Complete Guide to Becoming a PADI Dive Instructor

Do you have a passion for diving? Do you want to become a pro-diver? Do you want to share your passion for the underwater world with others? If your answer is yes, then a career as a PADI Dive Instructor could be perfect for you.

Is it for you?

There is nothing better than being able to teach and share your passion with others. Being a PADI Dive Instructor can change your life. You’ll get to work all over the world and meet people of different cultures. You’ll also get to do what you love the most: dive.

What qualifies me?

Anyone can become a PADI Dive Instructor. You only need to be at least 18 years old and be eligible to take the PADI Instructor Development Course. However, there are several levels that you’ll have to get through in order to be eligible to be a PADI Instructor. You’ll need to have the following certifications:

• Open Water Diver
• Advanced Open Water Diver
• Emergency First Response: Primary and Secondary Care (Or qualifying first aid certification)*
• Rescue Diver
• Divemaster
• You must have logged at least 100 dives with documented experience in night diving, deep diving and underwater navigation. This ensures that you’ve developed your skills and have adequate experience to be an instructor.

I’m eligible. Now what?

If you’ve passed all the pre-requisite courses and have logged the required dives, then you can take the PADI Instructor Development Course.

Search for and contact a PADI Dive School – choose your course based on the best quality instruction as this will shape the type of Instrcutor you become. Enroll for and complete the Instructor Development Course (IDC). This course will help you learn about teaching methods and training standards developed by PADI. You’ll learn how to shape divers and ensure that they have all the skills they need to dive independently.

The course lasts for two to four weeks depending on the Dive Centre you choose. You’ll undergo a couple of days of tests at the end. These tests ensure that you can teach PADI diving courses and have a good grip of their standards – this is known at the PADI Instrcutor Examinations.

Tips for Finding an IDC Centre

There are PADI centers that run IDC courses all over the world. They include:

• Career Development Centres – these Dive Centres have at least two Course Directors on staff and are at the top on Instructor Training.
• PADI 5*IDC Resorts
• PADI IDC Centres

You need to do research when searching for an IDC Centre. Find out what other people have to say about a particular centre by checking online forums. Information you gather from the experiences of other students like you is invaluable when choosing a centre to learn from.

Ensure that you enroll in a centre that is known for excellence and quality in training. This will ensure that you develop to be a better quality instructor.

Also check on the instructors. Ensure that they have a good reputation. You also need to ensure that they are a good match for you.

Need more information? Check out our special Instructor Internships here!