Affiliation?

[imfddiver]

Hello all,

I am new here and looking forward to learning from everyone here. I am a firefighter by trade and the dive team leader for my shift. I am certified as a public safety scuba instructor through Dive Rescue International. For those that don't know, SSI and DRI were closely associated years ago and still maintain a close working relationship. The reason I mention this is that being a public safety scuba instructor with DRI, I am going to get my instructor crossover through SSI. I have contacted a well established shop not too far away to affiliate with and have the paperwork started.

What I would like to know, and I will talk to the dive shop owner more about this, but what exactly does affiliation mean? I am getting my certification primarily to provide a recreational certification to dive team members that come on to the team. They can dive recreationally with the PSD cert, but it has to be renewed every three years through me, and if they ever leave the team, their cert expires. I would like to provide a rec cert that won't expire. Anyway, the dive shop said affiliation means nothing more than processing paperwork through the shop. He said I can order student kits, teach at my fire station, etc.

Does anyone have anymore insight? Does this "processing of paperwork," have a cost associated with it?

Also, I am not looking for a second job, but I would not mind teaching an occasional class for the shop either as I might not get a chance to teach too often only at the fire department.

 

[ScubaDocER]

Affiliation implies a business relationship between you and the shop. The nature of that relationship is up to you and the shop. You can teach through the shop part time, full time, or whatever you arrange through them. As long as there is not a conflict of interest between you and the shop it should not be a problem. Read carefully the "processing the paperwork". I am a NAUI Instructor so I am not sure what the requirements are of SSI. I hope other SSI Instructors will chime in. The issue of your Instructors insurance may come up. Discount on equipment may come up. Access to educational material at a discount price may come up. Typically there is a price to pay, just make sure it's a price you are comfortable with. Many Instructors teach independent of a shop. I cannot imagine why you would not be able to do the same.

 

[eponym]

The SSI shop I teach at orders student manuals, dive logs, tests, all the materials, and keeps them in stock. They sell them directly to the students when they sign up for courses. The shop calls me and asks me whether I will teach XX course on YY dates for ZZ dollars. The shop orders c-cards, which can be sent to the shop (to get students back in after checkouts) or directly to the students. My shop prefers the former.

I get to use all the shop's rental gear, their warm saline indoor pool, the upstairs classroom, etc. I get a great deal on insurance (a fraction of what I've seen PADI instructors pay) because the shop buys a group policy. I am encouraged to go out and find my own students, of course. I also make a small commission if a student of mine buys a system within a few months after training.

-Bryan

 

[redacted]

As I understand it, there are no independent instructors with SSI. You must work through an SSI shop. Most other agencies will support independent instructors. An SSI instructor can not certify divers unless affiliated with an SSI shop.

 

[ScubaDocER]

As I understand it, there are no independent instructors with SSI. You must work through an SSI shop. Most other agencies will support independent instructors. An SSI instructor can not certify divers unless affiliated with an SSI shop.

Wow. That's unfortunate.

 

[imfddiver]

Thanks for the input folks. I will figure it all out as I go I guess. The shop I plan on affiliating with is about an hour away. The owner said I could teach my guys and gals at the fire department at our station or wherever I like. I was worried that affiliation meant teaching at his shop only, and being required to teach for him also. I do want to keep current and possibly teach occassionally for him if he can use me. I am looking forward to teaching more.

 

[colo_diver]

I think if you speak to the SSI shop the you will be with and discuss these issues you will be amazed. I just got home from a liveaboard that was teaching SSI classes.

 

[WRChadwell]

I am an SSI instructor and when initially began investigating the various certification entities, the SSI rule that all instructors have to be affiliated with a shop put me off at first, too. On the other hand, having lived it for the last several years, it makes a certain amount of sense in that in order to teach scuba an instructor needs several things (in addition to students) like gear, a pool, a classroom, etc. Unless you're rolling in dough and can provide all that on your own, that is a very useful role the dive shop fulfills. Ultimately the relationship between you and the shop with whom you are affiliated is up to you and the shop owner. With the right owner it can be very flexible, which it sounds like in your case.