Why certainly. :biggrin: In NAUI, the "professional" levels (ignoring the skin-diving-only stuff) are, basically (in my own words):
- Assistant Instructor: Certified to assist an active-status NAUI Instructor.
- Divemaster: Everything from Assistant Instructor, plus leading certified divers (i.e. trips, dives, and so on).
- Instructor: Everything from Divemaster, plus teaching and certifying new divers.
- Instructor Trainer: Everything from Instructor, plus helping with teaching new Instructors (but *not* signing off on them). [This status can only be awarded by NAUI.]
- Course Director: Everything from Instructor Trainer, plus being responsible for training new Instructors (including signing off on them). [This status can only be awarded by NAUI.]
So, each level takes the previous one and adds on something new, with Assistant Instructor being the "lowest" level. (This is in contrast to PADI, where the two roles are reversed and somewhat commingled.) If you're a NAUI DM, you have already surpassed AI and are fully certified to act as an AI.
At my LDS, we don't bother separating out Assistant Instructor as a separate course, choosing instead to simply add in the Divemaster content for our "entry-level professional" course. I don't know the manners of many NAUI shops first hand, but I would not be surprised if this is widespread (or even "normal").
(As for the materials, the
NAUI Leadership and Instruction textbook and workbook cover everything from AI through DM and Instructor, with practical application being the primary differentiation. When going for DM, you're doing DM-ish and AI-ish things. When going for Instructor, you're basically just doing instructor-y things.)