The CIR program is a great opportunity young young people to live in Australia with friendly local orienteering families. In return you will coach club members of all ages, from juniors to veterans. Typically, this will take about 20 hours a week.
As well as the Coach in Residence Program money, we will pay your entry for many orienteering events and you will receive opportunities to earn income to pay for your expenses, for example making maps, or teaching school children to orienteer. You will stay with a local orienteering family, who will look after you and teach you everything you need to know about being an Aussie!
If you have any questions that are not covered here, email the program coordinator at gm@orienteering.asn.au.
Australia is a very big country – about the size of the whole of Europe. In the north of Australia it is hot all year (winter is the best time to visit there). In the south it is hot in summer and mild or cool in winter. We even have one area with ski orienteering!
Australia is divided into eight states and territories (Australian Capital Territory, where the capital of Australia, Canberra is located; New South Wale; Victoria; South Australia, Western Australia; the Norther Territory; Queensland and Tasmania. Each state or territory has several orienteering clubs, and some – like NSW and Victoria – have many. We also some great mountain bike orienteering (and a small amount of ski and radio orienteering), but foot orienteering is by far the most popular.
Because Australia is so big, it has a huge variety of terrain. This ranges from very complex rock features (which we call ‘granite terrain’), to very complex terrain made up of broken ground, pits, high points and erosion gullies left over from tin or gold mining (which we call ‘mining terrain’), to complex sand dunes and fast, open forests with broad spurs and wide gullies (which we call ‘gully/spur’). We also have many detailed sprint maps in our cities, mostly around schools and university campuses. In other words, there is plenty of variety!
For examples, see Maps and Terrain.
This depends on a number of things, including your country of origin and the state or territory that is hosting you.
Your host state/territory you will advise you about whether you are considered to be in a ‘paid’ or ‘volunteer’ position, which will determine whether you need a visa (and what type). You will also need to check with the Department of Home Affairs and Australian Taxation Office regarding the latest rules. As a general rule any payments you receive will be minimal and may not cover all of your expenses.
Usually the coach-in-residence is very busy with lots of preparation for coaching sessions. But it is fun and you will have plenty of time for meeting friends and travelling too..
Our coach-in-residence program has proved so successful we consider applicants for any time of the year and for any length of time.
The usual minimum time is 6 months and longer is ideal, but some state and territories do accept coaches for 3 months or less. Our summer (September to April) is the most popular time for scholars so you will need to apply early for these dates. Our winter (April to September) is the best time if you want some high quality events. The weather can be cold but it is generally much milder than a European winter!
Each state or territory has its own arrangements, but generally if you stay for at least six months we will pay for all local events. We will also pay entry fees for selected major national events, and some states and territories will cover your costs for the Australian Schools Championships if you take on an official role (e.g. assistant manager of the state school’s team). The events you might expect to attend include:
This will vary from state to state, but your activities will most likely include:
The program is very flexible. Most coaches find they spend about 20 hours a week (which includes some weekend work) fulfilling their coaching duties.
Yes there are! These include:
