BREXIT - Make sure you're legal
As we approach the winter snowsports season, coaches and instructors will be planning their activities. When doing so it is vital that they keep in mind their:
Licensed range of operation, and
Working rights in respective countries
Every snowsports coaching and instructing qualification has a specified range of operation or remit. Coaches and instructors are only authorised to operate within that remit. For example an instructor holding a qualification exclusively for use at UK artificial centres is not licensed or insured to operate in a mountain environment in the European Union.
In addition to a specified range of operation coaches and instructors are only authorised to operate in countries where, as UK citizens, they can do so legally. Any coach or instructor who hopes to operate outside of the U.K. must ensure that they have working rights in their host country before undertaking work.
Whilst this has always been the case, post Brexit, it is even more incumbent upon members to check that their planned activity is approved in the county or region where they intend to work. Before Brexit, UK citizens had working rights across the EU; it is now the case that the working rights for UK citizens are determined by each nation and in some cases by regions.
BASI and the Home Nations Governing Bodies have produced extensive guidance on this subject which can be found here. It remains the case that the position is fluid, and we have not been able to find definitive answers to every question, though we are still working hard on this topic.
Our clear advice is to ensure that you know the legality of working in a country before arranging activity.
Remember that if you operate outside of the range of operation of your award or contrary to local regulations, including working rights, any insurance you may hold from your awarding body is highly likely to be void.
As a help for our Scottish workforce of coaches instructors and leaders we are planning an evening Q&A session with Chris Exall - a legal expert on UK citizens working rights. Dates are in the process of being confirmed, they will be announced on our social media streams.
