Looking for some help deciding where to go

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Dickens

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Location
Poconos Pa
# of dives
Ill start with a little background info. Im 20 and looking to travel the world starting late next year sometime. I obviously want to have fun while doing this but I also want to make a little bit of money (expenses not savings) and get to experience the culture and area that I visit more so than the average tourist that stays for a week. I grew up in the South Florida waters and miss it but do not regret moving away. Down In Florida I would go free-diving constantly and I even made a few uncertified SCUBA Dives so I have enough experience to catch the fever but not enough to pretend like I know what I am doing.

My plan right now is to get OW certified this summer and possibly get more certifications if I have the time. I would like to start my travels by taking an internship to Instructor and would like to know the best place to get the best quality education/experience. I have narrowed it down to 4 programs and would like honest opinions about them. Reputations, Pro's vs Cons', experiences, or even feedback from someone at the shop (I have seen at least 1 of them on here) would be appreciated.

To be clear I am looking for the most professional and most complete experience in an Internship. I do not want a "Party School" or "Factory" but I also dont want to be in a shop that only sees a small amount of business.

These are the 4 I have narrowed it down to in the order of my preference


Open Water to PADI Instructor | Scuba Internships | Utila Bay Islands | GoPro Utila Tied for #1 I have heard nothing but good about UDC and would like to know how they compare to the rest.

Advanced Diver to PADI Instructor Internship – Caribbean Dive College Tied for #1 I have not heard much about this school but I did email them and got all my questions answered quickly and got a good vibe from them.

Crystal Dive Resort | Koh Tao Internships - Instructor Internship, Divemaster Training I am nervous about any IDC in Thailand because of the reputation that they have for being the worst offenders (sausage factories). Even if this one is not, Do my future employers know this? I was very happy with the emails that Matt and I traded as he answered all of my questions very thoroughly and quickly.

PADI IDC Center Florida Keys. Scuba Dive Instructor training at Rainbow Reef Professional Scuba Instructor Development and Career Center;scuba divingiving, scuba, Key Largo, PADI, IDC, dive professional I like this because I have heard nothing but good and it will be much cheaper than the rest but I would prefer something outside of the USA for multiple reasons.



Thank you ahead of time to those that take the time to answer to the best of their ability.



I know how some of you feel about internships and I am not looking for a lecture about how I should take a few years to slowly rise up the ranks. I have searched through the threads here and considered both sides and decided that an internship is best for me. I am just trying to get some honest answers to the questions that have come up in my research.
 
The best training you will find in the Keys is at the Florida Keys Community College, none of the places you've listed hold a candle to it.
 
That's easy: UTILA.
 
Dickens from what my neighbor told me and at your age, get your resume to the EPA and be a EPA diver, the best money and they pay for all the training and you will dive a lot of places.
 
The best training you will find in the Keys is at the Florida Keys Community College, none of the places you've listed hold a candle to it.

What makes them better than the rest?

That's easy: UTILA.

What makes you say this?

Dickens from what my neighbor told me and at your age, get your resume to the EPA and be a EPA diver, the best money and they pay for all the training and you will dive a lot of places.


Voodoo thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will definitely take a look at there program and do some research.
 
Bumping this back up to get some more answers
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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