How to Become a Professional Firearms Instructor, Part 1

Being a firearm instructor is an exciting and rewarding experience. You get to meet people with a common interest, help those who have never handled a firearm, and contribute to a safer community by promoting the safe use of a firearm.

It’s the satisfaction you experience when the first-time shooter makes their first shot, witnessing their initial apprehension and when their frown turns into a smile as they become more confident and comfortable using a firearm. You receive satisfaction when the student improves their skills because of your instruction.

What is compelling you to become a serious, professional firearms instructor? Is it the deep, earnest desire to help others or because you’re in it for the money? Did you attend a class with 25 students and think: “Hey, at $75.00 per head, that’s $1,875.00 for just this class; I can do that!”

If it’s for the money, and that’s your primary driver, you may want to reconsider teaching; it’s not about the money. While that is undoubtedly part of your compensation, the primary goal should be helping others learn a new skill. Successful instructors follow their passion, share their knowledge, and receive personal and financial rewards when the student completes the course.

This blog aims to assist those wanting to become firearms instructors, open a business, and share their knowledge. We will start from the beginning on how to become a firearms instructor and then move into how to begin the training process, providing helpful information along the way. This is not a substitution for a business plan nor a substitution for firearms training. We intend to answer the age-old question, “How do I become a firearm instructor.”

This is an entry-level guide designed to provide a roadmap on where to begin, what to do, steps to take, and the many challenges you will encounter along the way. It is impossible to delve into the many subjects we will discuss at any length because each subject could be a topic within itself. We intend to give you a high-level overview of becoming a firearms instructor and business owner. It will require hard work, dedication, constant research, and continuing education.

This portion of our blog is divided into three primary parts:

• Becoming a firearms instructor,
• Starting a firearms training business, and
• Conducting a class professionally

Notice we will not be addressing the mechanics of firearms and how to shoot. This means we won’t be rehashing the basics of firearm safety, gun shooting, or handling techniques. There are hundreds of books, Internet resources, and YouTube videos where the instructor can gather this sort of information on their own.

A practical guide on starting your training business is missing on the Internet and in most blog sites and publications. This is because most instructors focus on sharing their knowledge, experience, and techniques with others interested in improving their shooting skills, not those who want to become instructors. This is where the information in this blog fills in those gaps as you begin your journey as a professional instructor.

Finally, and most importantly, this blog will not answer all your questions about becoming an instructor. We don’t believe there will ever be a single source that can cover this topic, but our goal is to provide one as closely as possible. As a business owner, you will be on a constant quest to research, gather, and assimilate information from many sources and incorporate that information as your business grows.

If you want to be professionally trained as a firearms instructor, go to https://level1firearms.com for class information.

If you don’t want to wait to see what is next, you can purchase our book, “How to Become a Professional Firearms Instructor,” on Amazon.