Instructor certifying agency

[ron63]

HELP!!! I need some logical, and opinionated, reasons for choosing one agency over another for getting instructor certified. I am familiar with NAUI and PADI having been certified by both agencies. I am also somewhat familiar with PDIC as I have a friend that was certified through them. I am retired from the U.S. Army and I am currently a teacher, so I do not need to teach diving to make a living. I love diving and I love teaching so I want to teach others to dive and love diving. Having said that, I may open a dive shop or I may just offer instruction "out of my house." Ideally I would like to open a shop in a couple of years, but that may be just a dream. I would not give up my teaching job. I would like to hear from some of you instructor on here about what you like about your particular agency, also some of the divers that have experience with more than one agency. I am open to ideas and suggestions you may have on agencies so fire away.

Thanks

Ron

BTW - I live in Alabama about three and one-half hours from the Gulf of Mexico, about three hours from Vortex and Morrison Springs, and about two hours from Alabama Blue Water Adventures in Pelham, AL.

 

[cudachaser]

Go with someone you can remain independent and not affiliated with an LDS

 

[SteveDiver]

This is going to be interesting....

Just a FYI- this may open up a debate as there are "some" people on the board that will argue the point that their agency is better than the other. I hope that you receive some mature "solid" advise. Personally, I like NAUI... however, what is the most important is that you interview and find an Instructor that you like whom you feel is competent.

 

[Flatliner]

I am not an instructor, but I would echo what cudachaser said. I regret that my OW certification is with SSI. I would like to teach someday but not as an employee of my LDS. Getting certified as an instructor through SSI would seem to severly limit your options.

Flatliner
aka Robert

 

[jbd]

You will need to research the training philosphy of any and agencies that interest you.
The two agencies that were readily available to me were NAUI and PADI. Like you I had taken courses from both so I had a sense of what the training philosophy for each and also had been exposed to their student materials.

For me, I liked the greater degree of flexibilty that NAUI offered as far as presenting the lessons. I also liked the idea of having the diver recovery skills that NAUI has but PADI doesn't. Both have assisting a tired diver and a few other related skills.

PADI has moved more to prescriptive teaching which is something I personally don't care for, but it does suit a lot people.

NAUI's track to instructor is a little different than PADI's, which suited me better.

Hopefully this will give you some insight to the kinds of things you sholud consider when choosing an agency to work with.

SSI pretty much requires you to be shop affiliated. NAUI, PADI and some of the others allow independent teaching.

I strongly suggest talking to the agencies as much as you can and see which which one matches your personal teaching style/philosophy.

 

[jbd]

I am not an instructor, but I would echo what cudachaser said. I regret that my OW certification is with SSI. I would like to teach someday but not as an employee of my LDS. Getting certified as an instructor through SSI would seem to severly limit your options.

Flatliner
aka Robert

No need to regret your choice for OW cert. At any point along the way you can switch to another agency for your progression to instructor. As mentoned to the OP, if you know you want to teach start researching the agencies and see which one seems to be a match for you. Once you decide, make the switch when you are ready for your next course.

 

[shellbackdiver1]

As an SSI instructor I can clearly see the benefit of being attached to an LDS. Is it not a known fact that divers with there own gear go diving more often? Is it not a known fact that if you have mask that fits your face, a wet suit that fits your body properly and fins and boots that are comfortable your initial diving experience with be greatly enhanced?

Maybe in the US it is different for SSI instructors attached to an LDS. Me, I got a big pool, diving pool all indoors and heated. Dive shop with unlimited amount of gear in every size and model. All that is asked of me is "Greg, just let them know that we will give them 30% off of everything in the store if they want to buy."

Yeah I am shop affiliated. Somebody wants to do a course in a city 2 hours away from me. No problem, I go. I don't need to bring them back to my shop. I only purchase the book from my shop. I can't find anything that actually requires me to bring my student back to the shop.

All this blah blah blah about being attached to an LDS is a bunch of horse hockey. You just need to find the right shop.

 

[jbd]

As an SSI instructor I can clearly see the benefit of being attached to an LDS.

What you found is a situation that suits you, which is good. The OP specifically indicated that he wanted to teach independently at some point. While it is possible with SSI to teach "from home" so to speak, its generally not as easy as dealing with NAUI or PADI or some of the others.

The key is to find the agency that reasonably matches your own personal preferences.

 

[tedwhiteva]

While I agree with JBD about the advantages of NAUI over PADI as far as instructional style, don't forget you're going to be a DM (NAUI) or AI(PADI) for a while to observe others. (Or you should). That'll give you a view of the LDS or styles of that agency. And you can cross from AI/DM to Inst in the other agency.

 

[Walter]

It all comes down to your philosophy on teaching.

Do you like to follow a somewhat rigid plan? PADI

Do you like writing your own lesson plans and lectures? NAUI or YMCA

Do you like fast classes with as few skills as possible? PADI

Do you prefer to take more time and teach more skills? NAUI or YMCA

Do you like the ability to add material and make that material required? NAUI or YMCA