How long does it take to receive certification?

[alan_lee]

Well, unfortunately, I haven't even got my own paperwork. If I'd had my own training records, I would've made sure he signed it and I would gladly send it off with all the other documents. Problem is, I'd submitted all the stuff to him, he kept my training records, I've paid up the money, done my one year of internship... and now he's jerking me around.

And no, I've stopped working for him cos I no longer trust him.. with the final straw being the occasion when he asked me to turn up to teach a class... which turned out to be a PADI classroom session! Prior to that, there were a equipment reliability issues which weren't fixed and he actually got pissed with me for raising it to him. As far as I'm concerned, if the equipment is faulty, you get it fixed ASAP rather than taking stop gap measures (eg. unplugging the LP hose when the auto inflator kept inflating the BC). The sad thing is, when he taught me during my OW, he was an outstanding instructor who was very professional. But over the years, he's let his standards slip and had become appallingly unprofessional, and the stuff he did definitely merits a formal complaint. But right now, I just hope that he'd get my paperwork done and not let his ill will get in the way. In the meantime, another LDS is sponsoring me for my IDC but it's not use until I get my c-card.

 

[alan_lee]

Hey everyone, sorry to drag out an old thread, but I just wanted to let you all know that I finally received my card in January 2010. Unbelievable! He obviously did nothing after I'd cleared my requirements, cos he actually told me that I had to take my medical and submit my photo in December 2009. I was so pissed off with him that I decided to deal directly with the local SSI, which I'm awfully disappointed with. When I wrote to them to complain about my situation, they simply forwarded my e-mail to the shop with the message "please see, for your necessary action".

I dug around and found out that this guy was taking as long as a year to get C-cards out to students. I've a friend who took her PADI (this guy teaches PADI too) AOW with him in May 2009 and it took 9 months for her to get her c-card. She never saw her PIC, so didn't receive her temp card. When she finally received her c-card, her certification date read as "December 2009". Probably explains why she received an old version of the AOW book when she started her course: he didn't buy the course material from PADI, probably used someone else's PIC to submit her paperwork.

 

[Sharkbait2005]

Congrats on "officially" becoming a dive-con. I was quite bummed as I followed your saga, and very relieved that your ordeal is over. Hopefully SSI has done something with this guy.
Good luck in your new position.

 

[alan_lee]

Thanks for your kind words, Sharkbait! Yeah, it was a lot of stress being at the mercy of that fella (there's no reason for me to fear him, but I didn't have my training records and I had no receipts from him, no records that I'd ever undertaken my training), so I'm glad that the ordeal is over. And I seriously doubt that if the local SSI (they were the only people I manage to contact, I couldn't find the contact of SSI HQ) would do anything about it after talking to a long time SSI instructor. Something about the local SSI franchise. How disappointing.

 

[stiggy]

In Thailand providing all paperwork and requirements are met.

Professional level 36 hrs to issue card and number quite often within 24 hrs.
Student cards processed within 24 hrs.