So what do you do? - PADI QA

[Joe-Diver]

....I've also had to learn things the hard way in some of life's little lessons and sometimes the price we pay is, or at least feels pretty harsh, but we'll not easily make the same mistakes again ....

Some days you're the windshield....some days you're the bug.

 

[RJP]

In addition to that if the course is done half decently they'll be assisting real students as part of course so having access to the manual with the OW course skills, explanations, standards and etc i'd say is pretty vital.
Not sure how you can train for an assistant role if you don't have the actual materials needed to know what you're meant to be helping teach.
Im also not sure who would enrol on a course and not be totally familiar with the standards so they know exactly what is required of them.

Yup - that's exactly the premise that the program I went through was based on.

 

[Melicertes]

Some days you're the windshield....some days you're the bug.

I sometimes think I've been more bug than windshield but yes that's the general idea. I'm a little bit stubborn most of the time and it sometimes takes being windshielded twice before I figure out there's an easier way of dealing with something.