Cheapest place in asia to do IDC?

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Devon -- Thanks for the mention. A lovely surprise there.

MIBZ -- I agree. Basing a decision on the price alone is just, well, dumb. This is career-level training. Be it computers, law or any other profession, the idea is to get the best training to make you the best professional you can be.

Having said that, we do recognize that in these bad economic times price is important. That's why Aquanauts created our budget-minded Aquanauts Value instructor training packages. We believe these are the best prices on PADI 5-Star Career Development Centre training we can offer.

http://divinginstructortraining.com/internships/instructor-v/

We also have our standard Aquanauts Complete packages on sale in until Dec. 31, 2010 at up to $700 off, depending on your current certification. For DMs, the sale price is $200 off.
You possibly can find cheaper, but then of course if you've failed your instructor exam, it really was more expensive as you still need to pay again to do it properly.

 

[TMHeimer]

I'd question the motives of someone going for the cheapest IDC!

Why not do the sensible thing, do some research on the course director, send some emails THEN decide where to go?

His motive may be he just doesn't have the money?

 

[DevonDiver]

Doing instructor training is not like buying a used car.

The IDC is the foundations of everything you will later become as an instructor. A good course director will produce instructors with the right attitude, skills and mentality.

I'd advise holding off the course if you can't afford to study at a well accredited, well regarded IDC centre.

 

[Zippsy]

I won't make an assumption about mibz's plan but what is wrong with looking at the cheapest course to see if that meets his high expectations and, if not, checking the second cheapest, then third cheapest....? Has anything he said not fit that possibility?

 

[instructor44pi]

Instead of looking for the cheapest option as it will affect your level of teaching ability later on down the road why not look at value for money. If you are looking to find a cheap IDC that will teach you how to pass an IDC and not actually how to teach the PADI courses correctly then it will only be a detriment to yourself and your future students and like previous posts have stated, you will save money in the long run by not having to resit your IE numerous times if you are taught correctly the first time!

I can personally recommend BLUE SEASON BALI in Indonesia who i did my training with. Jonathan Cross is one of the highly decorated PADI Course Directors that i did the IDC with and i can truly say he was outstanding. They offer a whole month package that really gives you plenty of time to develop yourself into become a true PADI OWSI.

I would recommend this company to anybody wanting to do an IDC in Asia.

I still keep in touch with Jonathan over emails and he is still, 1 year down the line, helping me out with questions about conducting certain courses that i might have.

I hope this helps you

P

 

[mibz]

i really dont understand peoples logic on here, cheap doesn't mean bad, and expensive mean good,high pass rates just mean they train you just for the test and not for real life.

i dont plan on ever doing scuba as a main job, i have been in the military and now im in the gold mining game, i get bored and love learning, im 4 hrs from the nearest body of water, im doing my sky divers instructors ticket next year, i am a aircraft pilot, and i study languages via correspondence, money isnt a issue but im a fool to just throw it away. i have been looking at a place in china, i just need to clarify with them that they can speak english enough to train me.

 

[nhebrant]

cheapest is not always the best a you read - you do pay for what you get for.

In terms of lowest prices koh tao, Thailand is prob one of the best since the whole island does only that (30,000 students certified annual aprox - about of which 1500 IDC candidates).

Im currently stationed there working full time - check out my site here for info on diving pro development and training...

Send me a mail if you need any help or advice.....
rgds

Nick
PADI Staff Instructor

 

[fatiger]

I heard from a friend who do IDC there! This is good with a lot of chance to pratice. Also not over charge! But you need to have time to stay there to do all the work! (Not sure but heard have to stay a longtime for training, 1 price for everything include)
PADI IDC Bali Blog - Blue Season Bali Instructor Training Courses
Take your time to read all the info on their web and ask question to know more!
People like to think they always know more than you and have a better sence than you!..hahaha
Maybe you can change your question like " Cost effect place in asia to do IDC? "

 

[DevonDiver]

i really dont understand peoples logic on here, cheap doesn't mean bad, and expensive mean good,high pass rates just mean they train you just for the test and not for real life.

Other than local/regional economics, a scuba course costs $XXX to run. That tends to define a roughly average price amongst the market.

Gotta ask yourself how certain dive operations manage to cut those costs. Unless it is run by a business genius, then it is likely via minimising overheads in ways that the other centers are not prepared to do. That means cutting fuel costs (less choice of dive site/less dives) or cutting staff costs (one man band outfits) or cutting equipment costs (skimping on kit and compressor servicing).

i dont plan on ever doing scuba as a main job, i have been in the military ..... money isnt a issue but im a fool to just throw it away.

I am also ex-military. I didn't plan scuba instruction as a career, but nonetheless I wanted to be a high-calibre instructor. That meant I sought out recommendations for the best IDC centre. Money just was not a factor. I don't throw money away either - but I had enough knowledge of the scuba industry to recognise that you do get what you pay for.

Nobody on this thread has recommended a dive centre on the basis that it was the most expensive. They have advised about which offered great courses. I think that is the most you're gonna get - because I doubt any of us has spent time shopping around to find bargain basement IDC centres... we just don't have that information.

i have been looking at a place in china, i just need to clarify with them that they can speak english enough to train me.

They probably are cheap in China.... because the poor quality of dive sites there means they struggle in competition with other Asian locations. I won't comment on the quality of IDCs there, because I've not visited the place.... but I would comment that, in my experience, the OW divers taught in China often seem to be below average in terms of skill and knowledge. Trace that problem back to its likely source...and it leads to a suspicion that the intructor cadre in China isn't the highest quality. Of course, that is just my perceptions...

 

[Quero]

I agree that simply selecting by price--including only the cheapest on the short list or focusing only on the priciest under the assumption that the instruction is somehow better is unwise.

In my view, 'you get what you pay for' applies to the cheap places rather than across the board--in other words you won't get what you don't pay for, but paying a premium price doesn't guarantee you'll get a quality program either.

However, I'd definitely say 'you pay for what you get' does apply across the board, no matter where you go--in other words, if you want more personalized attention, smaller groups, well-thought out scheduling of practice and study modules, well conducted micro-teaching sessions, etc., etc., you are going to have to pay more than rock bottom to get it. If you are happy with a bare-bones experience, go ahead and select only on the basis of price and simply forget quality.