The only globally recognised raft guiding certification
The IRF Guide Training & Education (GTE) Award was created to provide commercial operators, industry organisations, national rafting federations, government regulators and other interested parties worldwide with a common standard for whitewater guiding professionals. To date, the IRF GTE system is the only globally recognised raft guiding certification.
The IRF is recognised by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the two largest tourism bodies in the world, as the world body responsible for establishing and administering commercial raft guiding standards.
The GTE system is managed by the IRF through the Guide Training & Education (GTE) Committee. The system was first published in 2001 and has been revised several times since then. Significant changes were introduced in 2016/17. Version 6.0 was launched in July 2021 which includes improvements overall to the award system and supporting documents and introduced teh new Whitewater Guide Award.
Learn more about raft guiding:
- IRF GTE Certification History and Development
- GTE Certification Requirements, Processes and Fees
- GTE Certificate renewal – how to renew your IRF GTE certificate
- GTE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – two page overview of the system
- GTE Workshops / Assessments – list of authorised guide qualification courses
- Certified Guides / Instructors – list of all current IRF GTE qualified persons
- GTE Instructor Resources – resources, forms & templates for GTE Instructors & Assessors (password protected)
- River Signals – globally recognised river signals
- River Safety articles and videos – further reading on river safety
Recent guide / safety news
Raft-guides needed in Norway at Uteguiden
Uteguiden is looking for whitewater enthusiasts to join their team for the 2023 summer season. If you don’t have the whole summer available, no worries, we have different options for you to consider. Valldal is Located at the beautiful west coast of Norway near the gorgeous fjord of Geiranger and Trollstigen valley. Send your CV to
Welcome to the family
The amount of GTE workshops is making a significant come back post covid which is comforting news. I was shocked to receive a call asking to assist on a GTE workshop in Norway in early November. Instantly I said yes & then I found my self mentally visualizing where I had packed my cold weather
Do you want to become an International Rafting Guide? Here’s your chance!
Do you want to become an international rafting guide? We invite you to the qualification course that opens career prospects in adventure tourism. You can work either with the rafting operators in the country, or almost anywhere, on five continents! The course will be in English and is supported by the main instructor of the
