Difference between agency IDCs

[Jim Lapenta]

My IDC (if you want to call it that) was about 6 months long. We learned to teach by actually teaching real students. At the end of that time 3 of us took the 4 day instructor exam. Everyone had a different style, different lectures, and taught skills in different orders according to the experience we had up until that point with actual students.
We all came out of it with instructor cards. We all met the standards and passed the exams. Our OW portion was done in a 55 degree quarry in the rain with about 10 ft of vis. It was a blast. My two "students" for the OW guided dive portion were an instructor with about 20 years teaching and an instructor trainer with 25 or so I think. They were intentionally a hot mess as divers and buddies. It was blast!

 

[CptTightPants21]

My IDC (if you want to call it that) was about 6 months long. We learned to teach by actually teaching real students. At the end of that time 3 of us took the 4 day instructor exam. Everyone had a different style, different lectures, and taught skills in different orders according to the experience we had up until that point with actual students.
We all came out of it with instructor cards. We all met the standards and passed the exams. Our OW portion was done in a 55 degree quarry in the rain with about 10 ft of vis. It was a blast. My two "students" for the OW guided dive portion were an instructor with about 20 years teaching and an instructor trainer with 25 or so I think. They were intentionally a hot mess as divers and buddies. It was blast!

That sounds like fun.

6 months is a little on the fast side from my experience. What was the breakdown of your 6 month? How many students, hours per week, etc did you put in?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I had 250 dives in and had just completed intro to tech and Helitrox certs through naui. I'd been a dm for a year through padi. As a dm I assisted 2 different instructors with about 75 students. Jr ow through rescue. When I did the crossover to naui/ymca dm assistant instructor as part of the 6 months I team taught and assisted with about 50 students. Again jr ow through rescue. As a naui/ymca dm-ai we were required to prepare and give lectures (no scripts ), conduct pool sessions, and lead checkouts under instructor supervision. 5 days after my instructor exam and all the paperwork was processed I was assigned my own students and expected to take them through the cert without any help from the IT that owned the shop and certed me. Which was no big deal as I'd effectively been teaching for months.

 

[ScubaDocER]

Hello Max,

You ask a very good question but it can be difficult to answer without knowing what is involved in the Instructor certification process for the various other agencies. Hopefully others will chime in on the process from their respective agencies. I shall try to answer the question from NAUIs perspective.

In order to enter any NAUI leadership training course one must complete NAUIs
FIT (Familiarization-Instruction-Testing) program.

The prerequisites for entering the FIT program include being:

1. Certified as a NAUI Scuba Diver or the equivalent.
2. Certification as a NAUI Rescue Scuba Diver or the
equivalent.
3. Certified as a NAUI Nitrox Diver or equivalent.
4. Certified as a NAUI Master Scuba diver or equivalent.
5. Certified in NAUI First Aid for Dive Professionals or
equivalent.
6. Certified in NAUI Oxygen Provider or equivalent.

The program is designed to prepare leadership candidates to successfully complete the leadership course.
It covers a multitude of concepts including, dive physics, dive physiology, decompression theory, dive tables, in water skills, teaching skills including presentations, and an evaluation process.

Passage of the program allows entry into the leadership course.

The Instructor Training Course (ITC) is divided into the Instructor Training Program (ITP) and the Instructor Qualification Program (IQP).

The ITP is the meat and potatoes of the course. That is where you will receive in depth lectures over the information covered in the FIT program as well as a few other concepts. Your presentation skills, in water demonstration skills, knowledge of NAUI and its credo, as well as teaching skills will be evaluated and improved upon as needed. This can be done by either an Instructor Trainer (IT) or a Course Director (CD).

The IQP is the evaluation process that is done by a Course Director. This is typically your final evaluation before being signed off as an Instructor.

Some ITCs are more intense than others. It is up to the IT or CD. The intent is to produce the most qualified and competent person possible to train future divers.

I cannot speak for the training process of other agencies, but if done properly, a NAUI ITC can produce an outstanding dive leader.

 

[SeaCobra]

THE NAUI FIT is largely a diagnostic tool as well. It will identify a candidates strengths and weaknesses and help prepare for the challenges of Leadership training.