Tutors Orientation Weekend
For details please see 'What's On' page.
Education and training in dowsing has historically been of varying quality, both for the enthusiastic amateur as well as the professional.
In order to address this, in 2003, the British Society of Dowsers created a comprehensive dowsing training programme covering dowsing tuition from absolute beginner level to advanced practitioner standard. You can progress at your own speed and to the level of expertise you seek.
This programme is based on a series of modular weekends designed to bring students of the art of dowsing from beginner level to an intermediate standard in all areas of dowsing, with further, advanced level instruction available in each of the areas of dowsing specialty.
One day “Introduction to Dowsing” courses have been designed aimed at members of the public curious to experience dowsing and to learn a little about it.
Entry into the series starts with a “Foundation Course in Dowsing ” weekend, giving introductory instruction in dowsing techniques using the four basic dowsing tools – pendulum, L-rods, Y-rod and bobber, instruction and experience in question asking, dowsing applications, map dowsing, ethics and psychic protection.
The series continues with more two day modules, which tutors may alternately choose to run over a series of shorter classes, in each of the main areas of dowsing activity – water dowsing, dowsing for health, dowsing for earth energies, dowsing for archaeology, and general site dowsing.
Completion of all modules should leave students with a comprehensive understanding of the art and practice of dowsing in all areas of contemporary dowsing activity. There are no examinations, we do not award qualifications or accreditations. Complementary therapists will be pleased to know that 7 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points are awarded for each complete day's tuition.
Members are encouraged to attend as many courses as possible. Providing they are accompanied by plenty of individual dowsing practise and reading up on the subject, they are designed to bring dowsing students to a competent practitioner level appropriate for dowsers wishing to bring their services to the public and to register with the Society as dowsing practitioners.

Dowsers wishing to be registered with the Society as practitioners need to provide three letters of reference affirming their competence in each of the areas of dowsing that they wish to be registered under, and to agree to work within the Society’s ethical code. Although preferable, it is not necessary for registered dowsing practitioners to train through the BSD courses and then through the advanced levels of training offered by the relevant Special Interest Group, as it is recognised that ultimately, competence is in the hands of the individual, and training and experience may have been gained in many and various ways.
However, the Training Programme and advanced Special Interest workshops are designed to afford student dowsers with the opportunity to gain all the education that they would require to achieve a high level of competence appropriate to practitioner registration.
To support the running of the Training Programme, the Society opened a register of dowsing tutors in 2003. Those registered are expected to form a collegial core of tutors who share a common understanding of educational philosophy, ethics and legal obligations, a standardised course and class planning procedure, and an integrated understanding of the Society’s Training Programme and overall educational programme.
It is anticipated that registered tutors will then be in a position to offer dowsing tuition at a uniformly high standard across the country, and be in a position to support and collaborate with each other and with the Education Sub-Committee to fine tune, enhance and evolve the education programme as time goes on. It also allows the Society’s office and web-site to provide the public with names of dowsing tutors local to them with reasonable confidence in the courses being offered, both through the Society’s own activities as well as by tutors offering dowsing tuition independently.
The tutors’ register is open to dowsers who have high levels of competence in one or more areas of dowsing practice, and also competence and experience in giving dowsing instruction.
Registration requires:
1 Three letters of reference relating to dowsing practice in the area of dowsing which is to be taught, or pre-existing membership in the relevant section of the practitioners register
2 Three letters of reference in regard to their activities as dowsing tutors for three separate events. (For group work, not 'one to one' coaching). Alternatively, evidence of a suitable teaching qualification may be acceptable.
3 Agreement to work within the Society’s ethical code
4 Participation in one of the Society’s Tutor Training weekends
The Tutors Training Weekend is designed to create a shared educational philosophy and class planning approach amongst the Society’s tutors. It also reviews techniques and considerations for teaching the basic dowsing tools, classroom management, use of audio-visual aids, ethics, legal observations and the workings of the BSD Training Programme. The weekend is not designed as a substitute either for dowsing competence or for teaching experience.
Competent dowsers wishing to tutor but without sufficient teaching experience to register can gain experience through the Tutors Mentoring Programme, which allows assistant tutoring with currently registered dowsing tutors until an appropriate level of experience and confidence has been gained to work independently.
Registered tutors, following submission and approval of course plans, are eligible to teach BSD courses either for the Society, the Special Interest Groups, the local and affiliated groups and in any other independent arena that they might choose. Tutors are expected to review their teaching through student questionnaires, which are subsequently forwarded to the Society’s office. They also have to comply with Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training as necessary as well as any other assessment process required by the Society.
They may advertise their courses as being “BSD approved” and use the special BSD logo in their advertising in that context. They are eligible for reduced advertising rates for their courses in Dowsing Today, and to have their names and courses listed free of charge on the BSD website.
Their names will be given out to members of the public making enquiries about dowsing tuition.
For a nominal per-student fee, students on their courses can be issued with BSD course completion certificates, copies of the ethical code, feedback questionnaires and information packs on the Society.
Please contact the Office for an information/application pack.