According to PADI standards, a PADI technical instructor cannot instruct PADI technical diving courses with students using sidemount, unless they are also either a recreational sidemount instructor or a TEC sidemount instructor.
If the student is diving in a sidemount configuration and the instructor is also a TEC sidemount instructor, the instructor can introduce additional skills pertinent to sidemount diving. The instructor can then simultaneously issue both a TEC certification and a TEC sidemount diver certification.
In 2018 I embarrassed myself while discussing this matter with my TEC sidemount instructor trainer. I forgot that he was the one who actually wrote the manual.
If the student is diving in a sidemount configuration and the instructor is also a TEC sidemount instructor, the instructor can introduce additional skills pertinent to sidemount diving. The instructor can then simultaneously issue both a TEC certification and a TEC sidemount diver certification.
In 2018 I embarrassed myself while discussing this matter with my TEC sidemount instructor trainer. I forgot that he was the one who actually wrote the manual.