To expect kids gymnastics coaches to be qualified/adults

[Ireallywantadoughnut36]

I don't know if I'm over thinking it, but we've tried gymnastics for my 6 yr old at 3 different clubs now, and all the litllie/beginner classes (probably for kids up to aged 8) seem to be run by youngish teenagers. I know they have an adult on site who I'm sure is dbs checked and has first aid, so I'm sure she's safe (none of them allow watching but have a cafe area parents can wait in so I am there too and can watch through a window or on a screen). I do feel a bit ripped off though, and it seems only to be gymnastics who do this (I've never seen an unqualified teenager teaching swimming for example, and her dance teacher is an adult who runs the dance school, my sons karate and football coaches are also adults who have done coaching qualifications in their sports). The equipment at each club is always good too, so it's not as if they're run down/micky mouse places. She's enjoyed every class and loves cart wheeling round, but they're roughly £8-12 depending on the club and the instruction is always from one or two girls under 16, with no adult input. I strongly suspect the girls teaching her don't even get paid but probably get a discount on their own classes or are doing it for their personal development (I grew up riding, and it reminds me of hanging round the yard doing odd jobs for a ride but I'd never have been allowed to teach!) I might be wrong, maybe they are qualified in some way and paid fairly but they're definitely always under 16. They're sweet and enthusiastic but still actual children.

Am I just being grumpy and old, or would you expect a qualified adult teacher to be teaching your children?

I have two concerns 1. That it's unfair to the girls teaching and they're not being paid fairly whilst the club must be raking in about £100 for each class. 2. That she's not going to be learning properly and at best this will be a waste of money/not the best way to learn and at worst she might end up doing something unsafe or hurting herself (we are talking proper swinging on bars and balancing on high beams so it is risky, i saw her being taught a back bend today and i feel like that kind of thing does need a professional)
She wants to keep going but I'm just a bit unsure about the set up (equally, we've now run out of local gymnastic clubs to try and they all do this!) It's great young people have the chance to have an after school job but sole responsibility for ten under 10s doing a potentially dangerous sport seems a step too far?

Oh, and at DD's club they get paid but most of them start as volunteers purely for love of their sport!

DD dance school have a teacher training scheme. They can start the formal side at 15 but often start helping with classes etc at 13/14.

They're heavily supervised, lesson plans checked, etc. Bear in mind, by that age, mist have been training for at least 10 years.

Of course it is. As most teachers know, it’s not just about the technique and method. It’s about how to talk to kids when they’re upset, how to motivate them, how to deal with a child who seems shy or one who is anxious or has low confidence. How to deal with the ones who are loud and push to the front of the queue and expect to go first. Etc etc etc. This is all part of the experience.

One of my friends is a gymnastic coach. She’s in her early 40s and as much as she’d like to she’s unable to demonstrate a lot of the moves the children need to do. Having a small team of qualified teens to model each exercise is a lot more beneficial to the children than just explaining the move.

The way the teens and kids are paired up means there are also eyes on the kids at all times so it’s safer overall.

Thanks! I'd be totally happy if they were 16/17, i trained as a swimming coach and its quite intense to teach childrens classes, but they're 13/14 maybe 15 at the top end, definitely still at school.... I wouldn't book a 13 Yr old babysitter.

It sounds from a lot of people's experience that they do get a level 1 qualification quite young and don't get paid much/at all but perhaps are supposed to be "assistant" coaches and supervised by an adult fully qualified coach- I would be totally happy with this set up. I'm pretty confident that the fully qualified coach isn't really supervising but is just "on the premises" whilst several classes go on. I spoke to my personal trainer about it and she confirmed my thoughts. She saw her daughter at the same class being told to do static stretches before activity which is a big no-no and confirmed there was not enough education underpining the coaches understanding which can be dangerous.

It's not an age issue as such because young adults can be amazing and just as great as someone much older but I don't believe a 13 or 14 year old will actually know enough to understand all the things that could go wrong, have the time to attend enough training to be a coach and manage the behaviour of ten 6 year olds. Watching her being taught back bends and splits it really worried me (my daughter said she was in pain).

I'd love it if there was an adult coach somewhere who was planning the sessions and using the good gymnasts as models/assistants/support. It's more that a 13 year old is in sole charge of ten 6 year olds throwing themselves round bars that worries me...

No issue with "helping" or assisting at all, it's that they run the class, there's no adult present at all in the gym..... just seems odd to me!

My dd's gymnastics classes had this, a few children got injured because they'd been taught wrongly and the teenage coaches were always vaping outside so I pulled her out of the club.

No issue with 17/18 at all, our nanny was 18 - it's more that if they're literally at school and not yet done gcses, can they actually be competent. Maybe I shouldn't have said "teenager" as a lot of people are assuming 17/18, the girls teaching her won't look me in the eye because they're at that awkward stage and I wouldn't let them babysit because they look too young

That's really true and fair. I nearly asked them but it felt too pointed to say "how old are you and are you qualified" and there wasn't anyone in charge or over 16 to actually ask in a discreet way. I might email the club and just see, as it seems a lot of 14/15 year olds can have a level 1 qualification so maybe it's ok - most people seem to think I'm over reacting and she does love it!

My dds gym class is taught by teens. They are fantastic and all national champions. They know enough to teach small children.

Way back when I was a teen I was teaching at my dance school from 14, taught baby ballet and tap. Wasn’t supervised though there was an adult in another studio. It’s always been quite normal for teens to teach younger kids activities as far as I’m aware

That's amazing, I'm sure she's great and what a fantastic achievement for her. I have no issue if they're fully qualified but equally I don't feel OK for a helper who has no safeguarding and no coaching qualification to fully take and plan a class and not be paid, whilst I pay £12 a lesson... so I suppose it depends what stage the girls at the club are at in that scenario (fingers crossed, that like your daughter they've done the qualification and that safeguarding training)

Ironically I just turned down a 14 year old babysitter as I felt they were too young to fully be comfortable in an emergency or deal with a first aid situation - maybe I'm just a bit too much of a worrywort

@Chaosx3x "Also even if they do have a qualification of some sort, I want teachers to have actual real life experience to draw on and to not have received their certificate a few weeks ago."

How's that going to work,then?🤣

I think it's OK for the age your child is.

Remember that once she gets to age 15 and 16, if she's still doing gymnastics, it'll be great experience for her to teach younger ones.

My DD has been involved in teaching younger kids dance at various points since she's been about 15.

But do they know enough? As in, would they know enough if someone fell and was hurt or would they make the wrong judgement call, would they have their first aid training and would they have the life experience to know what to do. Or would they hear the right things if a little girl told them she was scared of her dad. Or would they know what to do if one of the children said she wanted to be skinny like famous gymnasts. Delicate situations occur in these situations and these girls are in charge and alone with them.
I'm still not sure it's OK for young untrained teenagers to be in sole charge of youngsters - it doesn't happen in other professional settings. I remember babysitting at 13 and feeling utterly lost when the little girl told me she was sad about her parents divorcing, it just wasn't the right thing for me to have sole charge of her tbh. I was too young to know the right words.

Clearly most people disagree though! I just feel like teachers, tas, nursery workers and nannies are so tightly controlled with paediatric first aid, safeguarding, dbs etc and I'm dropping her off with children and leaving her alone I wouldn't let babysit whilst I went out for a meal... but again, maybe people have younger babysitters, I've always aimed for 16+ but perhaps I'm being ott!

At our gymnastics club they have teenage assistants (I'd guess around 13/14) but each class has an adult leading it. My DD will sometimes go off with the assistant to work on a particular move and they sometimes lead the warm up, but they are not in charge. We are also allowed to watch, which I like.

As far as I’m aware, all gym squads and teams will have a safeguarding or pastoral lead - it’ll be on their website. I’d chat to them about this and see their take. I’d also look on the website as most will list the qualifications the coaches have. I can’t work out how long your DD had been at each of the clubs (sorry if I missed it) but that makes a difference in what you observe too.

If you're that unhappy just take her out of gymnastics. Sure your dd won't mind waiting a few months til you find a gym that is nice and vetted enough for them. You could maybe put yourself down as someone to scrutinise all their qualifications and every single dbs as well..

Or just tell your child 'sorry mummy doesn't like the gymnastics teachers so you're not going anymore'

I used to employ assistant performing arts teachers aged 16 and they only ever assisted the teacher.

For 4-6 year olds I think you need more experienced teachers, not teens. It’s not just about the skills it’s knowledge of how very young children learn, awareness of behaviour, potential special needs (often undiagnosed at that age) strategies, general pedagogy. Plus knowledge of developmental stages, anatomy & physiology, best practice etc etc.

Potential dance teachers can begin an Assistant Teacher Award with RAD. aged 14. It does not qualify them to teach. Other dance bodies offer a Level 3 assistant teaching diploma aged 16. In order to be classed as an actual teacher in charge of classes they have to have done a Level 4 qualification.

What makes you think they are not paid?
There should always be a level 2 coachwithin the gym overseeing a ckass

As others have said, it depends on the level of supervision. My DD was a teaching assistant at her dance school from being in her early teens. Initially she was only demonstrating but before she left for full time dance school herself she would teach classes. However she was always delivering a lesson prepared by the schol principal
and a qualified teacher was always actually in the room with her. The children loved her and she learned a lot from it.
Likewise my DS qualified as a cycling coach aged 16 but was not allowed to coach independently until he was 18, there had to be a qualified coach over the age of 18 present at all times.
I think that some sports clubs/dance schools etc do use their older pupils as coaches inappropriately and it's not good for either the younger pupils or the teenagers. But you can't assume that. Not every teenage coach is unqualified, inexperienced, unsafe or being abused.
However, I would certainly expect an adult to be visibly present and easily accessible. You're certainly not unreasonable to ne concerned if that isn't the case. I'd certainly be asking questions and if satisfactory answers are not forthcoming I'd be looking for another class I think.

YANBU

I pulled my DD from a gymnastics class for this very reason. The teens looked very disinterested and I wasn't throwing away any more of my money on the classes.

Of course it is. As most teachers know, it’s not just about the technique and method. It’s about how to talk to kids when they’re upset, how to motivate them, how to deal with a child who seems shy or one who is anxious or has low confidence. How to deal with the ones who are loud and push to the front of the queue and expect to go first. Etc etc etc. This is all part of the experience.

I do absolutely agree with this, which is why the "apprentice" model so many people have talked about on here, is so valuable...... my dc had teens from the club in the water with them when they were little, but had a qualified adult on the side. The teens learned, from being part of those lessons and the dc benefitted by having (what they would perceive as) 'grown ups' in the water with them. It's the same in Guides and Scouts where they have 'Young Leaders - who may well be very capable and will run activities and sometimes whole evenings BUT, they do so under the watchful eye of an adult.

I totally agree with you OP in thinking that these young teens should have an adult in the room who actually takes the responsibility. It is actually a safeguarding issue for the 13 /14 /15 yr old who are being left with more responsibility than they should.
I would raise it with the club management and safety and safeguarding officer. It might not change, but they will have been challenged and will know the reason you leave. You can say that the teens are lovely, but that they should be under the direct supervision of an adult.

Not gymnastics but diving: my kid is coached by teens (one possibly early 20s) and they're fantastic. It delights me to no end how good they are and how much the kids LOVE them. My son prefers the younger of them and has a great relationship with him - he's struggled with activities and groups in the past. Provided the coaches are engaged and have bought into the kids' progress, and are invested, you've got nothing to worry about.

He also does gymnastics in an after school setting, older coaches, and it's more like a big PE session. He mainly goes to socialise there, he gabs like mad with his little friend in between goes on equipment, and that's fine. The people running it are parents and have been doing it years. There's an obvious difference in terms of group size but there's more to this than just the age of the coaches.