RV Tech Course and the RVIC & NRVIA

Wow!  What a great week!

A big Thank You to the Cooper’s and the Anderson’s for putting together a very educational and informative five days.

I’m not exactly sure when I first heard or read of the concept of a weeklong course teaching the basics of becoming an RV Technician.  It may have been at one of the RV shows in Hershey or Tampa.  Or it may have been in one of the many forums and blogs that I try to read on a regular basis.  But I’m sure glad I came across it.

So, my expectation for the course was to become more knowledgeable about the systems in an RV, how they work, the best way to troubleshoot problems and to be able to fix the “simple stuff”. There was a lot of information at the website (www.rvtechcourse.com) that answered a lot of my basic questions regarding the course.  It was easy to look at the planned locations where upcoming courses were to be held, pick a spot, and get scheduled.  The cost of the course is $1,644 if you choose to make one payment or three equal payments of $594.  Yes, I know this is a significant financial investment.  But, as you will hopefully understand by the end of this post, the benefits of the course far exceed the initial cost/investment.

I chose to attend the course being held in Shipshewana, IN.  As we already shared in previous posts, we had plans to be in Ohio visiting with Betsy’s family, so a trip to Northern Indiana was not that big of a deal.  

After arriving at Shipshewana Campground South Park on Friday and settling in over the weekend, I was ready to get the class started on Monday morning at 8 AM.  With me being busy from 8AM to 5PM every day, Betsy had a chance to do a couple of things she mentioned in a couple of posts earlier this week.

Here is a brief summary of the topics scheduled for the week:

With a lot of material to cover in five days, the days were jam-packed.  There were 11 students in the class, and what I think was a good mix of backgrounds and knowledge.  We had some with extensive electrical experience, military backgrounds, an auto mechanic and HVAC experience.  Some were from close by and some traveled far to get there.  Robert got the award though, as he was from South Africa.  He and his wife had lived aboard a catamaran for 18 months while sailing from South Africa to Florida. (How cool!)  They are now planning to spend some time traveling around the US in an RV.  Also, seven of the 11 students had trailers at the campground, which became our labs for hands-on experience.  The other four students stayed in local hotels and learned on the trailers we had there.

I’ve written this long without mentioning the brains behind all of the material and teaching.  Yes, the Texas RV Professor, Terry “Coop” Cooper.  In my opinion, Coop’s teaching style fit the way I learn perfectly.  He mixed in the right amount of stories, experience and repetition to increase your chances of remembering the important stuff.  This style, combined with about a day and a half of hands-on work on actual trailers, ended up being a really good combo.

I should define a couple of the acronyms I put in the title of this post:

• The National Recreational Vehicle Inspectors Association (NRVIA) is a membership organization providing certification and credentials for professional recreational vehicle inspectors across North America.  A benefit of taking this course is the inclusion of your first year NRVIA membership dues. 
• Recreational Vehicle Inspection Connection (RVIC) is America’s only nationwide RV inspection company and is committed to providing professional quality RV inspections.  Their NRVIA certified RV inspectors are trained to exceed the highest industry standards, promote professionalism, and thoroughly communicate their findings with clients.  

Now, back to my original expectations for this course, to become more knowledgeable about the systems in an RV, how they work, the best way to troubleshoot problems and to be able to fix the “simple stuff”.  Coop and Steve Anderson, the owner of Workamper News, spent the first hour of every day explaining the benefits of using the knowledge from this class to either start your own RV Tech repair business or become a certified RV Inspector.  Options I had not even considered before coming here.  The first hour every day was also extra special because spouses were invited.  So I got to spend some time with Betsy in the classroom as she also heard the possibilities available after this class.  In order to perform complete RV inspections, another week of training is required.  I’ve already tentatively scheduled this course for mid-October in Ohio.  

It’s not hard to see how you can quickly recoup your initial investment in the course just by working on your own trailer.  You can normally diagnose and fix about 80% of the problems on your own trailer, saving the time and expense of going to a repair facility.  If you consider the income possibilities from starting an RV Tech or RV Inspector business, the return on your investment is potentially much larger. If you decide you would like to take the course, we would love if you would include that you were referred by: Russ Gibbons AMB103. For more info on the course visit, www.rvtechcourse.com.

If you are in the market to purchase any type of RV (Class A, Class C, Fifth Wheel, Travel Trailer, Pop-Up), you should consider having an inspection performed before purchasing.  Or if you are selling an RV, instill confidence for your buyers by having an inspection done on your unit and sharing the report with them.  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or contact RVIC to request an inspection.  Just tell them I (Russ Gibbons) sent you!

In summary, the week really did go by quickly.  Good people, great material, a couple of potluck dinners, and overall a huge success.  

Not to interrupt this wonderful post written by my husband, however I feel the need to interject. Don't tell him I added this... :)! I just needed to brag on the guy a little! He scored a perfect score on his exam! Proud of you Russell!