Instructor training

[shooternick]

Hi, i am new to this forum so be gentle with me please, i am already a advanced diver but wanting to progress to instructor level.
First of all is it worth taking an internship, say in thailand, to get me to the required level or have you any other suggestions. i dont mind taking 3 months out to accomplish this. In thailand the whole package including accommodation costs about £5500 with no hidden extras. Your views would be welcomed thanks.

 

[tstormdiver]

The first thing I & a lot of other people here will suggest to you is to get experience & lots of it. Get it many different environments. Warm water, cold water, clear water, murky water, currents, calm water,........

I'm personally wary of the 0- hero programs. Yes, while they do cover the very bottom denominator of what the agencies call for, there is usually a general lack of overall experience. Would you want an instructor who has very little experience teaching you? Or a loved one?

I am in no way trying to discourage you. A newer diver's enthusiasm is to be applauded & encouraged, but please take your time, get in many, many dives in as many different environments as you can. Then, once your reach Dive Master Level, work with instructors with their students. Even better, work with several different instructors & get a feel of different teaching styles. By doing this you will be doing a great service to the sport, your future students & yourself.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I completely agree with tstormdiver, and when the two of us agree on something, you know it's the right thing. I think you should go on now and do the rescue diver class. Also, do emergency first responder as soon as yo have the time (it's needed as part of proper rescue training). Then, GO DIVING! Go diving often. Go diving in varied locations and conditions. Learn about how conditions impact equipment selection and how both affect proper weighting and buoyancy. Become a master of control of yourself in the water through peak buoyancy control. Then do a Divemaster program. It will take a while, but if you have "real" experience you will get so much more out of it. I personally recommend you start the DM program with 100 or close to 100 logged dives in your resume. And then, once you have completed the Divemaster course, assist with a few training sessions in open water, as tstromdiver suggests as well. Then, if you want to just finish to instructor, I think going to a concentrated program rather where you do it all in 10 days to 2 weeks, is just fine. Dive leader, dive teacher. Those are more than titles. There is more to being a Dive Master or Instructor than just wearing the cool hat. I suspect that you will be an excellent dive leader and dive teacher one day. Grow into both roles.
DivemasterDennis

 

[fisheater]

In addition, you learn to teach in the environment in which you plan to teach.

How well will your training in Thailand prepare you to teach in English waters?


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[MXGratefulDiver]

The major problem with those programs is that they make you "book smart", but without experience you still lack understanding. Without exception, the "zero-to-hero" instructors I've met were horrible ... they were what I'd call "checklist instructors" ... take them out of their comfort zone and they're a deer in the headlights. Some eventually came to be good instructors ... but it took a couple of years, and I wouldn't have wanted to be one of their early students.

You can't teach what you don't know ... and you don't learn diving in a classroom ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DCBC]

I agree with the other comments that have already been made. Keep in-mind that not all DM/Instructor/internships are created equal. I've run a full-time 12 month program with the major focus on the prospective instructor acquiring key skill-sets and practical experience. It included a variety of diving environments, as well as: compressor operation/maintenance, equipment repair, vessel operation/piloting (16', 40' 66'), small engine repair (taught in-conjunction with a community college) and a number of instructor specialties (deep, ice, wreck, etc.). It also included certification with three diving instructor agencies and an Instructor rating with the Red Cross (First-aid/CPR). If you carefully evaluate each program, I believe you will find obvious differences. Good luck with your diving education!

Hi, i am new to this forum so be gentle with me please, i am already a advanced diver but wanting to progress to instructor level.
First of all is it worth taking an internship, say in thailand, to get me to the required level or have you any other suggestions. i dont mind taking 3 months out to accomplish this. In thailand the whole package including accommodation costs about £5500 with no hidden extras. Your views would be welcomed thanks.

 

[shooternick]

Thanks for your valued replies,i have never dived in the uk, nor do i intend to. I am aiming at instructing overseas maybe thailand/maldives etc with a serious view to relocating abroad. I am not intending to make lots of money at this venture, i see this as putting something back in to the community while having a relatively nice lifestyle. I do realise there is no substitute for hands on experience and i am aware this should and will be a slow process, i am prepared to put the effort in and get some more dives under my belt before i jump in at the deep end so to speak ! Thanks again

 

[Doppler]

Thanks for your valued replies,i have never dived in the uk, nor do i intend to. I am aiming at instructing overseas maybe thailand/maldives etc with a serious view to relocating abroad. I am not intending to make lots of money at this venture, i see this as putting something back in to the community while having a relatively nice lifestyle. I do realise there is no substitute for hands on experience and i am aware this should and will be a slow process, i am prepared to put the effort in and get some more dives under my belt before i jump in at the deep end so to speak ! Thanks again

You CAN be certified as an instructor in three months... or less. But be aware, you are on the very bottom rung. An OW instructor is not a valuable commodity since there are literally thousands of folks in Asia and other spots willing to work for a lifestyle choice and very little else.

If you really want to do the thing right, approach it like any other business/career decision and work out what you can bring to the job that is going to add to your value. One of the first things I suggest to a punter in your position is learn a second or third language and get some business-related skills... marketing, accounting, boat captain, whatever. In addition, take the time to study what goes into teaching, learning and the design and delivery of curriculum.

Teaching scuba diving professionally should be more than a passing fad... which I am sure does not describe you; however, it does unfortunately define so very many "instructors" working the cattle boats in Thailand, the Maldives, etc.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Check out Blue Planet or Scubafish for Thailand IDCs...

Also worth checking out is Thresher Shark Divers in the Philippines...

 

[Simon-]

Hi, i am new to this forum so be gentle with me please, i am already a advanced diver but wanting to progress to instructor level.

Sorry, you are not an advanced diver with 25-49 dives. You may be an Advanced Open Water diver, but that isn't advanced. Lots to learn, so take your time to learn it.

You CAN be certified as an instructor in three months... or less. But be aware, you are on the very bottom rung. An OW instructor is not a valuable commodity since there are literally thousands of folks in Asia and other spots willing to work for a lifestyle choice and very little else

Which agency will let you certify as an instructor in 3 months? Or do you mean a 3 month DM to Instructor?