Considering internship IDC course based around Thailand

[DevonDiver]

As much as I like BSAC, I let my membership/instructor status lapse because there's simply no call for it anywhere I've worked (Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines).

If involved, for the long-term future, with a BSAC school, then fair enough. But for an instructor looking for work, it's not worth the expense of instructor training.

 

[lord khram]

BSAC in my mind having previously been a member for a many years, is really not the way forward for someone wanting to have a long term career in diving, infact I will go one step further and say there is little benefit to being a member of BSAC or indeed following their training route unless you want to be a member of a BSAC club / branch (of which virtually all are UK based) and dive with them on a regular basis.
Having said that I do feel there are advantages in the basic levels of BSAC training over PADI, such as basic rescue skills being tought on the entry level course, but regardless of training standards the simple facts are that worldwide, PADI has cornered the market for basic recreational diver training. Also after the first two levels of BSAC training when you get onto Dive Leader and Advanced Diver levels, etc, the courses are directed more at developing skills that will benefit participation within BSAC branches / clubs, rather than your personal diving skills or skills to enable you to make a living out of instructing. Indeed as most BSAC teaching is done within clubs on a voluntary basis directed towards the development of the club and its diving activities, why would that be any different. Skills and knowledge required to succesfully work in or run a comercial dive centre are very different to those required by a senior BSAC club member.
Most people I know that have taken BSAC courses on a commercial basis are already involved with a BSAC branch in the UK and have simply chosen to pay for a course whilst on holiday or even in the UK to 'fast track' part of their training. Of course there will always be the odd exception to that, but I fail to see the benefit anybody else can achieve from such. I have also personally seen people that have done such training at commercial BSAC centres go back to their branch only to be told that ''it can't possibly have been done properly in such a short time'', and senior members within the branch have refused to recognise such courses. Whilst BSAC as an organisation has moved on over more recent years, unfortunately at branch level, many individuals have not done the same, and are still living in the days where they do not recognise any form of training that was not done by themselves within their club, and of course you can't possibly be a competent diver unless it has taken at least 12 months to achieve your entry level qualification.
Quite simply BSAC and PADI are very different organisations with very different goals, and as has already been pointed out on this thread, diving instruction under what ever label is not the best career to realise a good and regular income, chosing the BSAC route will only limit options even further.

 

[Edward3c]

BSAC in my mind having previously been a member for a many years, is really not the way forward for someone wanting to have a long term career in diving, infact I will go one step further and say there is little benefit to being a member of BSAC or indeed following their training route unless you want to be a member of a BSAC club / branch (of which virtually all are UK based) and dive with them on a regular basis.
Having said that I do feel there are advantages in the basic levels of BSAC training over PADI, such as basic rescue skills being tought on the entry level course, but regardless of training standards the simple facts are that worldwide, PADI has cornered the market for basic recreational diver training. Also after the first two levels of BSAC training when you get onto Dive Leader and Advanced Diver levels, etc, the courses are directed more at developing skills that will benefit participation within BSAC branches / clubs, rather than your personal diving skills or skills to enable you to make a living out of instructing. Indeed as most BSAC teaching is done within clubs on a voluntary basis directed towards the development of the club and its diving activities, why would that be any different. Skills and knowledge required to succesfully work in or run a comercial dive centre are very different to those required by a senior BSAC club member.
Most people I know that have taken BSAC courses on a commercial basis are already involved with a BSAC branch in the UK and have simply chosen to pay for a course whilst on holiday or even in the UK to 'fast track' part of their training. Of course there will always be the odd exception to that, but I fail to see the benefit anybody else can achieve from such. I have also personally seen people that have done such training at commercial BSAC centres go back to their branch only to be told that ''it can't possibly have been done properly in such a short time'', and senior members within the branch have refused to recognise such courses. Whilst BSAC as an organisation has moved on over more recent years, unfortunately at branch level, many individuals have not done the same, and are still living in the days where they do not recognise any form of training that was not done by themselves within their club, and of course you can't possibly be a competent diver unless it has taken at least 12 months to achieve your entry level qualification.
Quite simply BSAC and PADI are very different organisations with very different goals, and as has already been pointed out on this thread, diving instruction under what ever label is not the best career to realise a good and regular income, chosing the BSAC route will only limit options even further.

Hi,

If you look back to my first post on this thread you will see that I suggested the BSAC Instructor as an ADDITIONAL selling point to potential employers.

If a commercial dive operator doesn’t have as least one BSAC Instructors they can’t become a BSAC Centre, which means they can’t provide the top-up training you mention.

Its no secret that our courses aren’t always attractive to dive operator. Anyone undertaking Ocean Diver then Sports Diver will have received training covering a number of income streams:

• Basic SCUBA
• Nitrox
• Navigation
• Rescue
• Decompression
• SMB/DSMB

Elements which are normally included:

• Wreck diving
• Using a shot-line
• Small boat
• Large boat
• Shore diving
• Wall diving
• Drift diving
• Wet/Dry suit
• Night diving
• Depth progression to 35m (optional)

Compared to what can (and is) charged for all the above its not surprising dive operator prefer other agencies as they can charge for each element.

Again you’re correct Dive Leader and Advanced Diver are dive management grades with a strong emphasis on developing others and providing interesting and challenging dives.

 

[DevonDiver]

... I suggested the BSAC Instructor as an ADDITIONAL selling point to potential employers.

The issue being the return on investment. Will having a BSAC instructor rating provide the individual with a definable return for the money spent on gaining the qualification?

Personally, I don't think so. Yes, it does mark out a CV. However, other than resume dressing, the instructor is unlikely to ever earn a dime in return for the money they spend. Other, more commercial, agency ratings would do so. Supplementary industry qualifications; such as compressor maintenance, service technician or dive medic may also do so.

A BSAC instructor rating does show, IMHO, that the instructor concerned is likely to be more than just another sausage-factory dive pro drone. That's good....but that's all.

 

[Bubble Junky]

Andy - I run PADI Instructor courses on the west coast of Thailand - on Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi. Feel free to send me an e-mail (info@go-pro-in-paradise.com) if you'd like me to send you the full info about these courses... Koh Lanta isn a beautiful, relaxed island, and Koh Phi Phi is a busy island with lots of students about... Most people will agree that the diving on the west coast of Thailand is better than the Gulf side (not that the Gulf diving is without its merits tho'...).

 

[tracydr]

Have you considered California? PADI headquarters is near LA and the IDC would include diving in the ocean at Laguna beach ( I think that's where they go). Very good diving. You could also take the ferry across to Catalina if you get some free time and dive in the dive park or maybe a day trip to the Channel Islands.
Learning in cold water of CA would better prepare you for teaching in Ireland's waters.

 

[limbo]

Some good advice is given here by a variety of people, if you're still interested, I do teach PADI IDC's at 4 different locations in Thailand and no, not on Koh Tao, and I also teach in Indonesia and in the Philippines. No lack of getting a variety of locations and options in before you start your IDC through the dive centers that I'm associated with.
Feel free to PM me in case you want to swap Guiness for some Singha, Bintang or San Miguel.

 

[lord khram]

Don't go to Aquanauts in Pattaya. LOL

See the thread started recently on the Thailand Forum. Good reason to not commit yourself too much up front on an internship at one dive op.

Most companies will of course be reputable, so don't let it put you off, but this is an example of how things can go wrong.

 

[DownbelowDiver]

Hi there,

I am a PADI Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver. I live in Dublin, Ireland as a tour guide with Guinness. I have spent 7 years in the job but I am now considering moving on to greener pastures. I really enjoy diving but hardly ever get the chance to go unless pool sessions as I work most weekends and study part time. I want to take a break from Ireland and travel a bit as I have never been further than Egypt or the States.

I was recently looking up Divemaster/IDC internships in Thailand. A lot of the searches were coming back with Koh Tao being the best place to go. I have researched many of the dive centres and will be looking to get in contact to look at certain infrmation (e.g. cost, accommodation, food etc). There is a lot I would have to consider as I would be giving up a great job here and would think of the possibility of staying in the dive industry and teaching.

Can anyone in some shape or form point me in the right direction? Maybe top 5 dive centres to take course with or is there options besides Koh Tao? I want to get this right if I am to do this. It might not happen for another while but to start getting up and running would be great.

Any advice would be great. Cheers.

Hi andystorehouse,

I commend you on your decision to become a dive professional, and I suspect you know how rewarding it will be once your scuba diving career is underway!

I will begin by introducing myself: I am one of the PADI IDC Staff Instructors and member of the Go PRO team at Downbelow Marine and Wildlife Adventures in Borneo. We conduct all dive training for our professional scuba diving internship programs at our premier PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya Island, located within the protected Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.

Downbelow's Dive Centre Facilities on Gaya Island | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

It’s very prudent of you to plan your professional dive training because who and where you gain your dive knowledge is important as you will be caring for others underwater and it must be taken seriously.

We offer internship programs for those wanting to complete any professional dive training, as it includes a variety of benefits and opportunity to enhance your skillset and inevitably confidence.
For the PADI Divemaster course, we offer a 1-month professional scuba diving internship program, even though the course can be completed in roughly 10 days. However, the attractive benefit of our internship programs is that it includes much more than your formal training, such as City Centre accommodation, boat transfers to Gaya Island and UNLIMITED scuba diving within Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, to name a few!

PADI Divemaster Internship | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

These benefits are included in the internship program for our PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) candidates as well and it takes 1-month to complete.

PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Internship | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

We are very popular for continuing our student divers’ education at our Gaya Island beach house because the dive lifestyle is so apparent to our professional dive interns, as they are encouraged to get involved with the day-to-day operations of running a busy Dive Centre like ours! Some of our interns will continue immediately upon completing their 1-month internship to qualify as a PADI Divemaster and in preparation for the next IDC they will accumulate their real dive experience with real dive clients.

We conduct the IDC 5 times a year, which has increased in frequency, because we are getting more and more popular from our reputation of delivering the highest standards of quality dive training. PADI Asia Pacific regularly award our contribution to the scuba diving industry for ‘Instructor Development’ because of the exemplary dedication and commitment of our Go PRO Team of PADI Instructor Trainers!

Downbelow's Go PRO Instructor Development Team | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

Awards & Publications | Diving Sabah? Dive Downbelow!

You mention how you ‘want to take a break’ and this is the usual response to questions such as, ‘why do you want to be a dive educator?’ Diving in any discipline needs passion to sustain the longevity of your career, and during my own internship program at Downbelow, did I know for sure I had chosen the right career for me.

If you have any questions about the internship programs we offer or any PADI courses and experience programs we offer at our Gaya Island beach house, just contact us at our Head Office in KK Times Square.
One of our friendly and experienced members of staff will organize a suitable itinerary for you with a quotation and/or answer any queries you have before you begin your travels to visit us in Borneo!

Good luck with your decision andystorehouse! Remember to have FUN! If it’s not fun…well something’s wrong.. Hehe

 

[stevenl]

Wow, with a post length like that no wonder it took you more than a year to answer the OP