Teaching quality AND quantity

[Ben_3]

[QUOTE="giovyledzep, post: 8882853, member: 511125"

Here, as probably anywhere else in the world, the instructors who are most praised by the dive shop owners are of course those who can squeeze as many courses/dives a day regardless of quality.

There are no pool training sessions here, as they are considered a waste of time and money.

We are even taught that that's what it means to be a good instructor, one who has a clear idea of what it means to do business.

This is very sad, especially considering that the duty of an instructor is to teach and advance the level of their students by all means possible, and not to satisfy the greed (or call it "business objectives") of their employers.
[/QUOTE]

From what I understand it might not be an agency thing but rather the shop issue. On the other had some instructors try and make as much money as they can and never say no. Once you are done with the class you can then decide what kind of instructor you want to be and how you want to work.

Any instructor with any agency can be good. The new PADI IDC has a good program with higher standards so I think it's going in the right direction.

Maybe look around how other local shops work.

 

[TMHeimer]

With that I meant no pool sessions for DSD and OW students to get accustomed to equipment, weighting, skills etc... DM and IDC skills are done in the pool. I understand and don’t necessarily disagree with the reasons why booking and paying for external pool sessions can be avoided, but of course it does have a big impact on learning, especially at those very early stages where it’s easy to overlook things and create bad habits.

Sorry, I'm still unclear. The 24 skills--ie. reg retrieval, OOA, CESA, equipment/weight belt on/off, deep water entry, etc.----
Where are these 24 skills initially taught for OW students--in a pool or in the ocean/lake?

 

[Esprise Me]

No pool sessions? Yikes. Sounds like you're not with a very good shop.

There's a dive shop near me that seems to do a pretty decent job of balancing the competing demands of efficiency vs quality by offering multiple free organized beach dives with a DM every week. I don't know exactly what the DMs get out of it, but they do a great job helping newly-certified divers gain experience and proficiency, provided those divers are willing to show up, accept feedback, and work to improve. Another local shop offers boat dives every weekend; they're not free and there's no DM in the water with you, but they'll help you find a buddy, and the sites are suitable for beginners. I think both shops provide a valuable service to the local dive community, and I wish more shops would find a way to create and publicize opportunities for new divers to continue working on their skills in a safe, affordable setting.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The new PADI IDC has a good program with higher standards so I think it's going in the right direction.

Is it not correct that two skills must be performed NB in order to get a 5. Not difficult ones either (reg recovery I believe, I forget the second).

Am I wrong? If not, that's a reeeeeeaaaally small step in the right direction.

 

[TMHeimer]

Reg retrieval was done on knees when I was a DMC, I'm 95% sure.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Reg retrieval was done on knees when I was a DMC, I'm 95% sure.

Yes, this is a new change. In an IE, candidates can still conduct those 2 skills on the knees, but they won't get a 5.

Edit: Skills are mask removal & clear + reg recovery.

 

[giovyledzep]

@giovyledzep

You can always go independent. The interesting thing is, I found I needed less pool time when teaching neutrally buoyant. You have more organization skills to get that streamlined.

You can also do some skills dry to help them develop muscle memory. You could even go so far (don't laugh) to use buckets for mask/snorkel/breathing exercises Simple exercises for students not completely comfortable with having their faces in the water | Facebook

All that can help streamline your courses.

I really don't think you will have a problem. Look at SNSI's FB page for how they handle large classes. It can be done. Now I'm personally against high ratios due to the risk of not being able to control everyone (I'm a bit paranoid) but it is harder for a student who is properly weighted/trim to bolt to the surface than it is for someone on their knees and overweighted (as they can push off the bottom).

That's great resources, thank you!

@giovyledzep

PS. You did violate PADI's code of conduct, but don't worry, they won't do anything as they want your professional dues and you to sell their courses/training materials/c-cards.

Nope, I'm not even DM yet so I still retain freedom of speech

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I am a PADI instructor. I do not believe in a 2 day OWC. I used to work for a DC where we were told to do things I did not feel safe doing.Now this did not happen all the time but once is one time more than it should happen IMO. Luckily my CD stood up for us in that regard. I have since left that center.

I now teach a longer OWC, smaller numbers of students per course and feel good about the training I am able to offer.


There are DCs out there that are just bad. Same with instructors regardless of agency.

I say find a new DC and become the instructor you would want to have teach you.

It is up to us as pros to do all we can to change the industry from the inside and to create the best divers we can.

Good luck and much success.

 

[Scuba Scott]

Welcome to the world of professional SCUBA. You are at a point where you are starting to get a peek at the man behind the curtain.
PADI is the perfect agency for you but you don't realize it yet. You are looking at the standards quite wrong. You are looking at the minimum standards and assuming that is the only standard. The minimum standard is there to protect the world from both new and bad instructors. If you follow the minimum standard even a poor instructor can produce a minimally qualified diver. There are also maximum limits and many areas in the standard that allow for a very high standard. Know your limits and as you grow in experience as an instructor PADI can grow with you.
I believe what you are experiencing is the resort training business model. Yes, I have also been told the need for fast training and "a good instructor can do it." You will either learn a lot and grow as an instructor or you will hate it and quit. The reality is that you can speed up training without sacrificing quality but you do it by starting slow. Think of it as a marathon rather than a sprint. As mentioned earlier, teaching neutral will speed up training. Don't skip the skin diving portion. introduce gear one piece at a time starting only with the snorkel and resolve problems early. When your students are great skin divers they will fly through the CW sessions and the momentum keeps going.
When you have some experience you can go independent and run classes the way you want to or if you have the resources you can do that now. There is no doubt the resort training model will give you a lot of experience in a short time. It is up to you to decide how you will use that experience.
Also note that you will not be offered a retirement plan. The resort model takes all they can from an instructor until they are burnt out and have no more to give. They just replace you with the next enthusiastic young instructor when you quit. Quit before you are all used up and go out on your own.

 

[Ben_3]

Is it not correct that two skills must be performed NB in order to get a 5. Not difficult ones either (reg recovery I believe, I forget the second).

Am I wrong? If not, that's a reeeeeeaaaally small step in the right direction.

Yes if you perform maintaining perfect buoyancy a candidate will get higher scores. I might be wrong but I think it is a must to pass now. I’m going through the programme and we have to do everything NB except when required.