Become an IKO Kitesurf Instructor

If you already ride independently and you have caught yourself thinking "I could do this for a living" — this is the route. The IKO certification is recognised at 350+ affiliated centers across more than 60 countries, and it doesn't expire. It is the single credential that turns kitesurfing from a holiday into a job you can take anywhere the wind blows.

You can take the two courses separately or run the full path in one trip. Most candidates do the latter: the ATC teaches you to assist and manage a teaching area safely, the ITC turns you into a certified instructor who can run lessons on your own. Ten days, one location, one focused window.

Where you'll train

Costa da Caparica gives you a 30 km open Atlantic beach and Portugal's most dependable thermal wind belt, 25 minutes from central Lisbon. It's a working teaching spot with real students in the water — which means your teaching practice happens in genuine conditions, not a simulation.

Good to know

• Courses are taught in English.
• Both courses are capped at 8 candidates.
• The IKO online module for each course is purchased directly from IKO and completed before the course starts.
• Prerequisites, certification requirements and the full syllabus are published by IKO on the IKO instructorship page.