What is up with NAUI Instructor rates?

[jmitch3938]

As with most divers ; you want to progress as far as you can in this hobby/sport or as far as your bank account will allow.. I initially started all my training with NAUI many years ago, and wanting to take it all the way, signed up for the Instructor course at my LDS, and was shocked at the cost of 3300.00 and the books alone were 1500.00. You have to repurchase all the student materials that you already have ( like they really changed anything in the last few years except the pictures ).. SSI was 550.00 for the course, and PADI is about the same..it's easy to see with prices like this why no one is doing Naui anymore and making the conversions to SSI/ SDI..

 

[rstofer]

I'm not an instructor but...

It would seem to me that you should have to have the very latest student texts in order to teach. That they're $1500 seems a bit much but that must include every specialty ever invented.

Wandering around, I certainly see more SSI and PADI shops than NAUI. In fact, I don't know of a single one anywhere around here. I started with NAUI while in Singapore and there weren't all that many shops to choose from. There MAY have been a PADI shop but I don't recall.

I have no concern about the total cost. Suck it up! Diving is an expensive sport. It always has been.

That said, I would carefully review the market in your area. It does little good to have a NAUI credential if all of the shops are associated with PADI. Where do you plan to teach?

Richard

 

[Hallmac]

Maybe you should call around and check prices, something sounds a bit stretched to me.

Did you read this thread?

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/gear-equipment-classifieds/258811-fs-naui-instructor-materials.html

 

[leapfrog]

Hi,

It sounds a bit steep to me and the PADI sounds very cheap. I think you have to see what you are paying for.

A PADI IDC kit with all the books, tables, slates and so on is 400 Euros. IDC Course Directors fees about 850. And the IE is about 600. All in about 2000 Euros which right now would be about 2500 dollars.

I would be interested to hear about why no one is doing NAUI anymore as you say in your post. Is that so? Does anybody have any other evidence to suggest that?

 

[weaserm99]

I just finished my naui instructor course, i didnt pay as much as 3300 dollars for it but i guess it all depends on who is teaching it, i know the course alone was $1200 for just the course. Add in books and i didnt need everything, remember the Naui instructor guides cost the most money out of anything and they now require the leadership guide and the cpr, first aid guide. Add in the the basic diver instructor guide and any other books that you may not have. Ask the shop if you can just order the books that you dont have, the price of those books seems like the price for what is called the naui instructor library. Now just remember this, yes the course is expensive, yes you have to pay dues and insurance every year but add in the fact that you can now make a few dollars every year by teaching classes and doing other things.

 

[tstormdiver]

I just finished my SSI instructor course & the course was $1200 with the manual being about $300. Which, if you do the math is $1500 for the entire course & materials. It was a thorough course & the IT/IC was excellent.

 

[leapfrog]

Good to hear from you again, Tammy. Hope all is going well for you.

I think the OP has to look at two aspects which is the real business you will get as a NAUI vs SSI vs PADI instructor (yeah, nobody likes to talk about it but we have to eat and some of us are trying to make a full time living out of this) and the quality of training you are going to get.

As far as I know and I may be wrong, as an SSI instructor you have to work through an SSI shop whereas PADI and NAUI Instructors can be independent which is what I do now. I have my own students and work with the Centers as needed (obviously PADI centers but I don't have to have any affiliation with one or more of them).

I am not saying that the "independent model" is better than the "affiliated model". Perhaps with SSI you have higher chances of employment?

 

[japan-diver]

ITC prices are set by the shop/instructor not NAUI. The instructor library which includes the instructor guides for all core courses, specialties and first aid and the student kits from each course is about $1500 most instructors do not need all these as they have books from when they took the courses. Now the NAUI materials have been completly redone in the last couple of years so depending on when you started more than the pictures may have changed- ascent rates have changes as have safety stop procedures among other things-so having up to date materials is very important for instructors.

A NAUI ITC when completed includes First Aid instructor and Specialtiy Course Instructor (extra for most other agencies), the ITC usually includes the IE fee which is seperate if many other agencies also. Many CD's also add a prep course or other add ons to their ITC so the price may be on the high side of average but not out of range for what you get.

 

[TTT103]

Remember, all of these entities are in business to make money. They are not exactly not for profit agencies. You simply have to chuckle and pay the price to earn your badges, or realize that SCUBA is not exactly that complicated, and be satisifed with an OW certification that will never cost you a dime more.