What to do about HORRIBLE instructor?

[Airleron]

He teaches independently, and I was not the only one who held this opinion of him. My entire class did.

Does any of the following sound appropriate for an Open Water class, or as to how anyone should be treated in general?

He yelled at students in the ocean as they were puking from sea sickness and left them there with their inexperienced dive buddy as he moved forward while calling them "pussy", he was sexist and made the females feel uncomfortable, he gave conflicting info regarding many important things, the students were afraid to ask questions because he yelled so often, he was very impatient and often got questions by students mixed up so he would yell at them when he completely was misunderstanding the question, everyone was intimidated by him and just wanted to finish the course, he did not pay attention at times during the dives and his assistants who only had their open water certifications had to take over and assist the students...

the list goes on....

If this is exactly what happened, all the students should turn him in to the certifying agency.

 

[boulderjohn]

He yelled at students in the ocean as they were puking from sea sickness and left them there with their inexperienced dive buddy as he moved forward while calling them "pussy", he was sexist and made the females feel uncomfortable, he gave conflicting info regarding many important things, the students were afraid to ask questions because he yelled so often, he was very impatient and often got questions by students mixed up so he would yell at them when he completely was misunderstanding the question, everyone was intimidated by him and just wanted to finish the course,

Through this point, you have a description of someone with poor teaching skills. If everyone else felt that way, you might get them to join you in a group complaint to the agency. That will make it less likely that it will be perceived as a personality conflict. I was a school teacher and an administrator for years, and I know that even the best teachers will have strongly-worded complaints leveled against them by someone, and it is important for a supervisor to look for more evidence of a problem before acting. If you can't get anyone else to join you, and you still feel strongly about it, go ahead and send in the complaint.

The problem is that there is nothing specifically actionable for the agency in what you describe so far. I think the best they can do is provide advice and hope that word of mouth keeps customers away.

he did not pay attention at times during the dives and his assistants who only had their open water certifications had to take over and assist the students...

In contrast, this is an actionable item. If the instructor is having non-certified assistants supervising you, that is a clear standards violation and grounds for disciplinary action.

 

[fredlikes]

There is more, including injuries, that I do not want to get into, because I am fairly confident he is a member of these forums.

 

[DevonDiver]

Does any of the following sound appropriate for an Open Water class, or as to how anyone should be treated in general?

Firstly, I want to be able to differentiate between opinions and facts.

Secondly, I want to be able to differentiate between customer service, teaching skills.... and safety issues. It is important to make those differentiations.

He yelled at students in the ocean as they were puking from sea sickness and left them there with their inexperienced dive buddy as he moved forward while calling them "pussy", he was sexist and made the females feel uncomfortable,

I've seen some instructors who use very authoritative leadership styles when teaching... especially in bad conditions where close control is needed to keep a group safe. In bad weather conditions, it is sometimes necessary to raise your voice and direct students.

I've also seen some instructors who chose to motivate students by 'pushing' them. Others choose to 'coax' them. It's a matter of style. The wisest instructors learn to recognise which style is most appropriate for the individual student.

I am not saying that this was the case in the instance of the OP's course... but it is worth examining. Could be just a clash of personalities and/or the employment of the wrong teaching style for the personalities concerned.

he gave conflicting info regarding many important things, the students were afraid to ask questions because he yelled so often, he was very impatient and often got questions by students mixed up so he would yell at them when he completely was misunderstanding the question, everyone was intimidated by him and just wanted to finish the course,

It's unusual to here of an instructor 'yelling' during theory class. I wonder what could have made him so frustrated??

Likewise, it is rare to here of a newly qualified/student diver who would notice that his instructor didn't have a grasp on the theory. The theory is pretty darn easy - and most instructors (even the dumb ones) teach the same stuff so often that they have it pretty much down to routine.

Perhaps he was a newly qualified instructor? Teaching in a foreign language? Perhaps he was not even a qualified instructor? Perhaps the students were frustrating him?

Can you give specific examples of where he was contradicting himself with conflicting info please?

he did not pay attention at times during the dives and his assistants who only had their open water certifications had to take over and assist the students...

This seems very subjective...and is the only potential safety issue that I see raised thus far. How do you define 'not paying attention'? When I teach, I like to encourage my students to become independant...and not to be reliant on an instructor/divemaster. As the course progresses, I give the illusion of distancing myself from them (in terms of supervision, not physical distance). However, I am actually still watching them like a hawk and ready to react if they have a problem.. I just don't want them to know (and rely upon) that.

Are you sure he was using OW divers as assistants? They weren't rescue divers?

the list goes on....

..please enlighten us..

I see some customer service issues here. Badly constructed motivational techniques. Perhaps an awry sense of humor? Personality clash?

I see some disagreement about theory teaching methods. Looks like obvious frustration on behalf of the instructor. Bad to show that frustration to the customers. What caused it remains to be seen.

As far as safety goes... I am concerned if he broke standards by using OW divers as assistants. This is a clear violation of standards for most (all?) agencies.

Injuries are important. I'd like to know about those. It'd give a clear indication of the level of supervision...and how he dealt with them.

Please forgive the appearance of cynicism in my post... I do believe that the onus is on the OP to clearly spell out the issues. I've seen cases of 'customer angst' before... and on many occasions it was due to misunderstanding. I am normally the first to jump on any cases of unprofessionalism, poor safety and sloppy teaching in the dive industry... but I've not seen 'proof' of that yet.

Perhaps the instructor concerned was just trying to train capable, independant divers and got frustrated by a high level of dependancy?

 

[pafindr]

When talking to the specific agency it will be important to give as much detail as possible.
How many students were in the class, how many Dive Masters or Assistant Instructors he had, did he leave any student unattended on or below the surface, or was there material not covered that should have been covered. You said there were injuries, be specific about those too.

It's okay if he's a member here because even members will get chewed out if they are doing a lousy job instructing.

 

[fredlikes]

Respectfully, please understand that I am not trying to convince everyone here as to why I believe this person is not fit to be teaching. I am guessing this is what PADI and NAUI will do (he teaches for both). I am also not trying to publicly bash this person, that is why I did not present details until I was asked multiple times to do so.

I am totally open to everyone's opinion and appreciate it, I really came here to find out what can be done.

I can understand the cynicism and how everyone has a different perception, though my experience is based on the shared "perceptions" of everyone in my course.

This man scares me, and it scares me that I signed up for him and someone else in the future will sign up for him and the possibility for future injury scares me....

 

[Garrobo]

Change instructors.

 

[DevonDiver]

I can understand the cynicism and how everyone has a different perception, though my experience is based on the shared "perceptions" of everyone in my course.

The reason I ask questions (as do others) is to identify exactly what the instructor concerned did wrong. We can then provide you with the best advice on what to complain about to the agency concerned. It'll help you get your complaint dealt with seriously by the agency.

Agencies don't tend to get heavily involved in 'customer service' issues. Those don't reflect on the agency... the natural repercussions affect the instructor's business more directly. Your recourse to these is to publicise the bad service/treatment you recieved... and let other potential students take heed of that.

Safety issues...and failures to adhere to an agencies stated instructional standards are taken far more seriously. If complaints about specific issues arise from multiple students, then the agency will investigate further (normally by contacting that instructors other students over a pre-determined period). If they identify simular problems, then the agency would raise the issue with the instructor concerned. It could result in removal of teaching status, suspension, re-training or just counselling.

Given your initial question... I would advise that you wrote a full, frank and honest appraisal of the course to the agency concerned. Be sure to fully state any concerns that you have about safety issues...or state any standards violations that you may be aware of following advice on this forum. If you also want to complain about any personal issues (rudeness, teaching style, lack of tolerance), then out that at the end and state that you felt it brings the agency into disrepute by association with that instructor.

 

[fredlikes]

Thanks for the advice.

I will write a letter to the agencies.

In the meantime, is there a place to write a review/rate an instructor that other potential students can read? Similar to Yelp or any of the other other online services for reviewing restaurants, hotels, etc.?

 

[DevonDiver]

Just be sure to quote facts, due to potential legalities.

Tripadvisor is quite popular, and appears high in search engines.