Agree with Bob above on some points. DM's should not be slave labor. They also should not be sold a class. They should be selected for it. Skills should be nailed before they are even allowed to start. Excellent skills should be the norm for starting DM.
In the DM class you just do a little polishing of the diamond when it comes to skills. It has already been cut. You don't start with a lump of coal that the diamond comes from.
I personally feel a DM needs to have a tech class or two before getting the DM cert. Even if it's an Intro to Tech to teach them how to properly plan a dive. Seen a whole bunch of DM's who couldn't plan how to get into the water without serious problems.
And it depends on the agency. I was not allowed to conduct classroom or pool sessions as a DM under PADI. When I crossed over to the YMCA/NAUI (had my choice to do either at the time) my first assignment was to prepare a lecture for the next OW class and after critique by the instructor, deliver it to actual students. As a DMC. Then I had to conduct the swim and skin diving tests and demo what I wanted them to do.
Had to deliver pool side lectures, full classroom lectures, demo skills, and basically be prepared to take over for the instructor at any time. I see instructors now who have a card that says OW Instructor but they can't or are not trusted to teach a class on their own. Why the hell do they have an instructor card? They shouldn't if they don't feel they can or the shop feels they cannot.
I passed my instructor exam on a Sunday. On Wednesday I was given my first group of students and told to teach them to dive. The only other instructions I was given was lock the shop when I left. Then the instructor/owner left. And I felt fully prepared to do it. If I had not I should not have been given a card.
My IDC, if you want to call it that, was 6 + months long. It prepared me to teach by actually teaching. It seems like many IDC's teach people how to pass a damn test. And not how to really teach.
In the DM class you just do a little polishing of the diamond when it comes to skills. It has already been cut. You don't start with a lump of coal that the diamond comes from.
I personally feel a DM needs to have a tech class or two before getting the DM cert. Even if it's an Intro to Tech to teach them how to properly plan a dive. Seen a whole bunch of DM's who couldn't plan how to get into the water without serious problems.
And it depends on the agency. I was not allowed to conduct classroom or pool sessions as a DM under PADI. When I crossed over to the YMCA/NAUI (had my choice to do either at the time) my first assignment was to prepare a lecture for the next OW class and after critique by the instructor, deliver it to actual students. As a DMC. Then I had to conduct the swim and skin diving tests and demo what I wanted them to do.
Had to deliver pool side lectures, full classroom lectures, demo skills, and basically be prepared to take over for the instructor at any time. I see instructors now who have a card that says OW Instructor but they can't or are not trusted to teach a class on their own. Why the hell do they have an instructor card? They shouldn't if they don't feel they can or the shop feels they cannot.
I passed my instructor exam on a Sunday. On Wednesday I was given my first group of students and told to teach them to dive. The only other instructions I was given was lock the shop when I left. Then the instructor/owner left. And I felt fully prepared to do it. If I had not I should not have been given a card.
My IDC, if you want to call it that, was 6 + months long. It prepared me to teach by actually teaching. It seems like many IDC's teach people how to pass a damn test. And not how to really teach.