you could then go from start to finish in 8 years - assuming you pass everything first time!

You can gain further information from the Mountain Leader Training Boards website, click here.