I have read some old threads on PSA basic accred. I am thinking of getting this, though I am reluctant to spend the $. I am presently teaching mostly Basic Skills at a USFSA rink. The rink is mostly rec skating (and lots of hockey). We do not have a FS program to speak of. The reason I am thinking of getting BA is to get into other rinks in the fall so I can earn more $. Econo has really hit the rink hard.

If you have BA, has it actually helped you? If so , how? Do the online courses actually improve your teaching and maybe make you more attractive to private students. Just wondering if this is worth the investment when I am making precious little doing this right now.

Kay

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I took my BA Exam this February online for $45, I believe. That included the study guide.

The exam was fairly easy in itself, and as a coach in a region where PSA ratings, etc. are valued and encouraged, I felt it was worth the money to have my BA. I have been coaching for nearly 9 yrs. and a full member of the PSA for probably close to 6 yrs.; I definitely felt it was time to finally take the next step in my coaching career and the first in attaining further ratings down the road.

I recommend you start by looking into the rink you hope to coach at. What do most coaches have there? Are ratings encouraged, required, etc.? That may sway your decision.

I took my B.A. and Group Registered exams mostly because I think it's a good idea to require SOMETHING of coaches before they are allowed to coach. I'm in a region where virtually no one has heard of rating or the PSA so it does not make any difference at all as to how many students I have or even what group classes I am assigned to coach. It was an interesting experience taking the Group Registered exam but the kicker is that now I not only have to make sure I have 28 credits every three years but, as I understand it, in ADDITION to this I have to take the standard CER credits and pay for all of it. If I go to the PSA conference, which is the easiest way to get a lot of credits at once, I don't even come close to breaking even, PSA ratings or no!

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We only allow PSA coaches who have passed the BA and keep up their accreditation to coach on our club ice.

This is very true, which makes the tests more challenging because you then have to rely more on written materials since there are few PSA-rated coaches to guide you through the process with advice or teaching. That's an advantage for CoachPA - s/he's been exposed to the lingo and proper PSA explanations for most of her young career. I tend to use different expressions since my main coach was from Europe. Different shouldn't mean wrong, but I'm a little concerned that I'd be wasting money on ratings exams that I was doomed to fail because my teaching and skating techniques are different.

Where I coached in NYC, PSA ratings meant nothing to the parents or the other coaches. I passed the BA exam through the study guide and some online reference information, but I felt wholly uncomfortable with the experience. I keep up with my credits because it is required by most of the rinks in my new hometown. Part of me believes that those requirements are not intended to provide better instructors for the students, it's to keep new coaches from getting into the rink. A "barrier to entry" so to speak.

I'm attending next month's PSA Conference because I need the credits and I have enjoyed the ISI conferences I've attended. I'm hoping to become inspired to pursue the higher-level ratings next year, now that I'm settled in an area where I can ask for help and advice from other PSA-rated coaches. (My roomie is taking her Masters oral exam in Freestyle. She's a great role model.)

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