Dive Internships

[bboard2857]

Finishing up my OW certification this week....Really interested in turning pro and becoming an instructor. I've been looking into various CDC that offer "internships." Any advice on these? It seems like a great way to become an instructor quickly. Not looking for a "quick fix" but don't want to spend a year or two becoming an instructor.

Any advice on a shop to go with?

Thanks

 

[plongeursousmarin]

Finishing up my OW certification this week....Really interested in turning pro and becoming an instructor. I've been looking into various CDC that offer "internships." Any advice on these? It seems like a great way to become an instructor quickly. Not looking for a "quick fix" but don't want to spend a year or two becoming an instructor.

Any advice on a shop to go with?

Thanks

If you just started, most serious divers, DMs and instructors will tell you that you need to gain experience in different situations and environments before you can hope to teach effectively. It is common sense too, since first you have to be a very good diver (for your own safety, the safety of others and for skill demonstration purposes once you will be teaching), and then you need to have the desire to teach and pass on the knowledge to others. So one to two years to become an instructor when you just started actually doesn't sound like all that much time to build that experience, even if you dove very frequently. I've been planning to take an IDC this year, I have the bare minimum and don't feel great about that. I've been certified since 1989 and have been diving regularly, if infrequently (I'm currently in Colorado - not for too long though) in many different places (Mediterranean, Red Sea, Carribean, Eastern Pacific and Atlantic). Anyway everyone's different but there are things that should apply to most everyone and that's building your dive resume with dives in various situations, locations and people (with more experienced divers and less experienced divers - you learn from both). Take it easy!

 

[bboard2857]

The internship I'm looking at would start sometime around Januar '06. I completely understand the experience part as I would not want an instructor with 0 experience. The desire to teach (especially diving) is already there. I feel comfortable in the water in the trips I have taken.

My thought was to get the course work out of the way and enjoy/learn diving at the same time. The classes include unlimited diving which would give me an ample opportunity to make a variety of dives. Between now and January I have a few dive trips planned to the Keys and Mexico which would add to my experience before I left.

Hopefully this explains my situation a little better.

www.Learn-in-asia.com is the program I'm looking to go through.

 

[SubMariner]

Finishing up my OW certification this week....Really interested in turning pro and becoming an instructor. I've been looking into various CDC that offer "internships." Any advice on these? It seems like a great way to become an instructor quickly. Not looking for a "quick fix" but don't want to spend a year or two becoming an instructor.

Any advice on a shop to go with?

Thanks

As plongeursousmarin already indicated, this is NOT the best way to become an Instructor!

Concentrate on getting experience in a variety of types of dives and conditions; progress NATURALLY up the ladder. Once you hit Divemaster (or the equivalent in the agency of your choice) THEN examine exactly why you want to become an Instructor. If you are still motivated at that point in time, THAT'S the time to be looking at becoming an Instructor.

Sorry if that's not the answer you are looking for, but EXPERIENCE is the best way to become a GOOD Instructor.

 

[ScubaBabe22]

Agreeeeeeeed!

OW is fun, but there's alot more to it than that...Have you ever been narc'd? Pushed the recreational limit of 120? Run out of air? expeirenced Equipment malfunction? Been Disoriented? Navigated to a dive site? been or had to help someone who was injured? Gotten in/out of a dive boat with 8ftswells? Lost a piece of equipment?...There are a whole host of problems that you could run into...Take it from me... I'm AOW, and I have not been narc'd, or disoriented or injured and I am not fully confident in my abilities nor will I be until I've handled most of the problems that could be associated with diving!!

Do not confuse fun with advanced courses, or confidence with expeirence...sorry hun!

 

[Aqua Buoy]

Diving and teaching divings are quite different things, while both can be fun, I agree with the other replies that nothing can make up for experience - keep in mind that you will ultimately be responsible for people's lives and throw in one or more of the scenarios Scubababe mentioned (and there are a lot more to than that).

Don't take any of the replies the wrong way, we'd all like to see you succeed at what you want to do, but if you read some of the threads posted around here there is nothing worse than having an inexperienced dive instructor. Remember also you have to do the AOW, Rescue and DM, all of which add to your diving knowledge, but also to things you have to think about when diving and teaching.

I also peronally feel that I enjoy teaching much more than I would have had I not the experience I have.

Best of luck getting up the ladder... keep us posted

 

[Scottri]

Take your time. Dive for fun for a while. Then DM for a year or so. Don't rush into it. The experience helping with classes is the best training you will get.

 

[divenut2001]

The saying goes that having an AOW card does not make you an advanced diver, "experience" does. Taking excellerated courses will not make you a good instructor, having the experience along with your education will. You owe it to your future students! Now go have fun diving...

 

[Mar Scuba]

www.Learn-in-asia.com is the program I'm looking to go through.

Steve is an excellent Course Director according to my unofficial former business partner who did the IDC there and then we took the IE together.

I have also referred students there to do the open water dives and they report satisfaction with Mermaids.

Best of luck,

 

[Tom725]

There are already too many instructor who only know how to knee on the bottom and do training skills.

Every first grade student wants to be a teacher when they grow up.

When you are a diving instructor you are taking lives into your hands, not only while the students are in front of you but after they leave you and are practicing what you taught.

As stated above, you need to have a few things go wrong and overcome them to be ready to be an Instructor.