DIR will end my teaching career.

[GreenDiverDown]

 

[Divesherpa]

Come to Florida and do a few hundred cave dives, then go back to teaching. If you teach through PADI, you can get waivers around most standards. In order to get the waivers (requires resubmitting every year) you simply have to show a better way (with very descriptive wording) and be willing to put in the time to teach this method properly.
Good luck
It's nice to hear that other instructors realize what type of crap they are required to teach.
Cheers

 

[Lost Yooper]

Did you recently take the Fundementals class, Steven?

Mike

 

[GreenDiverDown]

 

[GreenDiverDown]

 

[Lost Yooper]

I would urge you not to give up on teaching, particularly when you see the GUE instructors in action. Being a DIR instructor, you could find yourself in a unique position to put out very good quality students someday and make a bit of difference. I've seen OW DIR work, first hand, to put out truly good quality OW students. It takes a different level of conviction, both on the instructor's part and the student's part, but the end result is what counts.

Good luck,

Mike

 

[Waterlover]

Take everything you learn DIR and non DIR and give your student the best possible class you can. It can be done within existing standards. Raise the quality of your course. Extend the class to give the students more instruction time and practice time. Students buy training; they earn certification. Raise the bar above the minimums. Make sure they earn the certification. They need skill mastery over what is generally accepted now. Charge more for the training. Charge for the hours the student requires to master skills. Those that don't want to take the time to Learn It Right (LIR), you probably don't want to be your student. Be a better instructor. You'll have a line waiting for classes. Word of mouth travels fast. Tell me some of the obstacles?.....Just my $.02

 

[GreenDiverDown]

 

[Genesis]

when family or no, philosophical differences make it impossible to continue with the "family" you have adopted - or were born into.

This does not mean you have to give up what you do.

It means you do have to give up who you associate with, in some cases, if the philosophical issue is important enough to you.

For me, I could never instruct in the current agencies. There are too many corners that are cut in the name of profits and promoting what a particular shop sells for me to be willing to undertake the task.

Call me a curmudgeon or whatever you want, but if I truly feel that something is superior I will not shut up due to a particular employer wanting me to. The way I see it, my duty is not first to them - its to those who I am teaching first, because ultimately my students are my employer.

The name on the check is incidental to who is actually providing the funds, and when there is a conflict of interest the party actually buttering my bread wins every time.

 

[guerosd]

You should see if the folks at FifthD (http://www.fifthd.com) up in Seattle are willing to talk with you about how to create and sell "DIR-style OW" classes (I think SSI is the agency backing it). From talking with those folks they've actually been very successfull in selling this class to new students even though the price is upwards of $400 (to make up for extra time/student).

There is even a LDS here in San Diego thats going to try offering DIR-style OW classes in the near future. I know the owner has purchased several rental Halcyon BP/Wings and regs w/long hose specifically for this. Only time will tell if they can do it in a city full of "super-crowded, weekend express, minimalist instruction, $100 OW classes but I've got my fingers crossed.