EASI™ Rider Levels

Last Updated: 19 September 2026

What this page is

Riders on EASI™ can be awarded four optional rider levels, R1 to R4. In the EASI app each one shows as a row of small chevrons on the ride it was earned on. This page is how the levels work.

Read this first, because it is the part people get wrong: EASI does not certify anyone. EASI does not train, examine or assess any rider, and issues no certificate to any rider. A rider level is awarded by an EASI recognised operator that assessed the rider, or by an instructor that operator appointed, and it stays that operator's award. EASI records it and says who awarded it, when, and on what terms. Section 5 sets that out in full.

EASI Standard 1, Part 1: Rider Progression sets out in detail how each level can be assessed, with its checkpoints, ratios, conditions and hours. It is a working draft and is not yet published. It is the reference for how to assess a level, and it binds only an operator that applies for a higher operator tier (see the EASI Standard, https://easi.network/standards).

1.0 The levels are optional, and the logbook is what matters

1.1 Every rider in the EASI network holds a rider logbook: a running record of the sessions they have ridden. A session can be confirmed by an operator, by an instructor, or by another rider who has become a confirmer, and whoever confirms it does not have to have run it or been there. Who can confirm a session is set out in the EASI Terms of Use, clause 5.1 (https://easi.network/terms-of-use). Nothing is assessed to open a logbook and nothing is awarded to keep one.

1.2 Rider levels sit on top of the logbook and are optional. Having no level never counts against a rider: a rider who never takes one has a complete logbook and full standing in the network. Each operator decides for itself who rides with it.

1.3 Optional does not mean casual. A recognised operator awards a level on its own assessment, and only once it has seen the rider meet it. Standard 1 Part 1 is the reference for how.

2.0 The four levels

2.1 R1 — DEMO. The holder has had a supervised first go, with an instructor in direct control of the ride.

2.2 R2 — LESSONS. The holder is a student rider, learning under an instructor's supervision.

2.3 R3 — SESSIONS. The holder is a competent rider, cleared to ride in an operator's managed sessions.

2.4 R4 — RENTALS. The holder rides unsupervised, within the envelope recorded with their award, and can rent equipment.

2.5 An R4 holder may not instruct, supervise, lead or assess any other rider, and may not accept payment for doing so. Instructing is an instructor appointment, which is a different thing entirely.

2.6 Age. The minimum age for R1, R2 and R3 is 13, which is also the minimum age for an EASI account. A rider aged 13 to 17 needs the written consent of a parent or guardian, who at the same time confirms the rider can swim; away from direct instruction a minor stays within 50 metres of an adult escort, and no adult escorts more than two minors. Unaccompanied R4 riding, including rentals, starts at 16. An operator may set a higher age for its own sessions, and where local law sets a higher age, that applies.

3.0 What the chevrons mean

3.1 A level is drawn as chevrons: one for R1, two for R2, three for R3, four for R4, in that level's colour. There is no number on the chevrons. At the size they are drawn, a count is quicker to read than a numeral.

3.2 A chevron is shown on the ride it was earned on, not on a rider's profile. That is deliberate. A level on a profile says only what was awarded; the same level on the session it was awarded during says what, by whom, where and when, which is what anyone assessing a rider actually needs.

3.3 A rider who holds no levels shows no chevrons at all. There is no placeholder and no "0 of 4", because holding no level costs a rider nothing.

4.0 Who awards a level

4.1 A rider level is awarded by an EASI recognised operator, or by an instructor that operator has appointed. The rider asks for it; the operator, or its instructor, assesses them and makes the award. EASI records it.

4.2 What an instructor may award depends on their instructor tier with that operator: an i1 ASSISTANT may award no rider level, an i2 INSTRUCTOR may award R1 and R2, and an i3 SENIOR INSTRUCTOR or an i4 INSTRUCTOR TRAINER may award R1 to R4. An i5 MODERATOR awards none, because moderating an assessment is not the same as making one. The EASI app enforces this on every award. The tiers are set out on the EASI Instructor Tiers page (https://easi.network/instructor-tiers).

4.3 More than one level can be awarded for a single session, for example a demo and a first lesson on the same day. Each level is recorded separately, with its own reason and its own timestamp, because each one is a separate decision the operator made.

4.4 Nobody can award a level to themselves.

4.5 An operator can withdraw a level it awarded. The register keeps the record that it was awarded and that it was withdrawn.

5.0 What a level is NOT

5.1 EASI does not train, examine or assess any individual rider, and issues no certificate of competence to any individual. A recorded level is the awarding operator's award and remains the operator's award.

5.2 EASI maintains the register. The register reports what an operator awarded, when, on what terms, and whether that operator is currently recognised. It does not confer validity on an award and cannot.

5.3 EASI is a private, voluntary industry scheme. EASI is the scheme owner, not a certifying body, and it is not an accreditation body. It is not accredited by or affiliated with UKAS, does not operate under Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 or its retained UK equivalent, and claims neither. EASI recognition applies to operator businesses only and carries no government or UKAS status.

5.4 A level is not a licence and is not a qualification recognised by any government. It does not replace local law, an operator's own rules, or any insurance requirement. Where local law or a manufacturer's instructions are stricter than anything described here, the stricter rule applies.

6.0 Talking about your level

6.1 When you mention your rider level, name who awarded it: "R3, awarded by [operator], on the EASI record."

6.2 You may share a screenshot of, or a link to, your own ride in the EASI app, chevrons and all. The chevrons are not an EASI mark. Show them only as part of your ride: never as a stand-alone badge, patch, sticker or merchandise.

6.3 Riders do not use the EASI seal. Please do not say "EASI certified", "EASI qualified", "EASI approved" or "EASI R3": EASI awards no level. The EASI Brand Rules (https://easi.network/brand-rules) say how the seal and these words may be used.

7.0 Questions and corrections

7.1 If you think a level recorded about you is wrong, or you want to know what is held about you, the routes are in the EASI Privacy Policy (https://easi.network/privacy-policy). You can ask for everything held about you from inside the app, or by email.

7.2 If you are an operator and you disagree with a rule you are held to, the EASI Standard page (https://easi.network/standards) sets out how to challenge it.

7.3 Anything else: email admin@easi.network.

See also: EASI Instructor Tiers (https://easi.network/instructor-tiers), the EASI Standard (https://easi.network/standards), the EASI Brand Rules (https://easi.network/brand-rules) and the EASI Privacy Policy (https://easi.network/privacy-policy).