NASE, NAUI, SDI, RAID, and PSS why don't you want new instructors?

[paultoomer]

Hi everyone,

What an incfredible conversation this has turned into.
It is so incredibly encouraging and nice to see everyone rally around to help a fellow diver/professional.
Not one comment that could even remotely be considered aggressive. Just really good discussion.

It is conversations like this that allow companies (in any sector) to understand where they are failing and then fix it.
I do not believe you can ever get it 100% right, but you can say sorry and get it fixed.
And it is so nice seeing mentions from everyone that I have met and spoken to at DEMA.
I was, like many of us, super sad not to go DEMA. That is one show that I look forward to attending so very much.

My email is in my initial response to Viking (am I allowed to mention you by name on here?) and it is always monitored by me (of course, ha ha).
In these trying times, my job as president of RAID is to try and help as much as possible, so if you are not having any luck with a response from RAID, email me immediately please. I'm just a diver/instructor like everyone else right.

Thank you again, everyone and I hope to meet you all face to face (again) in the near future.

P

 

[VikingDives]

@VikingDives

An instructor mate of mine has had a brilliant experience crossing over to RAID while living in a fairly remote part of the Middle East so I think your initial experience was an exception rather than the norm.

I crossed over to RAID and could not be happier about the experience and with RAID as an organization.

As for @paultoomer , what a great guy. He came here to sort out an issue with his training organization and I believe that says a lot.

I personally have messaged Paul on FB and thanked him for RAID, sorting out an issue I had and allowing me to become part of the RAID family. That conversation led to us discussing a shared taste in music. I don't know if I would have had that experience with other organizations.

I am not bashing any of them as I was an SNSI instructor as well as a PADI instructor. I feel there is an organization for everyone and the one that suits me is RAID.

Good luck and I look forward to reading about where you end up and your experience with the crossover.

Hi everyone,

What an incfredible conversation this has turned into.
It is so incredibly encouraging and nice to see everyone rally around to help a fellow diver/professional.
Not one comment that could even remotely be considered aggressive. Just really good discussion.

It is conversations like this that allow companies (in any sector) to understand where they are failing and then fix it.
I do not believe you can ever get it 100% right, but you can say sorry and get it fixed.
And it is so nice seeing mentions from everyone that I have met and spoken to at DEMA.
I was, like many of us, super sad not to go DEMA. That is one show that I look forward to attending so very much.

My email is in my initial response to Viking (am I allowed to mention you by name on here?) and it is always monitored by me (of course, ha ha).
In these trying times, my job as president of RAID is to try and help as much as possible, so if you are not having any luck with a response from RAID, email me immediately please. I'm just a diver/instructor like everyone else right.

Thank you again, everyone and I hope to meet you all face to face (again) in the near future.

P

I've got to agree with everything that's been posted above. Paul and I have emailed, and he's put me in constant with the right people. I'm very impressed.

As I said to Paul in our email, I'd read that RAID was "like GUE, but without DIR," but everything I've seen shows they are doing it right.

I'm not sure I'll be able to drag my shop to them, but as an instructor, I'd feel confident that I'd aligned with a quality organization if I were affiliated with them.

Paul's made every effort to make things right, and has been humble and genuine throughout. I can see why raid has so many instructor advocates. It's a quality organization from the top down.

 

[VikingDives]

I feel like I should end this thread with a summary of the responses I've gotten and how I make my decision on re whom I'm always with:

RAID: Paul et. al. were awesome with information and help. Were I running a dive center I'd have affiliated with them. Hands down.

NASE: I finally got some response, but it was minimal, and inadequate.

PSS: just a bit responded.

NAUI: @BurhanMuntasser put me in contact with NAUI's folks, but after an initial email, there was no response to my questions.

SDI: thanks to @Scott, I was able to get someone to respond. Based on price, support and reputation, I've chosen them to move forward as an independent instructor.

Overall, they were the best fit for me, though I've recommended my dive center consider RAID...