What is PADI? PADI stands for the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. PADI was founded in 1966 and is responsible for training more than 25% of all dive instructors worldwide.
- Padi Diver Development Course The Padi instructor development course, also known as ‘IDC’, is a prerequisite to becoming an open water scuba diving instructor with PADI. This qualification will allow you to teach up to three people at one time underwater without supervision from another diver or instructor.
- Other qualifications required It’s important to consider that there are other courses aside from the IDC before aspiring towards your dream job as a Padi Dive Instructor.
Diving is an activity that many people enjoy. Padi dive instructors are responsible for teaching new divers how to scuba dive and ensuring they have a safe experience. Padi, or Professional Association of Diving Instructors, was founded in 1959 by Hans Hass with the goal of establishing international standards for all PADI-trained diving professionals.
This article will discuss 3 key points you should consider before becoming a Padi Dive Instructor: education requirements, certification process, and salary expectations.
Education requirements: Padi Dive Instructors must have PADI open water certification or higher. Padi also requires applicants to be at least 18 years old, hold a university degree in an ocean-related science discipline (like PADI’s Underwater Biomedical Science program), and take part in PADI Instructor Development Course course before applying for the instructor position.
Certification process: The first step of this process is to complete two scuba pieces of training—one with another dive training agency like NAUI or SSI, and the other through PADI. After completing these courses you will need to finish your classroom work by passing both online theory exams offered by PSI Testing Centers; only then can you apply as a Padi Open Water Scuba Instructor.
After receiving Padi certification, you must then pass the PADI Assistant Instructor Exam before moving on to the Padi Open Water Scuba Instructor course. This last step is considered a prerequisite for the Padi Divemaster program and all other specialties requiring SSI/PADI instructor-level training. Padi will also require that dive professionals have at least 100 logged dives under their belt before they can be certified as instructors with them – so the diving experience isn’t something folks should rush into when considering this career path!
Salary expectations: Padi instructors earn $50,000 to $150,000 per year. They are among the highest-paid PADI certification levels. They generally only work seasonally due to weather conditions.
With that being said, becoming certified as an instructor opens up many doors in terms of employment opportunities with dive shops, resorts, or even private companies that need experts who can train their staff/customers on how to use scuba gear.
In conclusion, Padi Dive Instructors are highly respected in the diving community. PADI has strict guidelines that must be met to obtain this certification, and then you can begin your journey into working with PADI.
