EXPEDITION GUIDE ACADEMY
Certifications with EGA
The Expedition Guide Academy provides assessments on behalf of the Polar Tourism Guides Association (PTGA). The Polar Tourism Guides Association is an international standard and qualification organisation for whom the EGA is a PTGA Endorsed Training and Assessment Provider. Our instructors are accredited assessors and PTGA members.
As an add-on to our Comprehensive Guide Course, we offer the Comprehensive PTGA Assessment. Please note that you will need to be a PTGA member and hold a current First Aid Certificate to do the assessments.
If you would like to know more about the PTGA and how the assessment process works, please visit their website here.
At the EGA we are happy to let you know that we offer not only assessments in Polar Qualifications - we also offer appropriate and valid training to prepare you for those assessments. Please read more below.
We offer a two-and-a-half-day PTGA assessment, covering core PQs. These are PTGA assessments delivered by the Expedition Guide Academy. The assessment(s) can only be done with us in conjunction with the Comprehensive Guide Course. If you have already booked your spot on our Comprehensive Guide Course, we highly recommend doing these assessments with your training.
We offer assessments in both Denmark and New Zealand.
Assessment Content
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Pre-assessment contract and information
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Assessments
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Feedback sessions
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Post-assessment reports
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Feedback form
Language: English Proficient
Age: 18+
Previous experience: Required prerequisites for each PQ, PTGA membership & and a current first-aid certificate.
Who is the Assessment for?:
Seasoned guides already working on ships who would like to gain certification and those new to the industry signed up for our Comprehensive Guide Course.
Minimum: 4 participants
Maximum: 6 participants
Price: USD $1379
Assessment Outline
Polar Qualifications
The two-day assessment covers the following Polar Qualifications (PQs):
*Please note: Communications for Polar Operations, Navigation Skills for Polar Operations, and Working with Small Boats/ Zodiacs are all required prerequisites for the Driving Small Boats/ Zodiacs qualification. You'll also need a current first-aid certificate. See below for further information on this.
Preparation and prerequisites for the Comprehensive PTGA Assessment
Before arriving for your assessments with us, you will have to complete the online training & assessment that the PTGA offers online for the following PQs:
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Communications for Polar Operations
After completing the online training course, you will go through a self-directed online assessment in Navigation Skills for Polar Operations (element 1) and in all of the Communications for Polar Operations.
Please note that this is a requirement for the assessment with us because the Communications for Polar Operations and Navigation Skills for Polar Operations PQs both are prerequisites for being assessed in Driving Small Boats/Zodiacs.
Other prerequisites
When doing a PTGA assessment, please make sure that you are;
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A member of the PTGA
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That you fulfil the required prerequisites for the PQs
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That you have read and understood the PQs that you are being assessed in
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That you feel well-prepared and ready for the assessment.
It is important to understand that all PTGA assessments are performance-based. This means they are not "participation-based" assessments.
Before you start your assessments with us, you will have to become a PTGA member. All PTGA assessment candidates need to hold a current First Aid Certificate before qualifications can be issued. There is a 3-months limitation period for supplying this to the PTGA after your last assessment day. The EGA is not responsible for any of this paperwork and it is thus something that needs to be send directly to the PTGA.
Important Additional Assessment Details
Certification
By the end of your assessment with us we will write a detailed post-assessment report which we pass on to the PTGA. From here the PTGA will add gained awards to your online ProFile.
Important
If you during the Comprehensive Guide Course, decide that you do not wish to do the assessments after all - having already booked a spot, we are unfortunately not able to refund you. So do make sure that you are up for the challenge and learning experience that the PTGA assessments with us are.
Practical Information
Fertilities
The Assessments takes place both outside and indoor. We will spend a lot of time on the water, on the beach, in green areas and also indoor at the EGA Venue. At the venue, students will have coffee and tea available including cow and oat milk.
Accommodation
We offer accommodation on-site at our training facility, at the EGA venue. Please see under Comprehensive Guide Course for more information on our accommodation options. You're more than welcome to organise your own accommodation and stay off-site but we do encourage candidates to stay on-site and engaged in the fully immersive learning environment. If you wish to book our accommodation, please choose the 10-nights option if you are doing both the Comprehensive Guide Course and the Comprehensive PTGA Assessment
Arrival and Departure
If you aren't staying at the EGA venue, please know that you will need to stay at the venue after the Comprehensive Guide Course finishes to be able to participate in the first part of the assessments. You will not have time to go "home" in between the two. Departure will be the morning after the final day of assessments.
