Where do you work?

I work at Vertical Endeavors — the Minneapolis location in uptown. There’s two paid coaches, and then there’s me and another assistant coach, volunteering — he’s on the advanced team as well. So, on Mondays 6 to 8:30 p.m. we just help him out with teaching the younger kids team.

What are your responsibilities as a rock climbing instructor?

It’s not really a job, more volunteer work. I lead the kids with warm ups and tell them what to do to warm up. And then throughout practice, I correct their form or tell them something that they can do to improve what they’re doing.

How did you find out about this job?

I’m on the climbing team at Vertical Endeavors as well — the advanced team. My friend just asked me to do it one practice and I thought it sounded like a fun opportunity.

What are some things that you’ve learned through teaching?

I’ve learned how to notice things in climbing better, like specific movements and what to say to (help) people know what to do. Because a lot of times, it’s confusing to just say, ‘fix this.’ (It’s important) to be more specific, so I think I’ve gotten better at that. And I’ve also gotten better at working with kids too.

What are some of your favorite parts of the job?

I’ve taught kids how to belay. I also like teaching them how to lead climb, which is something that’s more of an advanced thing. I like seeing kids try hard. I like working with kids who want to get better and want to do good.