Become Professional in Thailand?

[DeepBlueResort]

Hi

I own an IDC center and i have seen both sides, people that come to me to do an IDC that have worked as a divemaster for a long time and not bothered to keep up with their theoretical work and have to re learn it all, the IDC teaches you how to teach, it is very important to keep up with changing standards and your theory.

I have had people that do their IDC straight after their divemaster in this case they are usually 'up to speed' on all their theory and standards.

I think it can be done both ways but do please keep up to date, it will make your life much easier for the IDC, if you can arrive with good theory and skill demonstrations your IDC will be so relaxed.

 

[durian]

Hi Durian, my appologies as I just re-read my post and I realise it comes across as very patronising which wasn't my intention. Sounds like you had an excellent instructor, I agree it's deff good if an instructor goes beyond the minimum to help someone become a better diver. I was thinking from a business point of view though that as an instructor you are generally paid per student and if you are taking longer to get students through a course you cut back on your income. I you are teaching in the uk part time for example this may not matter but in thailand it's generally a full time job and you are likely to need to maximise your income.

My instructor was in the US Navy UDT in Viet Nam and had a`leg full of shrapnel so, I am sure he was getting some disability pension and was probably retired. He was a true mentor. He even said I could go out the next day for some pleasure dives, free of charge.

I did my AOW and Rescue with them and they required more than the allotted days. Their dive operation is very big and they are well known in the diving community.

 

[stevenl]

Hi Dorsetboy,

Agree, you want to maximise your income, and the more days you spend with each student, the less days you have to make some more money.
But: in one day you can do exactly what is required, or you can do something more, have your students swim around in the pool, have them do some more exercises to get more comfortable with them, etc. After all, especially with diving, practice makes perfect, and the more time you spend with them in the confined water, the easier and better everything will go in the open water.

And this is one of the things that makes a difference between a good and an average instructor, and between a good and an average DC, where both the instructor and student get the time to do something extra, where the new instructors are being coached by the more experienced ones, where there is an exchange of information between the instructors, etc.

 

[DORSETBOY]

Agree with you Steven, I was thinking though from a commercial point of view when you often find that a dive shop will do a 2 dive morning / 2 dive afternoon split as is generally the case on koh tao. It's difficult to ft in extra dives without crossing over into time allocated for a different course and if you're limited with the amount of equipment, etc it could be v. difficult to extend a course beyond the normal. Agreed you need to have some leeway if someone needs extra help but otherwise it can be hard for an instructor to justify to a shop owner why they're giving what the shop owner would prob see as being a 'free dive' away.

 

[durian]

Agree with you Steven, I was thinking though from a commercial point of view when you often find that a dive shop will do a 2 dive morning / 2 dive afternoon split as is generally the case on koh tao. It's difficult to ft in extra dives without crossing over into time allocated for a different course and if you're limited with the amount of equipment, etc it could be v. difficult to extend a course beyond the normal. Agreed you need to have some leeway if someone needs extra help but otherwise it can be hard for an instructor to justify to a shop owner why they're giving what the shop owner would prob see as being a 'free dive' away.

In both cass, for my AOW an my Rescue,. it was the owner that requested I do extra dives which meant a day or two more, at no extra charge. It is also interesting that this is a very successful dive shop.

 

[DORSETBOY]

In both cass, for my AOW an my Rescue,. it was the owner that requested I do extra dives which meant a day or two more, at no extra charge. It is also interesting that this is a very successful dive shop.

that's a good way of attracting business, however when a business is running at capacity it's v. difficult to extend a course longer than is necessary

 

[akgrown]

i just thought i'd make a quick comment about koh tao. i did both my OW and AOW in a week there and although it was very hurried, i felt that the instructors were all willing to spend extra time (even if it extended class time) to ensure that you not only understood, but were comfortable with the material you were learning. thailand is fantastic...enjoy!

 

[stevenl]

Good to hear that, akgrown, because I really think that's very important.

Dorsetboy, I think it should always be possible to extend a course. Sometimes it is necessary because the students simply need more time, but sometimes spending 1/2 hour extra in the water is enough, just to make students more comfortable with their skills, with their breathing, buoyancey, etc.
And this should be possible with every course, doesn't cost an instructor any money, but is just a matter of commitment from DC and instructor.