PADI Instructor Development at Two Fish Divers

Assistant Instructor Course with Two Fish Divers on Bunaken
Assistant Instructor (AI) courses can be done at PADI 5 Star Dive Centers and Gold Palm Resorts, and Two Fish Divers is one of these centers. Both the senior instructors at Two Fish, Tina and Nigel, are Staff Instructors which means that they can conduct AI courses on Bunaken. It is the most important practical part of the IDC as it is concerned with your teaching skills for PADI teaching courses, and it is therefore a very good stand-alone course or as an extension of the DM course.

How it fits together - the PADI Instructor Development Course
The foundation of PADI instructor development is the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC). The program consists of two parts — the Assistant Instructor (AI) course and the Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) program. Combining the three-day AI course and the four-day OWSI program into a continuous program makes up a seven day IDC.

Successfully completing an AI course allows instructor candidates to earn the PADI Assistant Instructor rating which authorizes them to function as instructional assistants and independently conduct certain PADI programs. AI course completion also qualifies candidates to participate in an OWSI program.

Successfully completing the OWSI program (or an entire IDC) makes candidates eligible to participate in a PADI Instructor Examination (IE). The IE is a completely evaluative program that tests the instructor candidate’s teaching ability, dive knowledge, skill level, understanding of the PADI System, attitude and professionalism. Instructor candidates become PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors only after successfully completing an IE. PADI IEs are standardized, objective evaluations conducted by Instructor Examiners representing one of PADI’s international offices.

Where to do OWSI's and IDC's
OWSI programs and IDC's are conducted at PADI 5 Star Career Development Centers, Instructor Development Centers, or alternate locations approved by PADI. OWSI/IDC programs are often scheduled to precede the two day IEs scheduled by PADI in the same general geographic area. However, candidates are free to choose when and where to take an IE for up to one year from the date of IDC completion. PADI reserves the right to cancel, reschedule or relocate IEs as staffing, logistics and enrollment require.

Scheduling the Two Fish AI with IDC's
Taking the AI at Two Fish means that the IDC and IE need to be done at another location. This is no problem because the centers that run the OWSI/IDC's cater for this sort of situation. They are scheduled right across the Asia-pacific region in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia as well as in just about every country in europe and the america's. The IDC schedules are posted on the PADI web site by country, as well as the schedule of IE's - click here for more information.

FYI - Life after the IE
Once you are an instructor your training does not stop there. Various instructor-level continuing education courses are offered by PADI 5 Star Career Developent Centers, Instructor Development Centers, Gold Palm Instructor Development Centers and Course Directors. These include

• Emergency First Response (EFR) Instructor, Specialty Instructor Training Courses, DSAT Tec Deep Instructor Training (TEC) Courses, and Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) Preparatory Courses are designed to teach qualified PADI Instructors how to organize, promote and conduct these respective courses.

• IDC Staff Instructor Courses train qualified Master Scuba Diver Trainers to conduct AI Courses and IDCs.

• Instructor preparatory courses allow candidates to receive remediation and preview the IDC.

• Status Updates are a means for PADI Instructors to regain Teaching status after a period of inactivity if authorized by PADI.

• Positive Approach Selling (PAS) and Advanced Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Enthusiastic Divers (ASR) are retail education programs. They are designed to teach PADI Dive Center employees and Instructors effective methods enhancing the chances for business success.
  
  

The schedule of Instructor-level continuing education courses is also incldued on the PADI web site - click here.