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Dual agency PADI and Who would you chose
- Thread starter Dive_aaron
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Multiple instructors I've spoken to who hold SSI and SDI instructor certs. I'm not an expert on either one, just sharing the "reputation" as I've heard presented to me on multiple occasions. Take it or leave it.
ADDITION: It could be complete bunk as well. Just sharing what I've heard. Bottom line is that PADI, SSI and SDI are all strong, solid agencies. SSI seems to really be busting PADI's chops and in another 5-10 years may end up with a solid share of PADI's business. SDI does not seem to be growing at the same rate.
That's primarily why I suggested it for the OP's purposes.
But addressing @tursiops' point, I am assuming a shop can somehow use him for DM'ing or instructing without running afoul of local laws. I have no idea if SSI's shop-centric approach works with the independent contractor dodge that is so common throughout the scuba world.
[edit to add] The OP should probably contact a few shops in areas of interest directly and see what they think.
About 10 years ago a newly minted instructor started a thread in the Instructor to Instructor forum in which he lamented the fact that no one would hire him. How could he get experience and grow if he couldn't get a job?
I posted a simple question--what was his agency? He responded with an barely known agency that he chose because a prolific Scubaboard poster at the time said it was the best. As you might guess, everyone jumped on that. How can you expect to get an instructor job if you're certified by an agency that no local shop uses? If you want to be employed, you have to make yourself employable.
I am pretty sure that new instructor left ScubaBoard soon after that. He probably never saw that the prolific poster who told him to certify with that rarely used agency later crossed over and became an instructor with one of the well-known agencies listed in this thread.
I posted a simple question--what was his agency? He responded with an barely known agency that he chose because a prolific Scubaboard poster at the time said it was the best. As you might guess, everyone jumped on that. How can you expect to get an instructor job if you're certified by an agency that no local shop uses? If you want to be employed, you have to make yourself employable.
I am pretty sure that new instructor left ScubaBoard soon after that. He probably never saw that the prolific poster who told him to certify with that rarely used agency later crossed over and became an instructor with one of the well-known agencies listed in this thread.
If the plan is to be a working dive bum (did it for several years, not knocking it at all), you'll most likely be in one of two positions:
1 - a dive guide that "teaches" all the time, but doesn't actually run any classes. In that case agency is irrelevant, just need to be an instructor.
2 - work at an all inclusive and you do DSDs all day everyday, in which case you probably need to be PADI.
There is also the possibility that you'll be in an instructor mill type area (Roatan, Utila, etc) where there is a lot more teaching up through DM, but those are few and far between (globally), and will probably be PADI.
Learn to service gear, compressors and/or outboard engines, it'll serve you much better than a non-PADI instructor cert ever would. Plus you can work when you are sick and can't clear your ears. A captains license also helps.
1 - a dive guide that "teaches" all the time, but doesn't actually run any classes. In that case agency is irrelevant, just need to be an instructor.
2 - work at an all inclusive and you do DSDs all day everyday, in which case you probably need to be PADI.
There is also the possibility that you'll be in an instructor mill type area (Roatan, Utila, etc) where there is a lot more teaching up through DM, but those are few and far between (globally), and will probably be PADI.
Learn to service gear, compressors and/or outboard engines, it'll serve you much better than a non-PADI instructor cert ever would. Plus you can work when you are sick and can't clear your ears. A captains license also helps.
Speaking of barely known agencies. If you are already an instructor for anyone, you can crossover to IFDI by filling out 5 text boxes and hitting enter. There is no fee. Join IFDI
BTW, if anyone does this, please create a specialty course called "Internet Diver". I'll throw in the $3 for certification registration. Assuming you feel I'm qualified of course.
BTW, if anyone does this, please create a specialty course called "Internet Diver". I'll throw in the $3 for certification registration. Assuming you feel I'm qualified of course.
I would say that at least a third of all ow students I had came to the dive centre (well ok, emailed more likely) and asked to do a PADI, they equated the PADI name with a scuba course.
I'm not even a PADI instructor, and the dive centre had no affiliations with PADI.
Even people who came to the dive centre to do a SDI course preferred doing PADI once they realised that we had a PADI instructor available as well.
It has nothing to do with the quality of instruction, it's all marketing and we can moan all we want but PADI is the biggest name in recreational scuba for the past 30 years for a good reason.
I'm not even a PADI instructor, and the dive centre had no affiliations with PADI.
Even people who came to the dive centre to do a SDI course preferred doing PADI once they realised that we had a PADI instructor available as well.
It has nothing to do with the quality of instruction, it's all marketing and we can moan all we want but PADI is the biggest name in recreational scuba for the past 30 years for a good reason.
Several thoughts:
1. Insurance is likely irrelevant. You're paying one policy as an instructor, not likely two because you have two cards. Either it's on you or it's on the shop, and that'll be agency-independent.
2. I think Tursiops had great advice: Look at what shops are certifying in the region you're going to.
3. I'm suspicious and wouldn't do an agency that didn't allow independent teaching. If nothing else, as a PADI instructor I think a non-PADI shop could let you teach their students, as long as they're aware ahead of time. I'm noting Vicko's comment here as well: Folks will go with the devil they've heard of rather than the one they've never heard of. You can then just run the certifications through your instructor interface with PADI. (There might be cost differences here you'd need to account for, though.) The shop I work with has in the past had courses taught by NAUI instructors, so students left with a NAUI certification. While PADI branding is all over the place, when it comes to courses they're sold as "Open Water" or "Advanced Open Water" not "PADI Open Water."
In terms of teaching overseas, my very limited experience is that some countries are looser on the rules and will turn a blind eye to a foreigner teaching SCUBA without work permits, while others seriously crack down on this.
1. Insurance is likely irrelevant. You're paying one policy as an instructor, not likely two because you have two cards. Either it's on you or it's on the shop, and that'll be agency-independent.
2. I think Tursiops had great advice: Look at what shops are certifying in the region you're going to.
3. I'm suspicious and wouldn't do an agency that didn't allow independent teaching. If nothing else, as a PADI instructor I think a non-PADI shop could let you teach their students, as long as they're aware ahead of time. I'm noting Vicko's comment here as well: Folks will go with the devil they've heard of rather than the one they've never heard of. You can then just run the certifications through your instructor interface with PADI. (There might be cost differences here you'd need to account for, though.) The shop I work with has in the past had courses taught by NAUI instructors, so students left with a NAUI certification. While PADI branding is all over the place, when it comes to courses they're sold as "Open Water" or "Advanced Open Water" not "PADI Open Water."
In terms of teaching overseas, my very limited experience is that some countries are looser on the rules and will turn a blind eye to a foreigner teaching SCUBA without work permits, while others seriously crack down on this.
To be clear....if you are a PADI instructor an SDI shop (for example) might let you teach one of their students but it would be a PADI class you are teaching, not an SDI class. I'd guess this is very unlikely. Aside from the pricing/profit complexity, the shop would get no credits from SDI for that student and that is not to their advantage.
You definitely would not be allowed to teach the student an SDI class.
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