Another step on the Professional ladder and the continued development of the skills and knowledge you gained in your Divemaster Course are only a few of the benefits of your PADI ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR Course at Puffin Dive Centre. Valuable preparation is given for Open Water Scuba Instructor Training. This provides you with opportunities to enhance your professional attitudes, appearances and diving skills which will benefit you as a diver and as a member of any PADI dive centre team.
Puffin Dive Centre has the benefit of being the only specialised Career Development Centre in Scotland and one of only a handful in the UK. Professionally set up modern classrooms incorporating video, slide and digital projectors and a waters edge site with the full range of services required by divers at all levels. With the assistance and advice of your Professional Instructors and all the latest educational equipment available at
Puffin Dive Centre you can develop your teaching style and technique. You will have to practice, be able to conduct effective classroom sessions and make your position as a Dive Professional much more flexible in the services that you can offer.
The presentations you give from the Open Water Diver Course are structured in such a way that you will cover all the objectives of your individual lesson and points on further education and local diving experiences to gain and motivate the interests of your 'students'. Using the format currently employed in the Instructor Development Courses together with classroom training and practice you will learn how to prepare your academic sessions. These will be given by you and will be evaluated. After discussion with the instructional staff points of improvement will be given for you to improve your teaching style and technique.
To be certified as a PADI ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR, an individual must:
* Attend the seven IDC curriculum components including:
- - Course Orientation
- - Learning, Instruction and the PADI System
- - PADI Discover Scuba &Snorkelling Programs
- - Developing Knowledge Presentations
- - Teaching Project AWARE &Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialties
- - Teaching in confined water
* Present at least two evaluated confined water teaching presentations and score 3.4 or higher on at least one presentation.
* Present at least two evaluated knowledge development-teaching presentations and score 3.5 or higher on at least one presentation.
* Present at least one integrated (two skills) evaluated open water teaching presentation and score a 3.5 or higher on each skill.
* Demonstrate competence at performing all 20-dive skills listed on the Skill Evaluation. Candidates must earn 68 total points with no individual score below 3.
* Score 75% or higher on the ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR Standards Exam and have any missed questions reviewed until mastery is achieved.
Puffin Dive Centre programs, including the ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR program are performance based. The actual time required to complete training is based on logistical considerations, candidate ability and the number of candidates on the course however you should allow 3-4 days.
Once certified you can certify students as PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Divers. Another benefit of certification is that you may complete the Discover Scuba pool experience programme and certify students in any non-diving specialties after gaining the PADI Specialty Instructor Certification relevant to the subject such as Equipment Specialty and Oxygen Provider.
Successful candidates can also take part in the EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE INSTRUCTOR Course (if not completed already as a PADI DIVEMASTER) and then go on to instruct and certify students in the Emergency First Response.
Information on this course can be found in the EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE INSTRUCTOR brochure on this site. With the EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE Course being available to the general public in addition to certified divers
you will have gained a valuable addition to your qualifications and expanded your ability to take diving to the community. The PADI ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR Course is a quality certification recognised worldwide by all PADI Dive Centres.
At this level you will be effectively passing on your knowledge and experience in a professional manner to all of those who will see you as a role model and educator. By now you will have developed your teaching skills for use in the confined and open water sections of your students' courses.
Only one step ahead of you now is the INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT Course and your OPEN WATER SCUBA INSTRUCTORS (OWSI) qualification.
Emphasis is always placed on your own diving skills and the requirement is to achieve a standard that gives high quality demonstrations and shows professionalism to all involved in your courses. There is a small amount of pre course work, which is required to be completed prior to the start of the course. Courses can be tailored around individual schedules and requirements. Call and speak to one of Puffin Dive Centres' Course Directors who can talk you through all options and availability. During this course, instructor candidates will be required to make presentations and deliver to instructor quality at least some of the modules referred to in the various manuals. Presentation standard and delivery of the topic concerned forms part of the evaluative components of the course. The course directors reserve the right to refuse to certify, if in their professional opinion, the delivery of the assigned component fails to achieve the necessary bench mark assessment. Whilst remedial tuition will be provided where appropriate, this is solely at the discretion of Puffin Dive Centre, who reserves the right to charge when remediation of the instructor skills exceeds the allocated course time. Puffin Dive Centre provides a range of Instructional Courses specialising in the personal development of candidates and providing tuition and marketing capability. Prior preparation for the course involving delivery techniques and structured course content by the candidate can dramatically increase the learning potential and allow additional time to focus on further professional abilities.
The role of Assistant Instructor around the world varies between continents. In the UK it is often overlooked as being a level that contributes to the dive centre in a permanent way and is seen as a quick stepping stone without the need to gain experience. The ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR Course is often taken at the same time as the IDC.
Puffin Dive Centre would recommend a slower approach to the acquisition of the Instructor level for two reasons. Firstly, experience gained is critical to the provision of good quality tuition and the rewards reflect this. Secondly, when taking the IDC it is apparent that experienced Assistant Instructors are far quicker to understand the principles and more comfortable in the delivery of the lectures - because of this, the IDC is able to provide these
individuals - not necessarily more information - but information that the Assistant Instructor knows he requires and actively looks for solutions to areas within his field of experience. In some parts of the world, Divemasters and Assistant Instructors are career opportunities not just badges or stepping stones.
Either way, the course at Puffin Dive Centre will contribute significantly to your development and growth as a successful provider of worthwhile and lucrative diver training programmes.