Doing my IDC

[ling]

Hi peeps,I'll be doing my IDC in july and then my Dive instructor course.I would appreciate feedbacks on to how useful the instructor certification is if i don't plan to persue a career in diving and rather just do it recreationally.And is it worth the money to have it renewed yr after yr.

 

[Diversauras]

Now that is a really good question Ling, and I would say yes but it really depends on your attitude. The course will probably teach you how much more there is to learn, and once you get past that and into the "I will learn continually" mode you will do just fine.

I do not teach diving for a living and I doubt I have ever broken even let alone profited financially, but I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. If you are not in the US and do not teach US citizens then your insurance fees should be way less than ours are, and it is the insurance that is more expensive than the dues.

Good luck, between now and the course dive all you can, but yes, at least in one instructor's opinion, it is worth it.

 

[Doc]

Hi peeps,I'll be doing my IDC in july and then my Dive instructor course.I would appreciate feedbacks on to how useful the instructor certification is if i don't plan to persue a career in diving and rather just do it recreationally.And is it worth the money to have it renewed yr after yr.

It is absolutely worth it, for the purely academic pursuit. You will learn all you need to know on the path through DM, doing the Rescue and First Aid portions, as well.

After that, the AI and OWSI are merely a recap- plus a refinement of demonstration skills, not much more. If you do the DM, immediately proceed to AI/OWSI because all of the material is in your head, there's nothing more to learn... just learning "how to teach" is the goal of the IDC.

If you do attain OWSI, is it worth the money for renewal? Do you mean paying the insurance to mainatin "current teaching status"... just to not teach? The obvious answer is, no.

 

[scubagirl15]

Hi peeps,I'll be doing my IDC in july and then my Dive instructor course.I would appreciate feedbacks on to how useful the instructor certification is if i don't plan to persue a career in diving and rather just do it recreationally.And is it worth the money to have it renewed yr after yr.

What do you mean by not pursuing a career in diving? Not teach at all or teach only part time?

The IDC is not an inexpensive course. The IE itself is an additional cost. If you don't plan on teaching at all, you need to ask yourself what you hope to gain from doing an IDC/IE.

Renewing your status every year is a few hundred dollars. What's it worth to you has everything to do with the answer to the question above, namely: what are you expecting to gain doing the instructor course/getting the instructor rating.

FWIS, if you have no plans to instruct, even on a part time basis, I would suspect you're better off re-directing the money towards good ol' dive trips. If you're looking for more con ed beyond the DM course, a dive club with seriously committed divers will give you the practice and experience to refine your diving skills.

 

[dlndavid]

Hi Ling,
Where you been hiding?

 

[SubMariner]

Hi peeps,I'll be doing my IDC in july and then my Dive instructor course.I would appreciate feedbacks on to how useful the instructor certification is if i don't plan to persue a career in diving and rather just do it recreationally.And is it worth the money to have it renewed yr after yr.

There have been a few students we had who, after going through the IDC with us, successfully completed their IE and never taught a course. Others couldn't wait to teach. It's a very personal thing. Very rarely does making money or "is it worth the money" ever enter into the equation.

Once you become an Instructor you CAN renew your membership, but decline insurance, in which case you'd be in non-teaching status. The membership is actually the LEAST expensive part of the package: the liability insurance is the killer (at least that's the case here in the US).

If you decided to teach, you could pick up insurance at that point. The key is actually to renew your membership; if you are out of the loop for too long and decide you DO want to teach or renew your membership, you'd have go though the IDC again, if not the IE.

In the end you have to ask yourself "Why do I want to be an Instructor".

 

[ling]

Thanks peeps.I've made up my mind and will be starting my my AI soon and i'll be doing my idc and ie in oct in phuket....wish me luck!!