Go Pro
Greg Galford Jun 29, 2024
As part of the instructor development process, candidates need to successfully complete an objective two day examination of their teaching skills in the water and on land that is performed by PADI employees. Sometimes it seems that the instructor development process simply becomes preparations for the instructor exam.
As you embark on your instructor class, it is important to remember that this truly is a "development process" and the real goal is to help you become a marketable instructor when you leave the course. Somebody that can teach divers of all levels and help them become more comfortable and competent in the water. At the first level of instructor, you may be teaching new divers, or more likely divers seeking their Advanced, Rescue or Divemaster certifications.
The real goals of the instructor development process are:
- Develop your skills to teach in the classroom, pool or open water to people with differing learning styles
- Build your judgement to understand how to mitigate risk and seek out alternatives to help students learn
- To fill in any "gaps" you may have in your diving knowledge and skills to bring them up to what people would expect of an instructor
- Help you understand the PADI instruction system, courses and links
- Most importantly prepare you for where you are going to teach, and give you a big step toward success when you leave the program
From this, you can pass the instructor exam teaching just like you would in real life. Hopefully this removes a little of that anxiety that always seems to hang around exams.
