Various DM Internships

[RU4SKUBA]

The dive centers that have busy DM programmes will only ever see you as another 'sausage' on the production line. They won't even remember your name 2 months after you leave...

The one thing about the "big factories" of dive training is that they actually teach professional candidates how to be teachers, not just how to be a diver. This is not an insignificant difference.

Most small dive shops rarely do IDCs and DM courses, typically spread their pro courses out over a series of months, offer far fewer courses to be involved with, have fewer diving opportunities with less variety, cost more, and tend to be pretty piss-poor with time management.

Personally, I recommend the opposite for pro development. Go to a beautiful diving destination, immerse yourself in the coursework, study hard, and enjoy your time in paradise. For the money it won't cost you much more to travel than stay at home with a 50% tuition markup from LDSs and you'll get to learn from a different teacher with a different perspective.

 

[Divemastersintraining]

interview both online AND in person... It 's the best thing for you...

 

[DevonDiver]

The one thing about the "big factories" of dive training is that they actually teach professional candidates how to be teachers, not just how to be a diver. This is not an insignificant difference.

Most small dive shops rarely do IDCs and DM courses, ........cost more, and tend to be pretty piss-poor with time management.

Absolute poppycock...

Firstly, your point raises a possible advantage of studying DM at an IDC. It is not an arguement for training at a 'sausage factory' huge dive operation. Centre size and IDC status are not linked, nor are they an indication of quality. There are lots of truly excellent IDC centers around the Globe...and generally they offer a far more personal and tailored approach.

The DM course is not an instructor course, so I have no idea why you would state than an IDC centre would train it's DMs to be anything more than divers. That would seem to be confusing the purposes of the courses and could lead to a worse end result. DMs are not teachers. Attaining excellence as a dive leader is far more important at this level than attempting to be some sort of botched quasi-focused less-than instructor....

If a dive center becomes massive then it is for a reason. You don't need an MBA to work out that it is aiming mass-market, rather than bespoke. In most instances, mass-market equals less quality.

 

[RU4SKUBA]

Andy, since it appears you have blind and obtuse loyalty to the small local dive shops, I'm not sure how I could have an intelligent and thoughtful debate with you.

Do you send your kids to a school whose teachers have no education background? Do you go to a restaurant that's empty because they can provide better service? Do you become a teacher or college professor at a local community college?

No, because its counter-intuitive to think this way and contrary to common sense, IMO... but then again I have an education background so I see things differently than, say, a politician or historian with zero comprehension of education.

"The DM course is not an instructor course, so I have no idea why you would state than an IDC centre would train it's DMs to be anything more than divers."

You're right. My above quote should read "...teach professional candidates how to be a dive professional."

But, I would be extremely upset if I attended a DM course that spent valuable time on dive skills for people who showed up unprepared. Anybody taking a professional-level course needs to be fully prepared prior to arriving for the class and little to no time should be wasted on unskilled divers trying to become DMs. Someone who just wishes to become a great diver should just take Fundies if dive skills are all they're after, not Divemaster!

Imagine a university student attempting to become an English teacher when they can barely speak the language or a math teacher that cannot do long division, but they want desperately to teach the subject. Does the instructor change the course objectives to cater to them and screw over the rest of the students who actually do have the ability to be successful? No, not a good one anyway.

What is poppycock: the concept that we should always get trained in our backyard, at a LDS that caters to OW certifications and DSDs, usually charges ridiculous tuition rates, and schedules their pro training over a period of months instead of days or weeks. To me this is a reflection of lazy time-management, poor continuing education philosophy, and inadequate education background.

You want to be an X-Ray Tech you go to a technical college and get certified. You want to teach X-Ray Tech classes to students you go to a university that has the resources to create a polished instructor with an education background. This is not a difficult concept to grasp.

 

[mitsuguy]

Andy, since it appears you have blind and obtuse loyalty to the small local dive shops, I'm not sure how I could have an intelligent and thoughtful debate with you.

Do you send your kids to a school whose teachers have no education background? Do you go to a restaurant that's empty because they can provide better service? Do you become a teacher or college professor at a local community college?

No, because its counter-intuitive to think this way and contrary to common sense, IMO... but then again I have an education background so I see things differently than, say, a politician or historian with zero comprehension of education.

"The DM course is not an instructor course, so I have no idea why you would state than an IDC centre would train it's DMs to be anything more than divers."

I would be extremely upset if I attended a DM course that spent valuable time on dive skills for people who showed up unprepared. Anybody taking a professional-level course needs to be fully prepared prior to arriving for the class and little to no time should be wasted on unskilled divers trying to become DMs. Someone who just wishes to become a great diver should just take Fundies if dive skills are all they're after, not Divemaster!

Imagine a university student attempting to become an English teacher when they can barely speak the language or a math teacher that cannot do long division, but they want desperately to teach the subject. Does the instructor change the course title to cater to them and screw over the rest of the students who actually do have the ability to be successful? No, not a good one anyway.

What is poppycock: the concept that we should always get trained in our backyard, at a LDS that caters to OW certifications and DSDs, charges ridiculous tuition rates, and schedules their pro training over a period of months instead of days or weeks. To me this is a reflection of lazy time-management, poor continuing education philosophy, and inadequate education background.

You want to be an X-Ray Tech you go to a technical college and get certified. You want to teach X-Ray Tech classes to students you go to a university that has the resources to create a polished instructor with an education background. This is not a difficult concept to grasp.

Along these same lines...

My wife and I did our DM course at a LDS in the states - we thought the course was fine, nothing super special or super bad, we learned what we thought we needed to learn and our instructor knew we were on the path towards instructor and he even claimed he was giving us all the extra info we needed for the instructor course later on.

When we arrived in Utila, we got there a month early so we could play. We figured we'd assist with some classes, get some fun dives in, enjoy the island. Our first full day there happened to be the first day of an IDC. We watched the first day of skills and quickly learned we had been taught, but not taught as well as we had thought. We decided to sit in on some of their DM classes and watch a lot the next couple weeks - we learned that we should have done our DM course in Utila (Utila Dive Centre) as we would have been far ahead of where we were.

Looking back on it, had we shown up just a few days ahead of the IDC, I feel we would have had a lot more stress on us to catch up - instead by getting there early and sitting in on their DM courses, we were able to be where we needed to be prior to the start of IDC. Had we just done our DM course in Utila to start, we would have been in the right place to begin and not had to catch up last minute.

In my head, and also, looking back on it from an instructors perspective, what we were told we 5's on skills probably should have been 3's, and a 4 or two... I have my OW students doing skills as good or better than I was shown I needed to be in my DM course...

But I am sure there are some local courses that are great - but none of them will have the variety that some of the larger places are able to offer... there are benefits both ways...

 

[RU4SKUBA]

"My wife and I did our DM course at a LDS in the states - we thought the course was fine, nothing super special or super bad, we learned what we thought we needed to learn and our instructor knew we were on the path towards instructor and he even claimed he was giving us all the extra info we needed for the instructor course later on."

Thank you! That's precisely my point.

In life... 'we don't know what we don't know' and that concept applies equally to dive instruction. An instructor at a LDS doesn't really know their limitations, or they refuse to accept them, and they'll always say their instruction is the best. Same goes for the student.

If someone is truly prepared to become a dive pro, their need for one-on-one remediation should be negligible or non-existent. This is why I always marvel at students who show up for class and receive their books on the first day of class.

How could a candidate possibly be prepared if they haven't even done the required reading? I've been studying for half a year for my IDC next month and will not appreciate it if my IDC becomes a remedial DM class because half the students are unprepared.

 

[jdsolo]

I appreciate all of your comments. It's a very interesting read.

I guess the biggest dilemma that I have is whether to go to Thailand or stay around Central America to do 4-6 months of DM internship. I'm leaning towards Thailand because it seems as if people have an overall better experience there. Although Central America doesn't sound too bad because of the great school houses. It's a tough one!

 

[Bubble Junky]

Thresher Shark Divers on Malapascua in the Philippines offer good intern programmes, with experienced instructors, great facilities and great diving !!!