As per my last post an excerpt from Chapter 8 Choosing an Instructor.
"Chapter Eight: Choosing an Instructor -- They Work for You!
Many people choose an instructor with less thought than they give to choosing a new television. My question is, why? A television does not hold your life in its hands, but the instructor you choose will. Some do not even have a choice of who the instructor will be; they sign up with a large shop and the shop assigns the students to whoever has the next class. No pre-class interview, no quick personality check to see if they mesh well, and no opportunity for the instructor to assess the fitness and interests of the student. I cannot fathom why anyone would accept this. When choosing an instructor, you need to understand that what you are doing is hiring an employee. You are the employer -- not the shop, not the agency, not the dive resort. You are employing this person to teach you to survive in an environment that is hostile to human life. Why would you not put serious thought into this? Why would you not interview this person and ask questions of him or her?"
Every agency has good instructors, great instructors, and some that are neither. So how do you find the best ones? Here are a few things to consider: First of all, how did you hear of them? Was it an ad in the phonebook, online, or from a friend? These are all good ways of finding an instructor, but you don’t usually get a lot of information to work with. Can you find online reviews of the shop or its personnel? Are you able to talk to former students and get their impressions? An instructor who has nothing to hide or fear has no problem contacting former students and getting their permission to use them as references. If you go through a shop and they assign the instructor, can you interview them before paying any course fee?"
Much more to this in the book.