Instructor Requirements- continued...

[padiscubapro]

WOW, my instructor program usually takes 10 to 12 days and then the two day exam. I cant imagine how anyone can teach a three day instructor course, no matter what the pre requisites are.

By the time they reach this point they have had MUCH more training than the average instructor.. They have been working as a teaching assistent and teaching lessons for at a minimum of FOUR months usually longer, The AI and the Dms aren't dive slaves they are truely part of the teaching process..

the Last 3 days (or more depending on the individual) are really work to polish off the AI and to do a complete evaluation, note I sad final instructor coarse..The whole Dm / AI programs are really lead to being an instructor. Anyone wanting to do an AI is really someone who wants to teach. This is a necessary rating, unlike most othe rprograms which aloow dms to take an instructor class (pass an exam)then teach.. If a few skills are evaluarted at these exams its alot.. The AI internship way requires several complet programs at a minimum with everything from the entire OW program being evailuated more than once. This is usually done in very small groups or one on one..

On the "final evaluation" There is no guarantee that a rating will be awarded even a provisional rating (and there really isnt a fail either), the diver may be sent back for further internship.
Remember ALL ANDI instructors MUST be affiliated and teach through an ANDI facility (there are no independent instructors). No one is allowed to teach unless they are truely ready.. ANDI can make a claim that NO OTHER international agency can claim.. There has never been a claim against ANDI or ANy of its instructors (andi started in 1988)..No other agency is even close.
I am still a PADI instructor (and teach an occasional class here and there to stay current with PADI) and I went though the IDC/IE when things were alot harder than they are today.. The instructor really had to teach and write lesson pnans not just show videos and do some fill in work.. The skills I passed my IE with I would probably wouldn't even award an AI rating with ANDI..
I have worked with PADI IDC staff instructors that needed work before they met our standards. I am not saying we are the best, just that we only want selected individuals teaching our programs..
ANDI's programs are very lecture driven and cannot be done in a few days like other programs.. We belive instructor contact is the most imortant not having a person watch a viodeo or run a computer training program.. The ANDI OW system is more of an evolution of many NASDS philosophies plus our own additions. (BTW the ANDI OW rating is a 100fsw rating and a high percentage also come away with a nitrox rating as well)

 

[Walter]

this sounds like you are saying that if we fail half of them, then we will reduce the dropout rates of certified divers.

It doesn't sound like that at all. The type of training he's discussing doesn't fail half of them. In fact, it makes the training easier and more likely to be completed by the weaker students.

 

[hammerhead45]

Logged dives,the standards should be changed to underwater hours instead.

 

[rockjock3]

Logged dives,the standards should be changed to underwater hours instead.

You do realize of course this thread was last posted December of 2004?

 

[plwtwo]

Well, I've got less than 200 DIVES, I've dove Hawaii; did the Speigal Grove in 12 ft seas (twice) with a current so strong it was hard to hang on to the wreck; did Sub 50 degree water; 130 ft numerous times in all temp water; Have multiple 1 hr dives and I've also did EVERY (Regular) Specialty Padi has (except Video),and I am an Instructor! I have I seen it all? No, but I've seen a lot, did a lot, and My CD and INS taught me how to make good divers....I Have twice as much Trained experience then a lot of Instructors who have been doing it a lot longer.eyebrow

 

[Brit_medic]

Interesting what plwtwo says about having less than 200 dives but has got experience of different conditions. I personally believe that in the UK 200 dives or less is the minimum and that you can't buy experience. As a PADI diver I have seen people getting wet for a minimum amount of time to get their dive log upto the necessary 100 dives mark. I think this is a negative aspect of the PADI system and that an experience of different diving conditions should come into it. So many instructors have little experience of varying conditions but have the ticket to teach.

 

[Santa]

Personally I think that for OW and AOW I'd be satisfied with any instructor who

- Understands what he is teaching, and more.
- Understands what teaching is.
- Cares whether his students honestly understand as well, and I'm not talking about correcting the knowledge reviews.
- Provides his students with a sense of the reality of diving, their own limitations and how to plan and approach new stuff in a sensible way.
- Teaches good diving practice based on reasonable personal experience.
- Is fit to dive, in control of more than his own situation and diving on a regular basis.
- Is practical, action-oriented and knows more than one way to approach a problem.
- Alert and attentive to the physical and psychological needs of his students - and reasonably calm about it.
- At home in the environment he is teaching in and knowing relevant tecniques and procedures.
- Conscious of the overall framework.

I don't believe these characteristics are necessarily functions of a million zillion dives or teaching sessions.

I'm a teacher myself, although not of diving, and have taught all ages and literally all manner of people through the years and "buddied" with teachers of varying experience. Experience is always good, and some experience definitely required, but sound planning, understanding the circumstances, the needs of the students and the ability to communicate clearly will take anyone a long way. Some people just have a natural understanding of these things and some will likely never learn. To me it's very much about how conscious you are of what goes on around you and what you mean to do about it.

 

[tracker]

I have a goal to be a shop owner and instructor. I just couldn't feel comfortable teaching if I cheated. A rigid test of skills, not number of dives.

 

[Scuba-Do]

Okay, I admit that:
A) I have not read every message in this thread (so this may have already been mentioned) and
B) I am a newbie to diving (so I don't pretend to understand all of the pressures, requirements and responsibilities associated with becoming an instructor).

That being said, perhaps a different model might resolve some of the challenges that have been mentioned. I am currently preparing to test for my black belt. At this test I will be required to prove my competency in a number of different areas to a board of other black belts. If I am not able to demonstrate this competency, I will fail my test and be required to test again (btw, the cost of my test is $500, part of which off-sets the cost of bringing in black belts other than my instructor to evaluate my skills). Some of the preparations for this test are time-based, some are competency-based, but ultimately, I am not recommended for the test until my instructor has said that I am ready. A failure on my part to pass the test reflects poorly not only on myself, but also upon my instructor (he should not have recommended me if I was not ready). This does not entirely eliminate the "factory" aspect, but it does help minimize it.

 

[plwtwo]

Unfortunatly, there are a few Training centers out there that wouldn't adhere to anything like that. These few are in it for the money and sheer numbers not to produce good instructors. Fortunatly, bad Instructors get weeded out over time!