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I am looking for a place to take an IDC, so I have had conversations with some dive shop owners. I just had an interesting one that I thought board members might comment on.
This shop owner explained that because of new PADI regulation (Jan 06), every IDC candidate must have a complete library of PADI books and materials that will cost well over $2000. Not just the ones necessary or useful for the job, but seemingly everything PADI publishes. Most of these are completely unnecessary for most instructors because they dont apply to students in a particular location, or they are already provided by shops, or they are used so infrequently that instructors can easily share them.
For example, PADI requires that everyone buy a book on coral reef conservation, yet there are no coral reefs within a thousand miles or so. But the 10 part-time instructors who work in this shop will nonetheless have to have ten copies of this book gathering dust. In a typical week, this shop teaches one EFR class. But now, among the ten instructors, only one of whom teaches this class, they must have ten copies of the DVD set at a cost of $1000 sitting on the shelf.
Among ten part-time instructors, they must buy $20,000 dollars worth of PADI materials because PADI thinks its instructors are too stupid to know what they need and when they need it. (That isnt the real reason, he says, the real reason is so that PADI can sell millions in books and shop owners can get their cut.) No longer can a new instructor build his or her library over several years, use the shops books, or share one set of DVDs among several people. This regulation does nothing to improve the operations of the shop, because the shop already has this material it needs, and if an instructor goes elsewhere to work, he can pick up a book or two then, as needed. Of course, shop owners love it, because they get a big percentage of the sales.
The shop owner I spoke with, however, says he is not in the business of screwing IDC customers by making them buy things they will never use. For example, a resort or cruise ship that teaches only up to Adv Open Water, and never Divemaster courses will still have to have Divemaster books, and slates, and cue cards, and exams to be in the hands of each and every instructor at a cost of thousands of dollars. They must have books and other materials for specialties they dont teach, a copy for every instructor, at the expense of the already poorly paid instructors. While he recognizes this applies only to new instructors, so it will take several years for the full effect to be felt, he is concerned that in addition to the $1000 IDC fee, and $500+ to PADI for IE and annual fees, it will now cost another $2000 to take the course. Because of this, he already has some cancellations for his upcoming IDCs. Students would have to work over six months just to pay for the books they dont need ($1000 monthly income minus $700 basic living expenses equals $300 per month savingsall spent just for books and videos that the shops already haveeverthing the instructor earns above basic room and board, toothpaste, busfare and a few phone calls home).
Moreover, this shop owner will not be able to fill job openings because Divemasters will have to be told that before you can take an IDC and get a promotion, you have to spend over $2000 cash on videos and exams for courses you are not going to teach. If these applicants come from Europe, as most do, he has to tell them they cant go back to University at the end of the season with any savings at all, because it all goes to PADI. Not only that, but they will have to ship this pile of stuff back and forth every season. (In reply, I said, If one doesnt use them, why take them to the resort at the start of the season? His response was, If you really needed them, of course you would take them, and if you dont need them, why buy them?) He says because of this, he is going to phase out his relationship with PADI as quickly as possible, and stay as far away from them as possible. He thinks instructors should be respected and trusted to know what they need and when they need it, instead of being coerced into handing $20,OOO over to PADI (per group of 10 in the IDC) for duplicate copies of things one does not need, and duplicate copies of things one actually might use.
You can learn everything you need to know from the books, you dont need the slates until you teach the class, which most never will, but if you want to become an instructor, you must buy $70 Rescue Diver cue cards, even if you dont teach that class because PADI wants your MONEY and shop owners cooperate so they can get their piece of the pie.
I did not include everything from the conversation, (I left out the profanity!) but I think I got the highlights. Anybody want to comment?
This shop owner explained that because of new PADI regulation (Jan 06), every IDC candidate must have a complete library of PADI books and materials that will cost well over $2000. Not just the ones necessary or useful for the job, but seemingly everything PADI publishes. Most of these are completely unnecessary for most instructors because they dont apply to students in a particular location, or they are already provided by shops, or they are used so infrequently that instructors can easily share them.
For example, PADI requires that everyone buy a book on coral reef conservation, yet there are no coral reefs within a thousand miles or so. But the 10 part-time instructors who work in this shop will nonetheless have to have ten copies of this book gathering dust. In a typical week, this shop teaches one EFR class. But now, among the ten instructors, only one of whom teaches this class, they must have ten copies of the DVD set at a cost of $1000 sitting on the shelf.
Among ten part-time instructors, they must buy $20,000 dollars worth of PADI materials because PADI thinks its instructors are too stupid to know what they need and when they need it. (That isnt the real reason, he says, the real reason is so that PADI can sell millions in books and shop owners can get their cut.) No longer can a new instructor build his or her library over several years, use the shops books, or share one set of DVDs among several people. This regulation does nothing to improve the operations of the shop, because the shop already has this material it needs, and if an instructor goes elsewhere to work, he can pick up a book or two then, as needed. Of course, shop owners love it, because they get a big percentage of the sales.
The shop owner I spoke with, however, says he is not in the business of screwing IDC customers by making them buy things they will never use. For example, a resort or cruise ship that teaches only up to Adv Open Water, and never Divemaster courses will still have to have Divemaster books, and slates, and cue cards, and exams to be in the hands of each and every instructor at a cost of thousands of dollars. They must have books and other materials for specialties they dont teach, a copy for every instructor, at the expense of the already poorly paid instructors. While he recognizes this applies only to new instructors, so it will take several years for the full effect to be felt, he is concerned that in addition to the $1000 IDC fee, and $500+ to PADI for IE and annual fees, it will now cost another $2000 to take the course. Because of this, he already has some cancellations for his upcoming IDCs. Students would have to work over six months just to pay for the books they dont need ($1000 monthly income minus $700 basic living expenses equals $300 per month savingsall spent just for books and videos that the shops already haveeverthing the instructor earns above basic room and board, toothpaste, busfare and a few phone calls home).
Moreover, this shop owner will not be able to fill job openings because Divemasters will have to be told that before you can take an IDC and get a promotion, you have to spend over $2000 cash on videos and exams for courses you are not going to teach. If these applicants come from Europe, as most do, he has to tell them they cant go back to University at the end of the season with any savings at all, because it all goes to PADI. Not only that, but they will have to ship this pile of stuff back and forth every season. (In reply, I said, If one doesnt use them, why take them to the resort at the start of the season? His response was, If you really needed them, of course you would take them, and if you dont need them, why buy them?) He says because of this, he is going to phase out his relationship with PADI as quickly as possible, and stay as far away from them as possible. He thinks instructors should be respected and trusted to know what they need and when they need it, instead of being coerced into handing $20,OOO over to PADI (per group of 10 in the IDC) for duplicate copies of things one does not need, and duplicate copies of things one actually might use.
You can learn everything you need to know from the books, you dont need the slates until you teach the class, which most never will, but if you want to become an instructor, you must buy $70 Rescue Diver cue cards, even if you dont teach that class because PADI wants your MONEY and shop owners cooperate so they can get their piece of the pie.
I did not include everything from the conversation, (I left out the profanity!) but I think I got the highlights. Anybody want to comment?
