Would it be the right thing to do?
That's entirely down to individual preference. If you enjoyed your experience with UTD training, then it makes sense to follow that path and see where it leads you.
PADI is very much mass-market diving - quick, cheap and convenient. "It's the way the world learns to dive". It demands relatively little commitment and investment. That suits the majority of recreational divers globally.
UTD is much more niche market; more intensive, more challenging and more focused on developing high-level skills over progressive stages of training. It also demands much more commitment in terms of money and time.
I've trained, and taught, for a bunch of agencies over the years. From a personal perspective, I don't see much difference really. As an instructor, I produce the high quality of divers that I want to produce. I don't find any agency prohibitive of giving excellent training.
Because PADI caters to consumer demand (quick, cheap, easy) it's courses are often taught to a minimum standard.... for minimum cost and duration. However, there are PADI instructors who set their own standards far higher than the minimum.
In contrast, UTD and other niche/specialist/tech-orientated agencies are providing training with the ultimate goal of creating cohesive team-based divers capable of advanced level diving. Their goals dictate a higher baseline... more comprehensive training.... a higher 'bar' in respect to the minimum standards.
Whichever you choose, don't get hung up on agency acronyms, dogmatic philosophies.... and don't let cards and courses go to your head. Niche agencies have a tendency to appeal to the ego... elitism.... especially amongst the novices. Don't fall into that trap.
Worth a read (
even if it's pitched well above your current level):
The Biggest Risk in Technical Diving (and how to avoid it)
If I became an instructor would I be able to be UTD and PADI instructor?
There's no prohibition on becoming an instructor in multiple agencies. In some instances, there
are prohibitions at Instructor-Trainer levels.... but that's a LONG way in the future.
What would the benefits be if I changed?
UTD demand a good standard of fundamental skill development. Core skills like buoyancy, trim, propulsion, situational awareness, team diving, gas management, stringent protocols and equipment standardization. Each course/level undertaken will
actually demand an improvement in diving skill and competency.
As a diver and/or instructor, an agency like UTD will hold you to a higher minimum standard. That's good if you don't have the motivation to set high standards for yourself. In contrast, mass-market agencies won't hold you to those stringent standards. If you aren't motivated or seeking perfection, you can happily opt for mediocrity and low standards.
Some people need external motivation and standards, others have strong internal motivation and gravitate to high standards of their own volition. There's no shame in either... just pick which best suits your psychology.
The drawbacks to an agency like UTD are that you will be limited to
their concepts of equipment configuration, more rigid philosophies/approaches, more expensive training... and you will have to devote more of your free time to skills and drills practice before, during and after training. Courses and required equipment tend to be more expensive (but you tend to get more out of the courses). As you gain more experiences, you might find that the approach can be a little dogmatic. There's a problem with that if you aren't naturally a free-thinker.
Top Tip: If you want to be a decent instructor, become a
great diver first.
The world is saturated (
pun intended) with mediocre instructors who bought into the agency 'pro' marketing junk and rushed to run before they could walk. They aren't great divers, so they don't get much out of it... running around looking for any work they can get, willing to work for peanuts and turning a blind eye to dross courses they are forced to run.
