Some Questions to Ask When Choosing an Instructor

[Vanpuppy]

Most everyone who has asked the age old question of which cetifying agency should they go with has been told it's not the agency it's the instructor at least once. No truer words have been spoken but how does a person looking to get certified find out if the instructor is right for them. I came up with a few questions based on my bservations and experiences that may help you on the way to choosing an Instructor

1. How many dives has the instructor made themselves?
SCUBA is like anything else, the more you do it the better you tend to be. Most certifiying agencies require a minimum amount of dives before a person can become a certified instructor. NAUI requires it's instrucors to have a minimum of 50 dives, both PADI and YMCA require a minimum of 100 dives for their instructors. SSI and IDEA did not list their requirements on their web page. The above numbers are from each agencies web sites.

2. How many peple has the instructor certified?
The number of students a person has certified isn't a definite indicator of their ability to teach, however, this information can help you determine whether this person is right for you. The more experienced instructors tend to have developed teaching styles that have been proven on a variety of students.

3. How large is the average class size?
Knowing class size is important because that will give you an indication of how much one on one time if any you will receive.

4. What happens if I am not catching on as quickly as others?
People learn at different paces and for some it may take a little more time in the pool before they are ready to do their check out dives. Most good instructors are willing to spend the extra time needed to help a student work through problems. Do not however expect additional time outside of the class to be free.

5. Why should I learn to SCUBA dive with you and your shop/agency?
This question forces the instructor to provide you with reasons why you should place your money, trust and safety in their hands. If an instructor can't provide you a convincing answer to this question then they may not be th one for you.

These are just a few basic questions that I hope will help you find the right instructor for your needs. Being a SCUBA Mutt and having certifications from multiple agencies I can tell you that it is most definitely all about the Instrctor and you and not about the agency.

Good Luck!!
Vanpuppy

 

[Quarrior]

I'd like to add a question or two if I might be sold bold.

Of the total dives you have, how many have been outside a class environment?

When was the last time you went diving just for fun?

 

[MoonWrasse]

I'd ask if they had ever failed to certify a student, and I'd ask why.
I've found this to be really telling about the instructor.

 

[frogoutofwater]

Here are a couple of questions, based either on my own experience with SCUBA teachers or based on interviewing organisations I want to join:

1) Have you ever/how often do you recommend that a student do an extra dive or two before you certify him or her? (e.g. not refusing to certify a student, but making them do more before you certify them?) What are the typical reasons? What was the result?

2) What do you enjoy the most about diving? What do you like the least?

3) What do you enjoy the most about teaching? What is the most difficult aspect of teaching, or what do you like least about teaching?

(For questions 2 and 3, watch their body language. Do their eyes light up when they talk about diving and teaching? Do they say negative or rude things about people? Are they constructive or negative? Do they say anything that suggests that they take too much risk, that they're not very careful?)

 

[Laser]

I'd like to add a question or two if I might be sold bold.

Of the total dives you have, how many have been outside a class environment?

When was the last time you went diving just for fun?

This is a big one. If all the dives are training dives then they are lacking in " real world " diving experience. Especially important in the technical diving realm.

 

[Vanpuppy]

While looking for a Trimix instructor recently I found a local person that was willing to teach me at a great rate. It was only aftter asking some probing questions that I found he makes the majority of his money creating and hosting porn sites. To me personally that was a red flag to find another instructor. Irregardless of his abilities or price it was not a good match for me. Furthermore knowing this I would not be comfortable having this person teaching open water to my wife, or family. So make sure when you are asking questions that you ask a few that give you some insight about the instructor as a person.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Here's a great post by Walter (first reply to thread originator) from a couple of years ago that also deals with questions to ask a potential instructor.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Walter]

2. How many peple has the instructor certified?
The number of students a person has certified isn't a definite indicator of their ability to teach, however, this information can help you determine whether this person is right for you. The more experienced instructors tend to have developed teaching styles that have been proven on a variety of students.

3. How large is the average class size?
Knowing class size is important because that will give you an indication of how much one on one time if any you will receive.

Interesting. It seems you prefer instructors who keep class size down, yet somehow are able certify lots of students. How do they accomplish this? Perhaps with a c-card mill - crank 'em out as fast as possible, cut corners and get 'em through?

I suspect total number of students certified is not a very good criteria for choosing an instructor, unless it's used to weed out those with large numbers (when considering the time they've been teaching).

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Walters thread is a good one.

I suggest students watch me teach, I'll let them observe me in the class for one session and in the pool once.

 

[craborn]

I agree. I think word of mouth if great. My college classes are growing from word of mouth. Clay