PADI Instructor Course: Instructor Development Course (IDC)

The PADI Instructor Development Course / PADI IDC

During your PADI Instructor Course you will gain the knowledge and skills to become an entry-level PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. Once you have successfully completed your Instructor Course you are then qualified to attend a PADI Instructor Examination.

The PADI IDC involves curriculum presentations made by one of our PADI Course Directors or IDC Staff Instructors. In addition to us giving presentations, you will also give you own IDC Candidate Teaching Presentations. We will teach you how to teach in the classroom (Knowledge Development) and in the swimming pool (Confined Water.) Additionally, you will also learn to teach in the sea (Open Water.) The PADI Instructor Course also has 2 sets of written exams. These test your PADI Dive Theory and knowledge of PADI Standards. This to prepare you for the PADI Examination (PADI IE), and of course real life afterwards as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.

What does the course consist of?

The IDC consists of two Courses: The PADI Assistant Instructor Course (AI) and The Open Water Scuba Instructor Program (OWSI.)

Together these make up the full PADI Instructor Development Course or PADI IDC.

PADI Standards state a PADI IDC must be a minimum of 7 days which is very common. However ,Chris has always taught a 10 day Indepth PADI IDC. Chris's PADI Instructor Course has been specially designed to develop your teaching skills and expand your knowledge and understanding of The PADI System. By running a10 day IDC also allows us to take things at a more relaxed pace. This is how you can really maximize your learning and development. Which is what the whole IDC is meant to be about.

Your IDC teaching style

After all what makes a teacher a successful professional is not what he or she knows. But rather what your students know after you have finished teaching them!

During your IDC you will learn how to successfully transfer knowledge and skills to others. You will develop a clear understanding of The PADI Philosophy of Continuing Education. And we will also look at the ever growing range of PADI, TecRec, Rebreather courses, programs, teaching tools and materials. Especially awesome are the PADI Online and Digital products that are now available to you as a PADI Instructor. In our opinion the Touch products are a must for every PADI Instructor!

Once you have understood the basic teaching methods employed in teaching scuba diving and how to use the PADI system to its fullest. You are going to find that once you understand the PADI system, teaching is a fun, easy and exhilarating experience.

Learning in Phuket with Chris Owen:

Chris’s indepth style of teaching, developed over 28 years working as a full-time Instructor and Course Director, is on development!

On your Instructor Course we are not expecting you to be perfect from day one. You will find that the mistakes made during your Teaching Presentations help you remember where things can go wrong, and in turn, what you can do to prevent them. In fact, we learn best by making mistakes and then receiving the necessary feedback we need to improve. As such feel free to make as many mistakes as you like. In addition, you will also learn a lot from your fellow PADI Instructor Course candidate's mistakes.

Consequently by the end of your IDC, by the time you get to your PADI Instructor Examination, you will be more than fully prepared.

Phuket is a great place to fulfill your dream and start your PADI Scuba Diving Career by becoming a PADI Instructor. Warm, clear waters provide some awesome diving, which can only be matched by the many activities available on land. You can either be a land-based instructor or there are many opportunities in Phuket to work on Liveaboard vessels. There are many Liveaboard Safaris running to The Similan and Surin Islands and even into Burma.

PADI IDC Course Structure:

Chris’s 10 day Indepth PADI Instructor Course consists of the 19 PADI PADI Instructor Course Curriculum presentations which cover a variety of topics. These include The PADI System, an indepth look at PADI Course Standards and structure, training programs, Member support and Risk Management. These IDC presentations focus on the development of a PADI Instructor with an emphasis on learning the standards and structure of the PADI educational model. The idea is to teach you how to use the PADI Standards and tools to maximum effectiveness and how to prepare effective teaching presentations.

PADI IDC Candidates then have the following Teaching Presentations:

Confined Water Teaching Presentations:

The primary function of a PADI Instructor is to teach people how to safely scuba dive while having fun. So not surprisingly a large part of your PADI Instructor Course consists of learning how to teach in Confined Water where your future students will first be introduced to scuba diving skills. You will give teaching presentations as the PADI Instructor with your fellow IDC Candidates role playing the students in “your class” You will be teaching skills from the PADI Open Water Course and PADI Rescue Diver Course in the pool. However, the students in your class will have some problems or will make some mistakes, as real students do. As the Instructor it is now up to you to react correctly to stop it from happening. Or if the problem happens then does the instructor candidates react correctly when a problem does arise.

On your Indepth PADI Instructor Course you are given at least 4 of these! You will have ample times to practice and improve your teaching skills and prepare you for the IE. So please relax, and remember that’s what you are here to learn.

The PADI Skill Circuit

This is a simply a repetition of the 24 Skills from the Skill Circuit that you have already mastered when you completed your PADI Divemaster Course. This is done in CW at the very beginning of the IDC to establish that your skills are of demonstration quality. The Evaluation criteria on the PADI Instructor Development Course is EXACTLY the same at that on your Divemaster Courses. So no surprises there. You can find it listed in your PADI Instructor manual in the PADI Divemaster Course Section.

This is also run as a half day workshop on our Indepth 3 Day IDC Prep. We spend half a day in the pool to work on your skill demonstrations along with your Course Director or IDC Staff Instructor. We also like to run a demonstration of Rescue Exercise #7 as you will be teaching it on the IDC.

When was the last time you DEMONSTRATED Scuba Unit Remove and Replace Underwater? Or Weight Belt Remove and Replace at the surface? Or everyone’s favorite – CESA?

Open Water Teaching Presentations

Open Water teaching presentations make up the other in-water part of the IDC and IE. This is where you will need to be at the top of things. The same as after the IE when you take your own students out into a real Open Water environment. After an IDC Staff presentation on teaching in Open Water, you will give your OW Teaching Presentations. These can be from the PADI Open Water course, PADI Advanced Open Water Course or the PADI Rescue Diver course. You will also learn how to teach multiple skills from different courses in the same presentation becoming more functional as a PADI Instructor.

PADI Instructor Course Standards require 2 OW Teaching Presentations of two combined skills: on your Indepth IDC you will do a minimum of THREE!

 Knowledge Development Teaching Presentations

As we have said an important part of being an instructor is the ability to transfer your knowledge to your students. After all there is no point in knowing everything but not being able to pass on this information. You will give IDC classroom Teaching Presentations on various topics from the PADI curriculum. And once again your fellow IDC Candidates will be role playing your students. And once again they will be assigned realistic problems we see when teaching these courses. The IDC Staff will be grading you as usual and will be giving you positive feedback and suggestions for improvement. We are here to prepare you to teach in real life as well as for your IE. So let's get these mistakes out of the way early, learn from them, and then relax and have some fun.

PADI IDC Standards require 3 KD Teaching Presentations. However you will be giving a minimum of FOUR of these on your Indepth IDC. Topics will be from the Open Water course, Advanced Open Water Course, Rescue Diver Course or Divemaster Course.

PADI Instructor Course: Dive Theory Exams

The PADI Dive Theory exams are similar to the ones you have already completed during your PADI Divemaster Course and the IDC Prep.

• Physics
• Physiology
• Dive Skills and the Environment
• Equipment
• Decompression Theory and the Recreational Dive Planner

This prepares you for the PADI Dive Theory exams that you take on the PADI Instructor Exam (IE). To be successful on your PADI Instructor Course you will need to score a minimum of 75% on each Exam.

We will spend 2 ½ day going over these in great detail on our Indepth IDC Prep. We also give you two sets of Exams that we know you have not seen before!

PADI Standards Exams

Standards are extremely important and it is obvious that as a PADI Instructor that you must understand the PADI Standards. You also need to be familiar with navigating the PADI Instructor Manual and Guide to Teaching. The General Standards and Procedures Exam on the IDC, is an assessment of your understanding of PADI System Standards and preparation for the similar exam that you will sit at the PADI IE.

This is an open-book exam with your PADI Instructor Manual and Guide to Teaching, either paper of Digital editions. You need a minimum of 75% to pass.

Does it look like fun or does it look like fun!

And that’s it folks...