Choosing the Right BCD: A Divemaster Trainee's Guide

[DeepThoughts&MixedGas]

It's unclear whether the OP even has an open water cert yet. Perhaps he is jumping the gun a little here?

Hey!
Advanced Open Water (PADI) here and going for the Divemaster/ Instructor.

 

[boulderjohn]

My opinion is that instructors should have similar format gear to their students. To do otherwise could potentially confuse new divers.

Many places teach in BP&W, it doesn't matter what your configuration is as a DM, the shop you eventually teach for should be more than happy to lend you a jacket BCD to match your students when the time comes if it matters.
Get the BP&W

I firmly agree with those who have suggested that the gear you own does not have to be the gear used for instruction. When I taught OW classes for a shop, I handed out the rental gear for the students to use, and I used that same rental gear for myself. I never once used my personal gear for instruction.

That will work for most shops, but not all shops. When the first shop I worked for switched to SSI, they adopted the recommendation of then SSI owner Doug McNeese and required all instructors to purchase exactly the same gear head-to-toe (except for masks), and they were to tell the students they had personally selected those individual items because they were the very best. The real reason was that they offered the best price markup. They were to use that gear whenever they were instructing or whenever they were diving where students might see them. If you get involved with a shop like that, my advice above is void. (I left the shop before I had to make those purchases.)