SSI does allow quite a bit of flexibility in how its instructors meet standards. As an SSI instructor you can tailor your course to meet pretty much any situation in the way that's best for you and your students.
SSI requires that its instructors be affiliated with an SSI dealer, whose responsibility is to provide its instructors with training materials, administrative support and quality control. As an instructor (not a dealer) I find this system to be sound in its support of my needs as an instructor as well as the best system in the industry at assuring quality instruction from those representing SSI. While many outside the SSI system feel that shop affiliation is confining somehow, I think this is largely due to their not understanding just how it works. For example, if I want to be an independent instructor, I can do so I just get my materials through my affiliating shop, and the shop processes any paperwork (C-cards & such) for me. The dealer is also responsible for monitoring my training and submitting an annual report to SSI that Im meeting standards. Just how we accomplish that goal is up to us. Some chafe at this monitoring of their work, but I would ask why? of any instructor who feels routine agency monitoring isnt appropriate and necessary. The day I feel my instructional performance is above critical scrutiny, evaluation and subsequent improvement and modification is the day I need to quit instructing.
To put that opinion in perspective, between flying and diving, I have been a professional instructor (and instructor evaluator) for 36 years, and yet I continue to learn better ways to do things with every student, and from my fellow instructors.
I like SSI.
Rick