Some concealed carry instructors provide the state-mandated minimums for obtaining a permit. Other instructors provide concealed carry training much like a martial arts instructor teaches unarmed or non-shooting armed combat techniques; you learn how to draw and shoot at an attacker by learning a variety of techniques.
Some can offer both.
First, Get CCW Instructor Certifications
Again, it’s not like you can get CCW instructor certifications from a university. Therefore, you have to look for the organizations that carry weight.
Instructors that teach state-mandated courses for concealed carry licensing have to offer a course that meets state requirements. That means you’ll have to pass state review, like many other professions. This can include an examination of legal knowledge regarding self-defense laws of the state, so you may need to sit for an exam.
Looming large is the NRA courses. Many state CCW permit requirements are satisfied by one or several NRA shooting courses, such as Basic Pistol. There is a path to becoming a certified NRA Instructor, and anyone that’s looking to become a CCW instructor should consider obtaining this certification.
Other certifications are available as well, such as the US Concealed Carry Association Instructor certification. There are also instructor certifications offered by various law enforcement agencies, though this may require actually working in law enforcement in order to attain the certification – such the Firearms Instructor Training Program, offered by the Department of Homeland Security, though only to law enforcement only.
Other Requirements For Being A Firearms Instructor
If you want to be a firearms instructor or tactical instructor, there are some other qualifications you might want to acquire if you wish to advance beyond just the basic instructor certifications. Among the top of the heap? Relevant experience.
Look at the top instructors of today and yesterday, like Massad Ayoob, Jeff Cooper, Fairbairn and Sykes, James Yeager (like it or not, he has market presence), Instructor Zero and so on. They all have relevant experience.
How does one GET that relevant experience? By being in law enforcement and/or the military, and in a relevant role – not just riding a desk. Experience as a trainer in law enforcement and/or the military helps as well.
Another credential is championship wins in competitive shooting. If teaching people how to shoot, it helps if you’ve won hardware demonstrating that you know how. Hardware from any and all defensive pistol shooting competitions, such as the IDPA, pad your resume.
It also helps to train with well-known instructors. Every certification from a known authority in the field helps build your resume.
As you build a resume, you’ll also need to build a reputation. Plaudits from instructors and students help immensely, as does a good job of marketing yourself.
Can I Make A Living As A CCW Instructor?
There’s getting paid for providing services as a CCW instructor, and then there’s getting paid enough to live, or even thrive. Some people do. A lot of people don’t. Whether you’ll be able to…that comes down to an economy of scale.
To make a living at it, you’d need to book enough training on a regular basis with enough students, as well as make additional income with ancillaries (such as other merch, if you can get people to buy it, training materials, etc.) and so on to be able to make something like a working- or lower-middle-class income from it.
