Best Path toward Instructor?

[hawkans]

I'd appreciate any advice on what might be my best path toward becoming a scuba instructor. Here are some factors to consider:

I am a teacher, and have summers off (plus a week for Thanksgiving and Spring Break and 2 weeks for Christmas). I love teaching, in and out of the classroom.

I have all the equipment I need for diving, except a wetsuit or drysuit.

I'm single and relatively young.

I'll favor the path with the lowest cost/least time, but only to the degree that it doesn't compromise quality or safety.

So, what's best?
-Accelerated program/internship/etc. in Fiji (or wherever) with discounts if you have your own gear?
-Befriend the local dive shop and pay them to mentor your (slower) advancement through the ranks?
-Some other option I haven't considered?

Your thoughts greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

 

[Felipe Telles]

The best path would be the slowest. Dive a LOT. Dive in various locations with different people. Also be open minded to various equipment setups, and at least try some.
The fast way, well, it`s just faster.........

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

With 24 or fewer dives you want to teach, but you do not want to compromise quality?

Consider the option of going diving. Go diving many times, many places, day, night boat, shore, deep, shallow. Learn how to lead yourself around and not be on some divemaster lead puppy dive. Learn to plan your dives, manage your gas, manage your deco, navigate and help others out there. Go do a few hundred dives. Then think about teaching.

 

[RonFrank]

You need to DIVE! I'm sure PADI will allow you to join there DM program now, but IMO If you are not as good as say ME you should not be learning instructing yet.

I would get AOW and then rescue by next summer along with at least 75 dives. I would do some day trips out of both San Diego and LA/Ventura and at least one Live aboard. The Channel islands are a great place to learn, and a incredible place to dive. You can do a live aboard for around $500 for 2.5 days or approx 15+/- dives.

When you are at that point of taking the next step then do what makes to most sense for you. A Trip abroad is not a bad way to go, and you will see some of the world! Training close to home also has some advantages.

 

[scwdive]

I think the slow path is best. Enroll in an Advanced Course then a Rescue/Stress and Rescue Course (these are prerequisites), look for a shop that has a busy dive club, and many different courses scheduled. Take the DiveControl Specialist/Assistant instructor course and sit in on as many classes as you can stand. Take people diving, and dive as much as possible in as many varied environments as possible. All this prep should take about a year or so, then decide if teaching diving is a good fit for you. The time you spend taking the classes and attending shop events is part of joining that local diving community. Also most dive shops promote their own rather than brining on someone who walks in the door. Good Luck and Safe Diving....

 

[ff1diver]

Dive more...Dive in different environments...Dive more...take more dive classes...dive more!!!!!

 

[Thalassamania]

One other question that you need to ask, and I stress this because you are a teacher, is what agency? There are significant differences, especially from the perspective of a teacher, as to how the different programs run. Look very carefully at the differences between PADI, SSI, SDI, SEI, NAUI, etc., as they relate to the instructor, not just the student. Your choice of agency may well define, even dictate, your path.

 

[buiszie]

To become a Padi Instructor u have to have 100 dives, be at least 6 months certified, be a Padi divemaster or dive leader of another organisation and u have to be an emergency first resonder instructor.

There are a lot of people that have problems with the zero to Hero programs. One of the problems is that u only gets experience of 1 area. On the other hand u will dive frequently and dive mostly every day during the internship months. Its upto u what u prefer.
Its always how good and passioned ur instructor is,and does he brings this over to u....

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The people I've known who had prior teaching/training experience do tend to have a leg up ... because they understand that side of the business inherently. But in order to be a quality instructor, you must first become a quality diver. And you won't get that in the accelerated programs. What you will get is a person who is "book smart", but probably doesn't truly comprehend a lot of what they are teaching. Those kind of instructors tend to cover all the bases required by the agencies without ... really ... teaching people how to dive.

The reason is because diving is a very situational activity, and giving someone a bunch of "rules" without explaining what they mean and why they exist doesn't prepare them for applying those rules in situations that aren't exactly what they trained in. This is why we end up with so many clueless people on dive boats.

So with that said, here's the path I'd recommend ...

1. Seek out some experienced divers and go diving as much as you possibly can.
2. As soon as you feel comfortable with your skills, sign up for a class ... you can opt for the usual progression, but don't hurry from class-to-class ... that path leads to a rather myopic diver who can parrot everything and understand little. Comprehension comes from practical application and a succession of "ah-HAH" moments when something you learned is applied in a way you hadn't previously considered.
3. Once you reach DM level, spread yourself out a bit. Volunteer to help out with classes ... a lot. Work with as many instructors as you possibly can ... they each will have their own way of teaching, and you can pick up a nice assortment of "tools" by working with multiple instructors.
4. Never stop fun diving ... even after you become an instructor. Continue to dive with as many experienced divers from different backgrounds and agencies as you can find. Depth of experience comes from variety ... and it's quite easy for an instructor to find themselves in a rut by getting too much into teaching and too much into the "party line" of their agency.
5. Question everything ... at all levels, never accept what someone tells you without comprehending why they're saying it. If they can't explain why in a cogent manner, then they don't truly understand it ... and that's not the sign of a quality instructor.

Go slow ... quality demands time and practice. You can't get there on the fast track ... because even if you can perfectly recite the class materials chapter and verse, only through experience can you truly develop an understanding of why it matters. And learning why usually comes with experience ... the water is the best teacher you'll ever have ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[GeorgeC]

One other question that you need to ask, and I stress this because you are a teacher, is what agency? There are significant differences, especially from the perspective of a teacher, as to how the different programs run. Look very carefully at the differences between PADI, SSI, SDI, SEI, NAUI, etc., as they relate to the instructor, not just the student. Your choice of agency may well define, even dictate, your path.

Great point Thalassamania brings up about the agency related to teaching style. However, forward think this one through and think about where you want to work and the agency they represent.

The majority of posts, so far, is to take your time and that is the best advice. However, if you decide to take a different quicker route with a total immersion program “Pun Intended” think about the agency where you are expecting to teach. Example. The Fiji program might be a NAUI instructor program and all of the California shops might be PADI. Make sure you align your training where you ultimately want to teach.

From my experience, I took AOW, Rescue and Dive Master through my local shop along with gear purchases. Because they did not have a course directory they wanted me to take the Instructor Development Course at their affiliate shop about 90 minutes away. I decided to take the course in warm Florida in November. When I came back to the shop with my OWSI card they completely black balled me and stated because I was not taught by them (affiliate shop) then I could not teach at their shop. My point is think about the big picture. Set a goal and plan the path to that goal!