PADI Instructor - Have to be affiliated with Dive Center?

[ff404]

I am about to start the assistant instructor program while I am working as a contractor overseas, and will probably also go to Thailand or somewhere else to finish the OWI program. I am a Firefighter/Paramedic by trade, and my plan when I get back home is to do underwater work (recovery, pool & pond work, etc.) along with Instruction when I get back to Oklahoma. This will just be as a side income to supplement my addictions to traveling all over the world and to diving.

The question I have is relatively simple. Once I have completed the IDC/IE, and have received my Open Water Instructor, in order to teach, do I have to be affiliated with a Dive Center? I understand that I will have to have insurance and everything else, but do I have to actually work for a Dive shop or am I allowed to teach classes as soon as I finish the IDC?

The second part of this question is, if you have to be affiliated with a dive center, what does PADI consider a Dive Center? I will obviously have a legal business license and insurance, and will also obviously have to purchase rental equipment along with everything else that goes along with it. Does this qualify as a Dive Center?

Any information anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!

Matt Green

 

[300bar]

long answer short,No.

Only SSI afaik need to be affiliated.
As a PADI OWSI you can teach when ever and where ever you want to.
Even out of the booth of you car.

 

[pafindr]

I don't know if it has changed but I learned from a master instructor that did everything out of his house.
He had, I think it was, 8 gear setups for students and used his own pool.
We drove the students to the beach and used a local dive boat for our dives.

 

[WVMike]

long answer short,No.

As a PADI OWSI you can teach when ever and where ever you want to.

Yep, as an independant instructor you can start right out of IDC, as long as you pass IE.

But the logistics can be a nightmare, you need a classroom, pool, gear and air for everyone. The pool can be hard to find, especially one big enough to use. Hauling and having enough tanks for check outs can get tough as well.

 

[The Kraken]

Well said, Mike.

It can be a challenge.

the K

 

[ff404]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I hope that my original post didn't make it sound like I was intending to be a "fly-by-night" operation or anything like that because those are most definitely not my intentions. Just trying to do enough research to get a plan figured out. The beautiful thing about doing the contracting thing for a year or two is the money will facilitate being able to build a pool and stuff specifically for dive training, which is the next part of my research. Once the pool is built it will be easy enough to build a building around it and including a classroom and everything else necessary.

Again, thank you all very much for the information. If you have any other input, comments, ideas, etc. I would greatly appreciate all of it!

Matt Green

 

[WVMike]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I hope that my original post didn't make it sound like I was intending to be a "fly-by-night" operation or anything like that because those are most definitely not my intentions.

Not at all, I didn't get this impression.

The beautiful thing about doing the contracting thing for a year or two is the money will facilitate being able to build a pool and stuff specifically for dive training, which is the next part of my research. Once the pool is built it will be easy enough to build a building around it and including a classroom and everything else necessary.

Sounds like a great plan, I am jealous. I would love to have my own pool. Plan on making it big and deep.

You will need a compressor right off the bat, once you have the pool.