I do not charge for a Level 2 stalk. I only charge my daily rate, even though more time is put in to take a candidate out. Therefore it makes no difference to me. There will be a lot of more AW's leaving I feel, the whole system was started with good intentions, but was not thought through in my opinion. Level One is I feel a great grounding for people to start their stalking career. However to my knowledge nothing was allowed for disability within the Level One when first introduced.
We have a had a number of dyslexic and color blind people on the one course a year that I organise. As for Level 2, I am dismayed at some of the so called experts that we have running it. I well remember a third stalk I witnessed for a candidate. He shot a White Fallow doe within 20 minutes of leaving the bothy on the estate. I stood about 15ft from him while he took the shot.
No problem, all completed. When the portfolio was entered the assessor called me and questioned me about the shot and that I was not standing right next to him. Which you must be in range to see what they are doing, and about 15ft was near enough to see in my book. Needless to say I was not impressed, and the Assessor told me it was the verifier at Barony College who was kicking off about the stalk.
It turned out the Internal verifier was only just a few months in the position and prior to this was a TAX INSPECTOR!!
I was then asked to think of another deer that the candidate had shot in the past whilst my being present. This I might add made a whole mockery of the Level 2. The candidate passed, and rightly so as in my professional opinion he was certainly capable. This was with Barony College. At this point in time I was about to give up on being an AW, but decided to stay because I enjoy helping people out.
It appears to me, and please whoever reads this correct me if I am wrong, that the majority of Assessors and verifiers are not FULL time deer stalkers, and carry on the art on a recreational basis? Whether I decide to stay as an AW I dont know, I make nothing out of it at all, despite DMQ and others thinking we are raking it in. Dream on all of you.